"It's a shame you can't get a new build"

Ugh

New builds are great. Compare to a 1980s house that by now will need new bathroom, kitchen, plastering the artex over, new fusebox, new rooflines and gutters, new heating system, new windows etc. You save on a load of repairs or inheriting badly done ones.

I agree with this, we had a few and we were on it and they go repaired promptly. It is so energy efficient that our energy bills are less than half of what even smaller houses are.

will say the garden is on the smaller side and the estate does feel more crowded but the snobbery from posters on the thread calling them all shit and full of mould is just not true.

i do think that htb and other new build exclusive schemes artificially inflate house prices though

I understand these are hurtful and inconsiderate comments, although it may come from a place of ignorance not malice? Maybe try to educate them, say this what I can afford. I recently bought first home with DH, his family commented that the rooms are awkward and 'pokey', too old/bad condition and expected overall for it to be nicer. DH was very pissed off, my family know how much houses cost in this country, therefore think it was a great first time buy. (DH's family weren't wrong just out of touch)

I wouldn’t live in a new build if you gave it to me for free - I’d sell it and buy a previously owned house!

Not to be harsh but…who in their right mind actively wants a house that quite literally hasn’t stood the test of time, is typically made of the cheapest material and full of snags, sits on a pretend estate full of identical houses, and could lose half its value overnight once the market’s had proper time to assess it…?

Exactly this, OP. You are awesome!

Does your sister live in a NB or does she just wish she was you achieving what you are right now?

Ignore their comments. You should be proud of being able to by your own home. New builds are generally terrible quality, and the newness and shiny appliances fade with a new build too. My house is 120 years old! Go for what you like, and maybe take someone else along to viewings with you?

I've had to downsize as I'm quite near retirement. I couldn't manage my massive garden any more. I had a solid 1930's house which I loved.
I had a look at the new builds and they were very small and pokey even the three beds for the price I was looking at.
Also very close together, no greenery on the estates.
In the end I chose a 1980's house, it was built by a local builder to very high standards with really good insulation in the walls so you cannot hear the neighbours and has a nice courtyard garden.
It's perfect and very low maintenance having no big issues. It's off estate a row of 5 houses only and there are nice big trees everywhere.
I love it.

Ah I remember when I was 25 and cared what people thought.

Them days are gone.

I think you deserve a massive pat on the back for managing to get on the housing ladder at your age. Take no notice and good luck with house hunting!

New builds are terrible; always much more expensive per sqft and when you sell it, it won’t be new anymore so you’ll lose money (relative to an older property). The plots are always tiny, the windows are small (it helps them meet the regs more cheaply). The streets are always crowded and there’s not enough parking.

I'm happy you've got one without any horror stories. Having both been in industries where we see problems, we couldn't risk it, and we're on the same page with that.

Many new build estates are co Crete jungles, houses crammed in, no garden, no parking, and poorly built cardboard walls taht you can’t hang nothing heavy on! I would buy one if it was half price!

My parents made similar comments when we bought our very dated eighties house last year. They have lived in new builds since I was born and seemed fixated on us getting something similar, as it was the 'sensible' thing to do. Conveniently forgetting that the 'new builds' I grew up in were huge five beds with triple garages on 'exclusive' developments of about thirty houses... not a shoebox amongst 5000 similar with one parking space.

In our last move I wanted a new build more than any other house. After decades of living in old period properties, spending every evening and weekend on some sort of maintenance, or managing huge gardens full of mature trees, and knowing that as DH and I were getting older it was slipping away from us, and one of us might find ourselves trying to manage it on our own, I very much wanted a new build.

Twenty-something year old me would have laughed in your face at the suggestion but now I’m here and I love it.

I don't know why you're upset. Give it a few years and you'll see how shit the workmanship is. Disclaimer : bought a new build.

assuming you're talking your average new build like Persimmon or Taylor Wimpey developments it would be a hell no from me. Terrible quality.

I'd rather a 1950s ex council house.

I understand the feeing of defensiveness about new builds.

but it’s okay for people to have preferences!

it’s not rude to say new builds often have small gardens. They do tend to be smaller. I am on my third home - first two new builds. I could hear the neighbours pee-ing! The builder poured cement down the drains to three months in the garden was flooded with sewerage🤢. The garden was very, very small - I could see into four peoples kitchens!

my personal experience has been my latest home - an older house - is much better build quality. Larger rooms, thicker walls, large, mature garden.

it’s not rude to say that.

I can only imagine. A new development near me has gone up in record time and the houses are going for near 500k. Having witnessed this I would not buy one even if I could afford it. It cannot possibly be a quality build in that timescale. I imagine the snags are endless (former life in construction professional services).

All of my houses have been Victorian. Much better design and build and much more character. I wouldn’t live in a new build if you paid me. Don’t take your family with you if they’re going to be so negative.

I actively chose not to go for a new build when I bought my first house. Chose a Victorian terrace specifically because I preferred the feel and character. Sometimes new builds have unforeseen problems that crop up.

I don’t understand why newbuild lovers are so upset at this thread. It’s obvious lots of people do love them from the fact that they’re building them everywhere and they sell for so much. But this thread was for an op that was upset that her relatives poo-pooed older properties and hankered after new builds, so most posters are here saying they like older houses…

I can't bear new builds, I'd much rather live in an older house. DS feels the same, he's just bought a welsh victorian house for £150k with a garden so huge you practically need to catch a bus to get to the end of it.
Needs work but he knows what he is doing.
I only have to walk onto a new build estate with no trees on it to feel completely depressed.

Wanting one and buying one because it's the best option in a bind are not the same thing.

I understand completely the appeal of a new build. Everything is only yours. Brand new. You even have the option of making it exactly what you want as it's being built. But I don't want one that's being built nowadays.

DH hears enough from his friends from the days he worked on house building. I saw enough from my days of reading valuation reports and solicitors searches. I have friends in them with horror stories.

I can imagine why people might buy one if they are in a situation where it is all they can find. But I can't imagine why any sensible person with access to information about the problems would decide that it's what they want more than any other house.

People are so rude about new builds. We live in one and it’s absolutely fine. But crucially, our HOME. Don’t be so damn rude.