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Home sellers and buyers are racing to complete their deals before the cost of stamp duty increases on April 1. The deadline makes property deals even more fraught than usual. There is no time to lose. Sellers have to be businesslike, befriend their buyers, surveyors, agents and conveyancers.

Sellers only have to worry about stamp duty if they are to buy another property. And they have to make sure that the prospect of a potential stamp duty saving does not end up costing them more. There are always buyers looking to cut what they pay for a property.

Sellers have to remember that there are many more buyers in the market this year than recently.

There are ways to rescue your sale if your buyer drops out, but you have to work out how much you lose when you sell to one of the companies that buy homes instantly. They usually offer a lower price than normal buyers, but they allow someone to buy the home of their dreams, which may be a super bargain.

Along the route to completion buyers and sellers have to make sure they get the best price and service as a hefty estate agent fee can dwarf the saving that they may make on stamp duty if they complete in time.

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Most households can save money on their energy bills. The price cap brought in by the Government and the energy regulator, Ofgem, to reduce bills after Ukraine was invaded is no longer the best deal for most homes.

Before the energy crisis millions of us opted for fixed price energy deals to get cheaper energy bills but now more than 80% of households settle for the price cap with its £300+ standing charges before we use a single unit of gas or electricity.

The savings may be more modest nowadays but most households can save at least £50 a year on their energy bills with discounts and bigger savings can be made with tracker tariffs.

Lower standing charges are being offered and opportunities to save money by using your electical equipment at offpeak times.

It is time to check what deals your supplier is offering and to find out from price comparison sites and Money Saving Expert what other deals are being made in the industry.

It is also time to make sure that you are not wasting energy in your home.

Bills will go up by around 3% under the price cap from April. Opting for a discount or a tracker deal should mean that your bills will be lower.

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