MOVING up from two bedrooms to four in Kendal could cost mortgage payers an extra £859 per month, says a firm of estate agents and chartered surveyors.

Emma Hodkinson, associate partner at Armitstead Barnett, says such a move would require buyers to spend an extra £217,584, based on the UK banks' average standard variable rate.

"Moving to a bigger home is something Kendal people with growing families aspire to," explained Emma, of the firm's Cumbria office, located in Kirkland, Kendal.

"There are some interesting jumps when moving upmarket. The cost of jumping from three to four beds is quite high and therefore financially prohibitive for most families. This helps provide a partial explanation as to why some four-bed properties are currently taking slightly longer to sell.

"You can also quite clearly see why the larger four and five-bed properties don’t offer the best returns for buy to let."

Emma said the average cost of moving up in Kendal breaks down as follows:

- one bed to two bed - £63,298 price difference - £250.03 extra monthly mortgage

- two bed to three bed - £89,960 - £355.34

- two bed to four bed - £217,584 - £859.45

- three bed to four bed - £127,624 - £504.11

- four bed to five bed - £80,440 - £317.74.

As far as Kendal's housing stock goes, the most common house size is three bed (37 per cent), followed by two bed (32 per cent), four bed (17 per cent), one-bed (eight per cent) and five-bed (six per cent).

The most active purchasers are 20 and 30-something home-owning parents with families, says Emma. Many look to more modern developments or rural homes for the perfect balance of commuting distance and lifestyle, she said, adding: "I suggest to those looking to move that they not only consider the mortgage payments and other costs of their first home, but also consider their next rung up the ladder. Thinking about it now will keep you ahead of the game in the future."