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!

Depends a lot where you live, where you are in the north, new builds mean a lot less space than everything else available. Also they seem to lose value quite badly as you can buy for a lot less.

I know the development OP. Very good location. I would buy there.

Housingcraze as an old fart living in an 8 bedroom Victorian terrace, I love it but in your situation I would buy the flat and have a good time seeing the world. Life is short enjoy!

I'm on my second new build. The first one I bought alone when single, with no real ability to do a house up without great expense (employing other people). The second one I bought with DH. First was a semi and this one is detached. I can hear the neighbour's dog sometimes but nothing else. It's very peaceful and I like that things are new. We were able to choose flooring, kitchen, bathrooms etc which was nice. In an ideal world I'd live in a big Victorian house (like my parents) but am happy enough with where we are now. They are white square boxes when new, but we've really worked hard to personalise ours and I think it looks lovely now - so different from our neighbour's house - also lovely but totally different taste

Downsides - gardens are usually small and can be overlooked. Parking can be an issue - we have a drive for 2 cars but lots of others on the estate have only one space and two (or more) cars - lots of parking on road which is a pain in the backside. We mostly have garages but they are small and most cars don't fit in the garages

I definitely agree with those who say look at the whole development - some plots are clearly better than others and it's worth waiting a couple of months if a better plot is coming up

Hate living in a new build. Soulless and bland.

Cheap to run though as nothing needs doing. But I find it just awful.

Ours is detached, on a corner plot so large garden, loads of built in cupboards, large rooms, four proper double bedrooms. None of the usual complaints that people have about new builds.

We pay £70 a month for gas and electric, which is less than our previous 1960's semi.

I love the fact that everything is new and shiny (even after two years) and we don't have to deal with any issues left behind by previous owners.

It's quite honestly my dream home.

Some new builds are wonderful but your average new build at the cheaper end of the market tend to have flimsy plasterboard walls and a lack of storage. I'd be extremely hesitant about buying one.

We have a Charles church new build that's had more than it's fair share of issues mainly plumbing, infact every bit of plumbing in the house has been dodgy and needed sorting . The most major one was the hot scolding water coming out the cold taps. Had to call our own plumber in the end as we didn't trust CC to sort it.
With a new build your reliant on the sub contractors they use and the site manager in charge, it can either be a good experience or in our experience one you never want to repeat.
X

I bought new build - wouldn't do it again. However that's because I fucking hate dealing with a managing agent; I'll never ever ever buy anywhere that's not freehold.

The lack of storage is an issue as well. I have household items stashed in strange places simply because there is a lack of decent sized cupboards.

Pros:

• costs next to nothing to heat. Very energy efficient.
• everything was built and ready to go when we moved in. We could 'snag' with the builder.
• 10 year NHBC guarantee, although beware as the guarantee changes as the years go on. You don't get the same level of cover in year 10 as you do in year 1.

Cons

• when you buy initially they do tend to be overpriced, especially flats. Unless you are buying in a very 'hot' area, you're not going to appreciate much value.
• gardens tend to be on the small side and there is never enough parking. Beware if you are buying on a new build estate. Take a look at the surrounding driveways and parking arrangements. If there isn't enough space then I can guarantee you that if you have more than one car then you are going to struggle to get parked.
• leasehold as mentioned above.

Forgot to add, one thing I will say is that mine is very solidly constructed and you don't get much noise travel. We bought at the top end of our budget and I'm glad we did because the quality is much better.

Having lived in 2 new-builds from new, I recommend being the second owner about 4 or 5 years after they are finished to ensure the major issues have been sorted and get a full survey done to make sure there is nothing serious still outstanding. But otherwise both ours have been great.

Hated our new build. Souless and boring and we had issues re plumbing and roof. It was in a gated complex and this brought issues too. Current house is typical large post-war semi. Has bigger mature gardens which I love but house is a money pit. Your first house is unlikely to be your forever home so I would concentrate on how easy you could sell it in the future rather than new vs old.

With my new build I could completely change the feel of a room with £100. With my older property it cost considerably more because you discover the electrics ate so old they are unsafe, the walls aren't smooth after wallpaper comes down etc. The boiler also breaks down and you have a leak in the roof. It usually always happens at once too.

I would take a new build any day of the week.

I really loved our new build (first home) but if I could change something it would have been to have a professional 'snagger' do the initial walk round to pick up all the issues after we moved in, and chase the builder to get them all sorted. We only had little niggles/issues, but the builders faffed about so much it took ages to get them sorted.
Loved the lower bills thanks to a solar panel and amazing insulation, but did not like all of the parking issues on the estate (no where near enough), the lack of storage in the house, and overall size of the house (small!).
Just moved into a house built in the 80s and finding all sorts of little bits and pieces to sort out (electrics!) which isn't cheap. However we have bags more space, a drive and a giant garden.

Be very careful for leasehold in new builds, apparently they are trapping many: www.theguardian.com/money/2016/oct/29/new-builds-house-buyers-leasehold-property-trap

I have lived in our new build for 14 years. Lots of advantages as people have highlighted - very low maintenance and upkeep costs.

Disadvantages:
Parking! Check it out. Parking is a nightmare and when I tried to sell a few years ago buyers wanted to come at weekends when it's at its busiest and couldn't park to view the house. Check how much you have.

Small postage size garden

Flats built on estate - flats mean lots of traffic, parties, noise... Check if estate has them

Resell value - it's taken many years to increase in value in line with equivalent older properties. An estate agent said it takes about 10 + years to settle. That's because people don't want to buy a nearly new 'new build' when they can customise and live in a brand new house for a similar price

Social housing. My sister lived on an estate where private and social was mixed. Worked well. On my estate it's all private at the front and social housing at the back. Really segregated and there have been problems with social housing tenants. I think it would have been a lot less if we weren't so separate - very them and us.

Check space - mine is actually really spacious. However, showrooms use lots of mirrors and beds and sofas that are smaller than the standard size.

Difficult to extend if small garden.

From what you say I think a new build may be perfect for you - just take into account the above. I dont regret buying ours but I would have bought the house next door that has better parking had I thought about it more

Parking restrictions ion new build estates are more likely to do with the local authority than the developer. Having said that, there are loads of older houses with limited or no parking.

We have a garage and two spaces. We don't hear the neighbours at all, unless windows/doors are open and they're in the garden or mowing the lawn for example. There are developers I wouldn't touch with a barge pole and I would also want to know what's included in the price. Some just have a basic structure and absolutely everything is an add on, including things like the doorbell. What you see in a show house is not what you get, unless you pay for it.

Our developer provides hard flooring to kitchen, bathrooms etc and carpets to living room and bedrooms. We have decent chrome light switches, dishwasher and fridge freezer included and better quality sanitary wear. We had a two year warranty from the developer. After a year, they came and did stuff like stair strings and other aspects of the house settling.

Should have said, our style of house is 75K more than we paid now.

I've lived in older houses and am currently in a new build. For me there would be nothing to think about. My new houses is much cheaper to run, to heat, to maintain. The old houses still looked a bit tired no matter what I did. The new house looks great. If you have the choice I would get the newer house and enjoy an easier life.

There are flats in my estate and they have been no problem at all. The main issue for me is the parking. Cars end up parked up on the pavement on both sides, so you end up walking in the road because there isn't enough clearance.

If you're viewing a brand new build and looking at the show home then look out for the following:
Is there a cupboard in the place which is large enough to store an upright hoover and an ironing board?
Is the bedroom big enough to get a kingsize bed and cabinets and wardrobes into it? I viewed a place once where there was barely enough clearance to get round the bed. When questioned about where the wardrobes were supposed to go, the agent suggested using the 2nd bedroom as a dressing room. When asked about interrupting the people sleeping in the 2nd bedroom, she just looked blank. It had an en-suite in it as well. Completely unnecessary and a really bad floor plan and waste of space.
Get a friend to stand out in the vestibule/hallway outside your front door and band and crash about a bit. Do the same between the living room and bedroom. Check the noise travel.
I would personally avoid the open plan kitchen/diner/living room which is a popular configuration of new build flats these days. If you're cooking something pungent or smoky it's really useful to be able to shut the kitchen door.
If you do buy leasehold then check your management fees and ground rent conditions really carefully. Mine's not too bad - it can stay the same or be increased by a maximum of 10% each year, depending on inflation. Some of them double though, which means in a few short years your ground rent is suddenly a huge financial commitment.

I just bought a new build and love it. You hear some horror stories about the amount of snagging etc but this is down to quality of build so I made sure I chose a really good developer. Lots of upsides to it.

There were three new build projects in my area when I was buying. I bought in mine because of location, quality of developer and size of development. (I didn't want to be on a big estate)

Mine has solar power.

We bought a new build in a small development and the number of things that went wrong with it would make you cry - had the builders in and out for the first 2 years. Our house was freehold, but our parking space was part of the 'communal areas' so we had to pay ground rent/maintenance charges. It started at £50 (per month) and within 4 years had quadrupled.

We got stuck there for 6 years and I just wanted to move so badly. The sound proofing was terrible, we could hear next door peeing. The day we moved out was the happiest day!

Hate living in a new build. Soulless and bland

I think that says more about your decor and furniture TBH!

People do lovely things inside with the most uninspiring structures.

I hate my new build. The builders threw in any old shite as far as fittings were concerned, gave the neighbours a chunk of our garden, refused to fix issues like wonky floors as they were "within tolerance" and generally behaved like complete cunts once the money was in their back account.

However, I know not all companies are complete cowboys like Homes by Esh and that my experience clearly isn't typical.

I bought with Taylor Wimpy and they were really good. But I do know that other people have had a nightmare with them.
We were lucky in having a sales person who really cared about the customers, and a meticulous site manager.