To think new builds are a bit ridiculous?

[Thehonestbadger]

In terms of wait times?

Turns out it around 12 months from reservation to move in around here and you can’t reserve until you’ve already sold your home which means your buyer wants you out.

They don’t put completion date estimates on rightmove and as soon as you call to ask they’re just determined to get you in the office, then act really surprised when you point out you can’t really hand over all your money and sit homeless waiting 12 months for it to be ready

• they suggest going into rented


• I pull out my phone and show them the zero results within a 5 mile radius of our town


• They say something will surely come up


• I point out that even if it does we’ll not get it, we have two rowdy toddlers and a cat which will almost certainly be banned (Pets generally are around here) no landlord chooses us over all the competition for rentals atm.


• They act like you’re being intentionally difficult and have wasted their time.

I’ve been doing this same dance over and over, honestly think it would be so much easier if they just put expected completion dates on rightmove. All we want to do is move house I never dreamed it would be so hard.

can only assume I’m either missing something or they’re primarily selling to first time buyers.

Yeah I agree, we had similar. It’s like trying to play Jenga with a blindfold on standing on your head and hoping that none of the bricks fall out. You’d think they could, I dunno, sell the houses when they are actually ready. Does it matter if they are unoccupied for a few months whilst mortgages get sorted etc?

A lot will go to first time buyers or investors
Most people I know wouldn't touch a new build. They devalue, lots of poor quality nowadays, and the rooms are often tiny.

Completely baffles me too. A friend is currently living with his mum and as they sold theirs but the new build completion has been put back again.

And even then, some really simple things can't be changed so he's going to have to do it when he moves in, so not moving into a perfect 'new home'.

@minifigures that sounds so difficult and I bet it’s such a challenge for the relatives too

Sorry OP, but for these reasons alone I'd never buy a new build.

Various friends and colleagues have bought new builds over the years.

It sounds like more hassle than it's worth.

This post isn't helpful to you, I know, but is there any way that your solicitor can apply some pressure?

It's like these developers are saying
'Buy now... barely any properties remaining... don't miss out on this amazing opportunity... '
yet the reality is...
' thank you for your squillions, we'll let you know at some point.'

They really are chancers.
Sorry that you're experiencing this.

Newbuilds are terrible, don't do it! My parents bought a newbuild in the 70s as buying off plan made it much cheaper but they're all so over priced now! They have no land, no proper foundations (buildings never used to 'settle'!) Poor quality, corners cut...

A former colleague spent over £2 million on a house, the phone sockets were not connected, the roof wasn't insulated and the place almost burnt down as the electrics weren't properly done. The whole place needed rewiring!

Don't do it.

Honestly I completely agree, we actually completed on a new build this week, but it's been push back after push back. We sold in Feb and it should have been ready in April!!! We ended up moving in with family rather than delay our sale any longer.

They always have one ready to go as well which everyone else has rejected and is WILDLY overpriced and they just try to shove it down your throat like ‘this is available’ and you’re stood there like 😬’I can see why’

On a side note, what’s with the crap parking and Randomly not putting a utility room in a large 4 bed. I don’t get it, surely anyone buying these is gonna have two cars and probably a family needing clothes washed…etc

Yabu for getting yourself into this 'problem'. Just don't buy a new build, job solved.

@Thehonestbadger I think this! Every house could do with a utility room… you always need way more space downstairs than upstairs don’t you, most people barely spend anytime upstairs you’re only really there to sleep!

I agree, I am in a new build as it was the only option and the walls are paper thin, you can't even hang anything lighter than a feather as it falls off the wall. So many things finished on the quick and it shows.

@HotCaterpillar

It wasn’t really a choice we consciously made. There’s desperately few existing houses coming to market and those that do need a lot of work done which we can’t do with 2 toddlers in constant tow.

plus we are conscious of running costs given the current COL crisis. We need a well insulated house.

I was surprised by how many things are optional extras, and how expensive these things are.

I was interested in a plot that isn't built yet but they said everything - decor, extras, everything - had already been chosen and couldn't be changed. I asked if I could change the colour of the carpet and pay for wardrobes in one of the bedrooms - no, all decisions made.

Happily, they haven't sold a house in about three weeks and reduced many yesterday. Now they're phoning me and talking about being able to cut a deal. Fuck off.

Try different developers. We were put off Taylor Wimpey as they had a similar process to the one you describe, but Miller release houses online and it's first come first served. A £500 deposit secures the plot. It isn't straightforward at all, but buying a house never is. Pros and cons with new builds. For us the insulation and not having to deal with closing dates etc has made it the preferable option.

Can’t stand new builds. Small, boxy, featureless, badly designed (why do so many new build bathrooms not have windows and have far too much landing space) with paper thin walls and terrible gardens. They’re often built in terrible locations too (out in the middle of nowhere, near a bypass or close to rough places). No thanks.

Can't stand old houses. Draughty, leaky, expensive to heat, maintain and repair. Except that's not true of them all, and neither is it true that all new builds are small and boxy or badly designed. Each to their own. Personally I like a large landing but the house we've reserved ironically doesn't have much landing space

That doesn't sound great but what are the alternatives?
I have to say some of these responses are what I expect from MN but I disagree. We moved from a shitty 50 year old house, poor insulation, tiny hallways, only 1 bathroom, thin walls, small windows.. To a beautiful new build. Our rooms are twice as big, big triple glazed windows, no noise heard from the neighbours, twice the size of house costs us half as much to heat, decent garden.. So much hate for new builds on here. All houses were new once. Some are shit, some are great.
All the older houses we looked at first had their own issues and came with several past owners poor diy or decoration as an added bonus.
For our new build we put a deposit down in Feb and moved at the end of May. We had to be on the market, that was their only condition. Being in chains of sellers in old properties can have just as many hold ups and delays. I guess it depends on what you are looking at, like everything.

Maybe it depends on the construction company?

We bought our house off plan, reserved for £100. Had a say in all the design features and it's not a tiny house at all.

The company kept in touch with us about our house but there was no date we had to have sold our own house by. Company gave us a completion date and stuck to it.

We decided to sell early and live in an air b and b for 6 weeks, just for peace of mind that we had the funds in plenty of time.

I don't plan on moving again but I love my new build!

My new build flat is fabulous. Big rooms, lots of light, well insulated, well soundproofed, everything works.

I moved here from rented though, so didn’t have the OP’s specific problem.

We have a new build and it's lovely.

We did sell our other property first as we were renting it out due to us relocating and we were renting ourselves while we got to know the area. But, I was also due to have a baby around the completion date and they were very good at communicating with us and working to a time scale we wanted.

House is lovely, 3 bed detached, edge of development, no overlooking houses, utility room, good room sizes. No proper snags at all. It's not all bad out there.

We had a new build at the top of our chain, it was an absolute nightmare and the chain nearly collapsed because of it.

I have an absolutely fabulous new build. I wouldn’t touch an old property, can’t stand them. I have plenty of space downstairs, airy purpose built for modern living rooms, off-road parking for four cars, a double garage, a bright sunny garden that’s not over looked. You can keep your dark, dingy on road parking, old properties.

I've got a brilliant new built - large rooms, big garden, double garage drive for 4 cars. Fantastic small site with various different styles and finishes. Best thing - very low energy builds as house is highly insulated with every energy saving device going.
This is our first new build but have lived in 1970's, 1930's, Victorian, 17th and 18th century properties. All ended up with various issues - money pits as restoring 'period' is not cheap, impractical layouts for modern living, insufficient parking or garages too small for modern cars, small windows, insufficient insulation, damp, and tiny gardens (apart from 1930's one that was enormous) and lack of space for multiple appliances modern living needs.
Nothing has gone wrong with our new build (and keep in mind, all houses were once 'new builds'). It's risen enormously in value as many families want to escape high energy bill houses.
The important thing is - choose your developer well.
Buy a house that suits your lifestyle and needs.
Remember there are more problems with older houses - despite what people on Mumsnet have you believe.

Give me a new build over an old house any day of the week.