AIBU to ask would you buy a new build home?

[velveteenwabbit]

DH and I are looking to buy our first home at the moment we are in a rented flat. We have a daughter and need more space. I have always said I don't like new builds for he following reasons:

Don't like the look from the outside
Think they could be difficult to sell as lots the same
I love character in a home
Low ceilings
A bit boxy

However - over the past couple of days I've been searching Rightmove and have been tempted by a development of Taylor Wimpet homes in the area we are looking in. It just looks so easy. The homes are more affordable (about 50k cheaper than something not a new build for the equivalent) and I like the idea of having a high spec kitchen/ bathroom and being able to move straight into something immaculate.

Am I just being lazy though? Has anyone bought one of these homes and what do you think of it?

I can't speak for anyone else but council tax doesn't pay for private ground(Grass, trees and hedges) to be maintained so I'm more than happy to pay.

I live in a 5 year old townhouse, in a small development where an old brewery used to stand, in the town centre so within seconds of shops, bars and cafés. We have 2 parking spaces and a long front and back garden, 4 bedrooms, and it's a separate kitchen and living room which we wanted. We also paid £55k less than it's now worth. It worked for us but I wouldn't buy one of the detached £350k houses 2 or 3 miles out of town on the estates as there isn't even a corner shop.

I love my Taylor Wimpey "new build" (now nearly 10 years old). Not had any problems. The layout is great, big rooms, 2 bathrooms and a cloakroom. My mum lived in a Victorian terrace and the wallpaper held up the plaster! (Despite replastering twice).
Maybe I got lucky with the location too but we have ample parking, we're not overlooked and despite living in a terrace only rarely hear the odd bit of low level noise from the neighbours.
I guess everywhere is different. Research the area a bit but certainly don't dismiss the house just for being a new build.

We have a maintenance fee but it's only £100 a year and it covers a small park in the middle for DC.

Lots of sweeping statements on here! Not all new builds are created equal. We've just bought a new build after saying we never would. The estate we're on, everyone has a minimum of two parking spaces, and lovely character properties (no two on the estate are exactly the same), and it's got great views/square footage. The spec is pretty high, our bathrooms are all fully tiled as standard for example, our gardens are turfed, etc. I've seen new builds where you have to pay £150 for a light in the loft or £700 for turf which is included.

I'd suggest googling Taylor Wimpey's extras price list to figure out your real cost. Not all sites necessarily have the same spec, but it should give you an idea.

I currently live in a rented new build from a different builder, there's no comparison.

I'm sure there are good ones but the one we had came with hundreds of stupid little broken or badly installed problems. I think with an older family home things tend to be functioning well but may need replacing due to wear and tear. Different problems I suppose. The biggest problem with new builds is generally the crappy parking/gardens.

I wouldn't unless I could get a 5 bedroomed detached. The rooms are just so muh smaller. We have an ex council house and our rooms are huge. However we are constantly doing DIY so swings in roundabouts I suppose.

Our house was brand new when we moved in more than 25 years ago. It's only now that we are starting to appreciate how much cost we avoided in the early years in maintenance and refurb costs as we've reached the stage of having to start replacing things like kitchen, bathrooms, boiler, windows, roof repairs, etc.

We bought a new build for that very reason. We were moving to a new area and getting married so it just took stress out. I have to say we always regretted it and never loved the house. They are also hard to resell. 2 years on we have moved into a 70s house and love it. Would never buy a new build again.

We had our 1970's house on the market for months inside was modern but we couldn't sell. We PX and now have a 4 bed detached with a huge garden. We love it, we had no snags and next year they're coming back to repaint. I was dead against a new build but we moved to simply get us out of the house we were in. Best decision yet we love it, it's bright and airy with plenty of space and no noisy neighbours!

Isn't it the same buying any house, new build or otherwise? You need to take it on a house by house basis. Not all new builds are tiny with no parking, granted some are, but I've viewed many an older property with no parking - Victorian terraces very rarely seem to have any! Don't focus on the age: buy a house that best suits you and your needs and find out as much as possible about it before offering.

Oh the snobbery. Having grown up in a freezing period property I now love living in my 20 year old detached. I wouldn't swap it for the world.

I quite like the look of some new builds but my husband has worked on some and says he would never buy one.

There was a recent Watchdog on the lack of fireproofing in some new builds. They are thrown up, cramped and usually have parking issues. We have an old ex-council house with proper walls, storage and a decent size back garden. On our road of eight houses only one is actually still council housing (strangely the biggest detached one). We can't hear our neighbour at all.

I wouldn't. Small rooms, tiny garages, boxy, possibly difficult to sell.
Also, many are leasehold and we've all heard those horror stories!

Buying a TW flat was our way of getting on the property ladder. We didn't do much to it but had it all made to our choices of flooring, tiling etc. It was perfect for that time in our life, but not without problems (most of which came from being managed by L&Q).

We sold it for £120k more than we bought it for (we bought off plan and waited 6 months for it to be built) and have moved into a lovely 1930's house. I can't imagine the stress of paper thin walls and a newborn though.

My new build is huge. Bills have been cut in half. Parking for 3 cars. Never had a problem with it. I’d never buy a period property. They’re money pits

I live in a beautiful detached new build. Big rooms, a lovely walled garden, landscaping and ancient trees on a village style private estate, everything new and perfect. I always wanted one, but on Mumsnet having a new build is a real no-no for some reason.

But, having lived in an old house previously, I will never forget that feeling on day one of having a brand new kitchen/roof/boiler/appliances/windows/doors/bathrooms/flooring/heating system etc....the peace of mind that gives is amazing and the energy efficiency is incredible.

Love love love ours. Big and airy. Big rooms. Large garden. Drive and garage and street parking too if required (everyone has drives and there are no parking restrictions/yellow lines etc on the estate and there are lots of parking bays scattered around.) No service charges etc. It’s not ‘thrown up’, is the opposite of cramped and we have more parking here than any of the roads in our village or town. The walls are thick, we’re in a semi and don’t hear our neighbours. We only need heating in the coldest months as it retains heat well but is cool enough in the summer. Was a bit of a blank canvas but clean and modern (which is what we chose) which was ideal for us with a new baby, it’s now decorated beautifully! Our garage is big enough for two cars. The blanket statements you hear about ‘cramped, small rooms’ etc are ridiculous, you could say that about terraced houses with no off street parking and basement flats with no garden compared to detached houses with acres it all depends what you want - there are new build and old builds to suit everyone!

Oh and all new appliances with 4 year cover and 4 year guarantee on anything in the house helps too!

No. Build quality not great. My dh is an engineer and as pp said they're put up quickly and cheaply and as a result often suffer issues.
Also, tiny gardens, all crammed in together with small boxy rooms and looking similar, means they're not to my taste.

No i wouldn’t.
The quality of the build rubbish.
The drive is tiny and there is no space for a second car. Which also means lot of issues going in out of your house as. There will be cars from NDN in the way.. plus no space for visitors to park.
Rooms are also much smaller.

Not as part of a housing development no. But it's down to your own personal taste, so long as it's not Persimmon Homes

If you do buy a new build, make sure you get a proper inspection done by someone who specialises in new build inspections, and then the builders will fix any snagging issues that are on your list. You would be amazed at some of the things they pick up.

I definitely wouldn't. Wouldn't even go to look at one.