New builds property AIBU for considering one

[Housingcraze]

Pros and cons of buying a new build????
I'm single and 29 - living at parents - inherited money from father brother - don't know whether to buy new build house (will take all my cash) or buy a old house (will prob need renovating) or just buy 2 bed flat and have 20/30k to go travelling and for adventures with!!! - friend dead set against new builds but mum thinks new build be perfect can personalise and no stress as got a ten year guarantee - reading online bellway property's are getting proper bad reviews!

[Bruce02]

I have had new build and older and old houses

We are in new build at the moment. We managed to bag the one with a huge garden.

Pros are low heating and maintenance costs. We rarely have the heating on as cooking is enough to warm the house up. Sometimes just half an hour on the morning.

I can't think of any cons aside from the usual ones that come with owning any home. The type of house has never bothered me. It's more about price and location for me. This is my second new build and haven't had problems in either house.

My first was Ben Bailey (12 years ago) and this one is miller homes. Been here 6 years.

[Housingcraze]

www.rightmove.co.uk/new-homes-for-sale/property-62772095.html

[ToastDemon]

I love my new build house. Fuel costs really low considering its size and it's all perfect and new and clean and comfortable.

[FlapsTie]

Love love love our new build. Will never buy a second hand house again.

[LonnyVonnyWilsonFrickett]

I think a new build would be perfect in your situation to be honest. If you cba with renovations etc then an older house is a millstone round your neck. And your friend doesn't have to live there

[SillySongsWithLarry]

I would love a new build house but depending where you are I wouldn't buy a new build flat. Here they are pipping up on every street in blocks and have no resale value. Flats only 5 years old are selling at knock down prices because people want either brand new or a period conversion.

[10storeylovesong]

I've had an old Victorian terraced that needed doing up and moved into a new build semi. By the time I moved out of the terraced I hated it, as so many things kept going wrong with it, it cost a fortune to heat and just never looked right. I miss the space and storage (and high ceilings) but I've never looked back from moving into my new build. Like others have said, it costs nothing to heat, is in a great location and has always been mine.

[BuntyCollocks]

I love my new build. My mum and dad got a new build bellway. A few issues but nothing terrible. Worst was the garden, and that's due to the ground the house is built on, and no drainage being in place, rather than explicitly bellways fault.

[ItsJustNotRight]

There was an article in press recently about some new builds (houses) being sold as lease hold and with maintenance fees increasing over time, so watch out for that. I've lived in new builds and old properties. Plus on new build - warm , cheap utility bills, low maintenance. If you can't afford mortgage and maintence/renovation then they can be good. However new builds seem to get smaller all the time and the sound proofing is generally awful, not only from neighbours but between rooms in your accommodation. Old properties need lots of maintenance and utility bills can be high unless you are the sort of person happy to wear several layers and keep the heating off until December. On the plus side there is usually far more character in older properties and significantly thicker internal walls. Properties built about 20-30 yrs ago are quite roomy compared to today's new build so maybe look at those. Also be careful with the help to buy scheme if you are thinking of using it, read the small print carefully. With any flat check out the lease and maintenance fees to make sure you don't end up with huge bills you weren't expecting.

[Housingcraze]

The one comment I've had is they made of thin walls paper thin and can be terrible noisy

[DubiousCredentials]

Ooh a SEPARATE kitchen and doors leading to the GARDEN.

Having lived in new builds, older houses and an older house that had been completely renovated, I would pick a new build over an older house any day of the week. What would put me off is the way they are often crammed in and new estates leave me feeling claustrophobic. Plus parking often not well thought out. However those factors obviously depend on the particular development you are considering.

[Aroundtheworldandback]

We have bought a new build and lots of teething problems which they have sometime been slow to sort out. I think you can have hassle either way.

[Crisscrosscranky]

Depends when you want to move - the properties you have linked to aren't built yet. Personally, in that area and surrounding I wouldn't buy a new build - there are plenty of older properties for a similar price in good condition plus if you drive the traffic once the Hall Road estate is built will be murder.

[Bruce02]

Our new build has great walls. We never hear our neighbours and they don't hear us.

[PNGirl]

We are still in love with our new build townhouse 3 years on. That said we got a complete bargain because we were the 2nd to buy on the development and they wanted to start shifting plots. It's now worth a lot more than we paid. A lot of people's issues with new builds stem from them being overpriced which they can be.

Before this we lived in a house from 1993 which was great. Decent size but not much to do other than replace wooden windows with UPVC.

[WildwestWind]

Definitely go for it! My dd is 29 too and has just bought an identical property. THe builders were great (Taylor Woodrow) and even put up her curtain poles, blinds, mirrors and pictures for her. The house is cosy and cheap to run, she had no maintenance worries and feels like she made the right decision. She has a busy job and works long hours and simply couldn't face a property that would need lots of work. On the other hAnd she has a much larger mortgage than her friend who bought a 1930's house that needs totally gutting.

[Wendalicious]

I wouldn't ever buy a new build but sounds perfect for you x

[PNGirl]

All that said... That is a very small kitchen. You'd need to visit a showhouse to make sure you can open cupboard and oven doors without backing into a wall.

[Randytortoise]

We moved from a victorian house to a new build and never looked back. Although I love a period property the running costs are less than half even though the new house is much bigger. It's also nice to know that there will be no nasty surprises like the boiler breaking, windows and roof won't need replacing for 20+ years etc.

[Note3]

I lived in a new build with a very similar layout to the one you posted. Only difference was it had an ensuite (why they felt ppl wanted three toilets in a two bed property...!)

We loved it when it was just me and hubby. Spare room was computer/study so we had two rooms to chill in.

Then baby no 1 arrived and spare room was hers. Felt really crap when DH had friends over and I had work to do so I was sat on our bed typing work reports. However kitchen too small for seating and lounge too noisy.

Then DC2 arrived. She was in our room, DD1 of course in hers and I had nowhere but the lounge to sit and type. Plus if DH and I had annoyed each other we were still stuck in one room together.

We managed to sell literally just before DC3 arrived else I'm honestly.not sure we'd still be together!

If you are allergic to relationships and children and don't want to sell for at least a decade (new builds tend to take around that to build any value over purchase price) then I'd say new build is the way forward.

Ours was definitely not noisy...the walls were thicker than the victorian terrace we're now in.

Bare in mind you could have maintenance fees to pay and I wouldn't touch a new build house if it's leasehold.

Also although they're low maintenance they're not no maintenance so factor a repairs and emergency fund into your budget.

[Housingcraze]

pngirl - there is no show rooms built yet a lot have been sold based on information given! So cheapest 2 bed now is 295k which is 10k increase in 24/48 hours

[RedBlu]

We bought our new build a couple of years ago, very similar layout to the one you posted.

Ours is a two bed semi and I love it! We did however managed to get a really good plot in terms of size so it had a large garden and lots of parking. I would always look at all the plots of the same house as they can vary massively!

Ours is well built, we can't really hear the neighbours. The soundproofing is far better than the 1970's flat we were living in before.

If we decided to move (although we hope to just extend one day), it would be another new build.

[PNGirl]

I was thinking the builder may have the same house type on a different site - my friend drove an hour to see a Persimmon house type in another town.

[Crisscrosscranky]

Housingcraze A lot of them will have been bought off spec by landlords - 2 beds are prime letting material and they will be cash buyers. They often increase prices once 2/3 have sold as a selling tactic.

£300,000 on a 2 bed terrace in that area is overpriced and for that reason I'd never buy a new build. Part of the fun of home ownership IMO is getting your hands dirty and improving the property. You should go and look around some older properties within your price range to get a flavour of what else you might have - remember you can offer less to a seller of an older property to allow for works to be done; same deals can't be done with a new build.

[bertsdinner]

I lived in a new build and am now in an older house.
New builds are, well, brand new. Its absolutely lovely to be the first person in it, no other peoples grot/dodgy decor. They conform to latest building standards, are easy to heat and often come with extras like integral appliances.
The layout is modern, eg, I loved my modern kitchen diner. Sounds daft but they usually have multiple/plentiful plug sockets.

Downside, the walls in my townhouse were flimsy. They can ( to me), lack character.
They can be small (ie small bedrooms/en suites) and the gardens are often small/over looked. Parking can be an issue, most people seem to have more than one car, but only a small drive/insufficient parking. The development can feel cramped.

My current, older, house is more solid and has a big drive/garden. On the downside its harder to heat and has old fashioned features, eg, a hideous 70s stone fireplace.