To ask if there’s anyone with house buying experience who can tell me if I’m about to make a financial mistake?!

We’re in a new build but a small developer not one of the big ones and the built quality is excellent and the finish also high end. Biggest plus is we don’t have our heating on yet - rooms are 18-20 degrees without any heating currently.

I was skeptical about new builds but we love ours.

OP, if you are moving because you are feeling overwhelmed by the roof/ garden, then I’m not sure a new build is a way to mitigate that.

I completely understand feeling that way. I can’t afford to move, so I’ve had to just bite the bullet and figure things out. It is sometimes really hard, and confusing and it does stress me out. I especially hear what you are saying about the roof- I had to sort mine a few months ago, but should have done it last year.

If you’re a homeowner and on your own, you can’t avoid this kind of thing. I feel so much more empowered and confident now than I did a few years ago. I don’t LIKE sorting these things out, but I know I CAN.

About the roof- chances are your neighbours have been getting theirs done. Start asking around to get names of reliable roofers.

As for the garden- I hear you! I bloody hate gardening. I haven’t cracked that yet, but if I did have money, I would hire someone. I know of many teenagers who do this, so you don’t have to pay over the odds.

It's hard to see what is more attractive about the planned move!
Which location will be better for your dd as she ages - which one is nearer friends/school/has better transport links?

To be fair though, modern build quality is nowhere near what it used to be.

Plus a lot of new builds come with ground maintenance charges, which can open you up to rising costs and financial liabilities.

That doesn’t tend to actually be the case though.

You don’t say how old your dd is, but don’t forget to factor in things like schooling, access to transport, meeting up with friends etc. You are concerned with bricks and mortar, she might have different priorities which will out vote an en-suite bathroom.

If there are only two of you in the house her having an ensuite seems a little bit precious as your main reason for moving!

It’s hard to tell from your post because it’s so variable in terms of prices due to location - would you be buying a large new build or a small one? When people post negatives about new builds etc as have been posted, it tends to only apply to smaller houses on bigger estates. I have a new build house but it’s nothing like people describe. I have a large plot, it’s a small and quiet development and I have parking for at least 8 cars (and my house is not a mansion!).

We were moving anyway but my reasons for choosing a new build were sort of in line with your thinking - I know I won’t be forking out for a new roof unexpectedly, everything is new and under warranty. I loved the layout, it’s very much designed for modern living (mine also has loads of storage space), en suite for my daughter etc. I am very, very happy with our choice!

As an aside though, have you thought of the stamp duty cost of moving too? And the market is very stagnant, the estate agent saying X price is quite often a long way off what is actually achieved once you’re talking about houses over £250k ish. So if you’d be stretching to get £10k, you need to consider what would happen if yours only sold for £25k less etc.

The cost of you doing the roof, in time, and adding an ensuite to your current home is probably less than the move you are thinking about, all things considered. Your current home is a better investment. Don't be scared of upkeep.

We lived in our first new build for twenty years. It trebled in value in that time.
We lived in our second new build for three years. It increased by 35K.
We lived in our third new build for ten years. It increased by 100K.

This is the fourth. It hasn’t increased but we’ve only been here a week.

We bought a new build 10 years ago , and sold it for much more than we bought it for recently

The key to adding value is get a great plot with potential

All the same style houses were the same price at sale point but I could see my plot had potential which it did

If you are a single parent a new build is a great idea as you have thr NHBC guarantee . Ours was beautifully made and after 10 years was in perfect condition

They always have tonnes of bathrooms and we bought so our teen could have her own floor and bathroom .

Good luck

There’s a few Facebook new build groups where you can ask for feedback on the house / builder / location etc. might be worth getting a feel on there.

I love our new build, it’s so warm and low energy bills. We had a lovely local builder not a National one. For me it’s all down to the plot and what you can haggle. Ball is in your court, I would ask for lots of additional extras and see what they can offer you on the new site. Then write a pro con list with money and costs

If I were you, I’d stay put.

In 3-4 years’ time, those new build houses on that estate will start coming up for sale again, and at a discount because they’ll no longer be new.

Buy one then instead.

We were in a similar situation to you and moved almost 2 years ago from a 1970’s link detached 3 bed house with a huge drive and large garden to a 4 bed 3 storey townhouse with only 1 parking space. Newer but not an actual new build.

Our situation was slightly more complex in that due to financial difficulties in the past we had ended up on an interest only mortgage but due to how long we had lived in the house had built up sizable equity so selling helped us to free up that equity, put a large deposit on new house and change mortgage to repayment.

our main motivators were that old house was very cold and draughty, likely needed new roof and windows, the garage was damp and to use the space we would have have to knock the garage down and start again but would have cost £££.

we needed more space as have 2 teens. The smallest bedroom was a box room and not big enough to study in.

we only had 1 bathroom/toilet and 4 of us in the house so we ideally wanted more bathrooms.

We couldn’t afford a large 4 bed detached with lots of parking but what we have now is big bedrooms for everyone and more bathroom space. Yes the parking is worse and actually smaller garden hasn’t bothered me.

what are you main motivators for wanting to move? If I could have stayed where we were but extended to get what we needed then I probably would have stayed but our reasons for moving were very specific.

definitely write a list of pros and cons. Not all new builds are awful but some seem to be less well constructed than others. Do you like the new area better or would that feel like a compromise? Do you have good neighbours now? Bear in mind if you move you might get amazing new neighbours but they could also be awful.

added bonuses have been lower elec/gas as house is better insulated and much warmer, we’ve moved to a different part of town, kids closer to school and work and our commute is much smaller plus the other side of town which used to be a nice place to live is getting a huge new build development which will cause lots of traffic and congestion issues

good luck whatever you decide to do

Check to see if the new estate has a Facebook group (ours do) and you’ll get a good insight into any issues buyers have had

This would be my suggestion. You’re looking at costs of about 20k, I think, for a house that price. You could do quite a lot with that, and it doesn’t sound as though the new house really has any advantages over the current one. Could you move a bedroom into the downstairs bathroom and put a new bathroom in upstairs? Or give your daughter the bedroom above the downstairs bathroom and get a staircase put in between them so it’s effectively an ensuite?

I agree. And the roof needing doing will come up on a survey so you'd have to knock the money off anyway.

I live in a 10 year old townhouse and moved from a 1990s terrace which didn't have gas (so electric heating), and have no regrets, but if we were to move again it'd be to a massive 1950s semi with a garage!

Your costs to move include stamp duty, legal fees, mortgage costs, removals etc. Adding these up, does it make difference to your sums?

Go with your gut instinct.

i bought an old cottage with large garden, lots of parking space after being in a new ish house, and some days i wish i was back there, but on the whole glad i’m not. Draw up a pros and cons list, it’ll help you decide.

Also parking restrictions get tighter. if theres free parking on the road, theres possibility that the council will impose restriction at some point in the future especially if its walking distance to town.

I live in a fairly new build estate, I got the house really cheaply so I am happy with what I've got, the space etc. However, I wouldn't swap in your situation for the drive and garden alone.

The parking is dreadful on my estate and is the same for other similar estates. It's only getting worse as the small children grow and have cars of their own.

Tbh the moving costs would probably easily pay for the new roof on your current house.

all houses need maintenance and large cost issues occur every few years, you won’t avoid this with a new build.

your current property sounds like it would retain value better than the new one.
could you post a floor plan if your current place, perhaps an en suite could be incorporated?

as pp said, it’s nice for kids to have their own bathroom, it doesn’t have to be en suite though.

Could you maybe use one of your current spare bedrooms to give your daughter her own en-suite bathroom and pay for a gardener/handyman to tidy up, then maintain the garden for you?
It would be cheaper than moving.

Use the money you’ll save on stamp duty and moving costs, to do up your existing home.

Not snobbery from me but experience of the quality of build and the life to be had in a new build on a new build estate.

OP - also, if your current home needs work in the next few years potential buyers might think the same and ask for a price reduction accordingly.

Think ahead 10 years. What will matter more whether your DD has an en-suite or how much financial support you can give her as she gets older.
Have you factored in moving costs and stamp duty and compared them to the cost of a new roof and getting the garden done?

I am surprised you need a new roof - do you have problems. Our house is 1930 and we only replaced the roof 10 years ago when we did a loft extension.

Also adding … from what you have said I don’t understand the draw of the new place. Your current one sounds much better. But you say you “desperately want to move” so I assume there are good reasons for you.

If it just the investment aspect that is concerning you then researching the resale value over time should help for an informed decision.