Downsizing in Dollis Hill: What You Would Actually Release
Selling at the £600,000 Dollis Hill average and buying at £420,000 releases about £157,300 after costs. Fees, stamp duty and moving take roughly £22,700 of it.
The introduction costs you nothing. If you go ahead, we may be paid a fee by the firm we introduce you to. There is no obligation.
Selling at the £600,000 Dollis Hill average and buying at £420,000 releases about £157,300 after costs. Fees, stamp duty and moving take roughly £22,700 of it.
Running the downsizing numbers in Dollis Hill
Start with the gap. Selling at £600,000 and buying at 70% of that, £420,000, leaves £180,000 before costs. Costs are the part people underestimate.
Agent fees at 1.5% are £9,000. Stamp duty on the purchase is £11,000. Total £22,700, leaving £157,300 in hand.
Where the sale proceeds go
The commercial page for this town sets out the introduction itself: Equity release in Dollis Hill.
Two routes to the same cash, priced
A lifetime mortgage at 65 on the same property would release about £204,000. Downsizing nets £157,300. The difference is that downsizing costs you the house, and equity release costs you the estate.
Over twenty years that £204,000 release grows to roughly £718,824. 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 Dollis Hill is £2,235, 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 Dollis Hill looks like
The schools families ask about here are Our Lady of Grace Catholic Junior School, Mora Primary School, Gladstone Park Primary School, Braintcroft E-ACT Primary Academy and Saint Claudine's Catholic School for Girls. 5 local schools were rated Good or Outstanding overall at their most recent graded Ofsted inspection. Ratings age between inspections, so read the latest report before you rely on one.
On getting about: Dollis Hill to Baker Street takes about 12 min.
By price, Dollis Hill ranks 162 of the 320 London locations we cover, at £600,000 against a county average of £732,469. Band D council tax here is £2,235, against an average of £2,121 across the towns we cover in the county.
Is Dollis Hill right to stay in?
Dollis Hill is an established, diverse and well-connected north-west London suburb.
The full local guide covers schools, transport and the market in detail: Dollis Hill property and area guide.
Moving within London rather than out of it keeps you near family and known services. The average price across the county towns we cover is £732,469, against £600,000 here.
- A diverse, better-value Brent suburb
- Dollis Hill on the Jubilee line (Zone 3)
- The hilltop Gladstone Park & London views
- Good and Outstanding schools nearby
- Fascinating heritage (Paddock, the House)
- A busy suburb near big roads
- London prices for the space
- Traffic and noise on the A5 & North Circular
- Character varies street to street
- Flats & ex-council homes need lease/construction checks
| Who it suits | Out of five | Why |
|---|---|---|
| First-time buyers | ★★★★★ | One of the more accessible ways into a well-connected part of north-west London, purpose-built and converted flats from around £350,000 to £475,000 with the Jubilee line into town, better value than neighbouring Willesden Green and Queen's Park. |
| Commuters | ★★★★★ | Dollis Hill is on the Jubilee line (Zone 3), direct to Baker Street, Bond Street, Westminster, Waterloo, London Bridge, Canary Wharf and Stratford, a fast, single-change-free commute across the West End, the City and Docklands. |
| Families | ★★★★☆ | Good and Outstanding schools nearby (Our Lady of Grace Catholic Junior is Outstanding; Mora, Gladstone Park and Braintcroft are Good), the big hilltop Gladstone Park, and Edwardian and interwar family houses, with London prices and busy main roads to weigh. |
| Buy-to-let landlords | ★★★★☆ | Strong tenant demand from commuters and families, the Jubilee line, and relative value against inner north-west London make Dollis Hill a long-standing rental area, check the numbers, lease and any licensing carefully. |
| Young professionals | ★★★★☆ | A fast Jubilee-line commute to the West End and Canary Wharf, more affordable flats than Queen's Park or West Hampstead, and Gladstone Park and Willesden Green's bars and cafes close by, a well-connected, better-value base. |
Dollis Hill is known locally for Gladstone Park & Dollis Hill House, and Gladstone Park. Gladstone Park on the former grounds of Dollis Hill House, where Gladstone was a guest and Mark Twain stayed in 1900, the hilltop green heart of the suburb.
Practical detail for Dollis Hill: the NW2 postcode district, Dollis Hill (Jubilee line, Zone 3), direct to the West End, Westminster, London Bridge & Canary Wharf; Willesden Green & Neasden close and nearest A and E is Northwick Park (Harrow) or the Royal Free, Hampstead (a drive), verify with NHS.
Dollis Hill has history behind the price. In Medieval & early modern, Farmland and hay meadows on the hill in rural Willesden parish, Middlesex, supplying London.
Dollis Hill at a glance
| Downsizing line | Dollis Hill figure |
|---|---|
| Sale price, local average | £600,000 |
| Purchase at 70% of value | £420,000 |
| Estate agent at 1.5% | £9,000 |
| Stamp duty on purchase | £11,000 |
| Legal and moving | £2,700 |
| Total costs | £22,700 |
| Net released | £157,300 |
| Lifetime mortgage alternative at 65 | £204,000 |
Figures are local averages used for illustration. Confirm your own numbers before acting on them.
Ask about Dollis Hill
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 £600,000 average
- The council tax band of the property you are buying
- Total moving costs of about £22,700
- 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. There is no obligation.
Check broadband before you make an offer in Dollis Hill
Broadband speeds can vary street by street in Dollis Hill, 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 Dollis Hill?
Is downsizing better than equity release?
What are the costs of moving?
How do I check broadband speed at a property in Dollis Hill?
Read next
Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage.