Downsizing in Balmedie: What You Would Actually Release
Selling at the £240,000 Balmedie average and buying at £168,000 releases about £65,240 after costs. Fees, LBTT and moving take roughly £6,760 of it.
The introduction costs you nothing. If you go ahead, we may be paid a fee by the firm we introduce you to.
Selling at the £240,000 Balmedie average and buying at £168,000 releases about £65,240 after costs. Fees, LBTT and moving take roughly £6,760 of it.
The downsizing sum for Balmedie
Start with the gap. Selling at £240,000 and buying at 70% of that, £168,000, leaves £72,000 before costs. Costs are the part people underestimate.
Agent fees at 1.5% are £3,600. LBTT on the purchase is £460. Total £6,760, leaving £65,240 in hand.
Where the sale proceeds go
The commercial page for this town sets out the introduction itself: Equity release in Balmedie.
Downsizing against releasing equity
A lifetime mortgage at 65 on the same property would release about £81,600. Downsizing nets £65,240. The difference is that downsizing costs you the house, and equity release costs you the estate.
Over twenty years that £81,600 release grows to roughly £287,529. The downsizing figure does not grow at all, because there is no debt.
The parts of downsizing that are not financial
Council tax follows the property, not the person. Band D in Aberdeenshire is £1,686, and a smaller home may sit in a lower band. Check the band before you offer, not after.
Downsizing works best when you are not in a hurry.
What a move within Balmedie looks like
The schools families ask about here are Balmedie School, Bridge of Don Academy, Ellon Academy (nearby) and Further & additional-support provision. Ratings age between inspections, so read the latest report before you rely on one.
On getting about: Balmedie to Aberdeen (by road) takes about ~15 to 20 min drive.
By price, Balmedie ranks 8 of the 25 Aberdeenshire locations we cover, at £240,000 against a county average of £217,600. Band D council tax here is £1,686, against £1,686 across the county.
Is Balmedie right to stay in?
Balmedie is a desirable coastal Aberdeen-commuter village in Formartine, north of the city, famous for its beach and huge dunes.
The full local guide covers schools, transport and the market in detail: Balmedie property and area guide.
Moving within Aberdeenshire rather than out of it keeps you near family and known services. The county average price is £217,600, against £240,000 here.
- A famous beach and huge dunes on the doorstep (Balmedie Country Park)
- A quick road commute to Aberdeen and the airport via the A90 and the AWPR
- Good schools, Balmedie School, with Bridge of Don Academy for secondary
- Aberdeen genuinely close, about 9 miles for the city, work and the hospital
- A simple Scottish council-tax bill, no police, fire or community precept
- No railway station, the commute is by road (A90 and the AWPR) or bus
- The local market can move with Aberdeen's energy-sector economy
- Secondary catchment is an Aberdeen City school (a cross-boundary arrangement to confirm)
- Nearest full 24-hour blue-light A&E is Aberdeen Royal Infirmary (~9 miles), not in the village
- Coastal and dune-side homes need a survey and a flood check
| Who it suits | Out of five | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Commuters (to Aberdeen) | ★★★★☆ | Well placed for an Aberdeen commute by road, the A90 (dualled on the Balmedie to Tipperty section) runs beside the village and the AWPR bypass meets it close by, giving a fast run into the city (about 9 miles, roughly 15 to 20 minutes), but be clear that Balmedie has no railway station, so it is a road (or bus) commute. |
| Families | ★★★★☆ | The beach, the dunes and Balmedie Country Park, good Education-Scotland schools (Balmedie School, with Bridge of Don Academy for secondary), and a safe, community-minded village feel make Balmedie a strong family choice, though it is a village, so expect to travel for a full range of shops and services; check catchments. |
| Beach & coast lovers | ★★★★★ | Few places in the north-east can match Balmedie's vast beach and dune system, a genuine draw for anyone who wants the sea, big skies and space on the doorstep, with the Country Park and the wider Forvie coast nearby. |
| Professionals | ★★★★☆ | A coastal village within an easy road commute of Aberdeen's energy, university and city jobs, and close to the airport via the AWPR, convenient and scenic, though tied to the city's economy and without a railway. |
| First-time buyers | ★★★☆☆ | Flats, terraces and smaller homes offer accessible ways in (often £130,000 to £180,000), and LBTT relief helps, but Balmedie is a desirable coastal village and budgets may stretch further in some other Aberdeenshire towns; weigh the road commute too. |
Balmedie is known locally for Balmedie Beach & the dunes. The vast beach and huge sand dunes, protected as Balmedie Country Park, are the village's defining feature, one of the great stretches of the north-east coast for walking, wildlife and the sea. See Balmedie.
Practical detail for Balmedie: the AB23 postcode district, no railway station, the commute is by road on the A90 and the AWPR bypass (nearest rail in Aberdeen) and nearest A and E is Aberdeen Royal Infirmary (ARI), Aberdeen, the nearest full 24-hour blue-light A&E (~9 miles); there is no A&E in the village.
Balmedie has history behind the price. In Early history, A small rural and coastal community in the parish of Belhelvie, behind the great Balmedie beach and dunes.
Balmedie at a glance
| Downsizing line | Balmedie figure |
|---|---|
| Sale price, local average | £240,000 |
| Purchase at 70% of value | £168,000 |
| Estate agent at 1.5% | £3,600 |
| LBTT on purchase | £460 |
| Legal and moving | £2,700 |
| Total costs | £6,760 |
| Net released | £65,240 |
| Lifetime mortgage alternative at 65 | £81,600 |
Figures are local averages used for illustration. Confirm your own numbers before acting on them.
Ask about Balmedie
Three details is all we need. You are told before anything is passed to a partner firm.
Your checklist
- A real valuation of your home, not the £240,000 average
- The council tax band of the property you are buying
- Total moving costs of about £6,760
- The equity release comparison, in writing, before you decide
The introduction costs you nothing. If you go ahead, we may be paid a fee by the firm we introduce you to.
Check broadband before you make an offer in Balmedie
Broadband speeds can vary street by street in Balmedie, so check the exact address before you commit. Ofcom's free checker shows which broadband speeds and mobile coverage are available at any UK property.
We can introduce you to a specialist who can combine your mobile, broadband and utilities into one bill. There's no fee for the introduction.
We don't provide these services ourselves. Switching household bills is not a regulated financial service, so FCA protections and the Financial Ombudsman do not apply. We'll only pass your details to the specialist if you ask us to. See our privacy notice.
Questions people ask
How much would I release by downsizing in Balmedie?
Is downsizing better than equity release?
What are the costs of moving?
How do I check broadband speed at a property in Balmedie?
Read next
Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage.