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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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

433 replies

itscominghomeee · 04/08/2024 18:18

I am mid-twenties and single. I have worked hard to save up a deposit to buy a house and now have enough of a deposit, and a not-huge-but-reasonable salary in my first managerial post, to make offers on houses. None of my similarly aged friends are at the stage of buying a house yet. I am looking at typical first time buyer houses: terraces or even some semi-detached, but my mum and her sister have commented a couple of times that it's a shame that I can't buy a new build.

I went yesterday to see a house with my mum and the current owner has refurbished downstairs and put a new kitchen in and installed a downstairs toilet within the last two years. Upstairs is in good condition too, but my mum said afterwards, "from downstairs you almost think it's new, but when you go upstairs you remember that it's a very old house".

My mum also told me yesterday that her sister had said to her again recently, "couldn't itscominghomeee get a new build? There are lots of new builds being built in that area".

AIBU to feel upset by these comments? Of course a new build would be lovely, but it's unrealistic for the vast majority of people in my age bracket and stage of career, especially those who are single. The comments feel like they're undermining my hard work saving up and like my mum/aunt are saying that the houses I can afford aren't good enough.

OP posts:
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earlymorningcurlewcall · 04/08/2024 18:22

Buy old, tried and tested. New builds are awful, full of mould, and often built of paper.

ToTheCrystalDome · 04/08/2024 18:22

Trust me, you do NOT want a new build. A very hard lesson learnt here. It's not the fact that they can be soulless, it's because they are usually built very quickly and poorly, as we are discovering. At least old houses were built to last by people who knew what they were doing!

sesquipedalian · 04/08/2024 18:21

You are the person buying the house: you are going to live there, so what your DM and DA think is supremely irrelevant. If you buy an older house, you will almost certainly get more house for your money, and a bigger garden, too.

Arrivapercy · 04/08/2024 18:21

Omg newbuilds are typically crap!

The build quality is often poorer and they tend to have a tiny footprint and small garden

I wouldn't touch one with a bargepole

Definitely go for an older house.

Movinghouseatlast · 04/08/2024 18:21

Christ, I couldn't bear a new build. No character at all.

coxesorangepippin · 04/08/2024 18:20

Ask if they have the money to lend you so you can buy a NB?

Floofboopsnootandbork · 04/08/2024 18:20

New builds are awful quality these days, you’re better off not buying one tbh. Ignore the comments.

BeachRide · 04/08/2024 18:19

I hate new builds. Give me something that's been standing for at least 100 years! As long as the electrics/heating/windows are good, I'm there.

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