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

[itscominghomeee]

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.

Not all new builds are created equally. Some are much better than others (usually smaller developers rather than the large new estates from the likes of Persimmon). A well-constructed new build is much more energy efficient and easy to maintain than an older property and I consider myself more likely to move into one when I get old. For now I live in a period property which I love because it has so much character.

Years ago, when I became a single parent, I bought a horrible boxy 1970s semi because it was all I could afford. Never grew to love it from the outside but made it my own inside and had many happy years there. Your home is your home. Some good decoration and putting your personal stamp on it is all that's necessary.

Happy house hunting!

Come and look at the new builds near me and see what you are getting for your hard earned money...Crammed in properties, poor workmanship, unfinished roads-still not finished after 4 years !!!, ridiculous parking... no thought whatsoever about where people will put all their cars so most end up on the pavements and people fall out about them.

We live in a new build house which was built by a local builder with an excellent reputation. We would not have bought a new build from one of the larger nationwide builders on an estate. Love our house which has character, beautiful finishes and no problems after four years apart from a leak on a shower which could happen anywhere. This was sorted by the builder even though it was nearly a year since we purchased the house. Gardens were landscaped when we moved in with new fences and etc. New houses are great but you need to find those built by a reputable builder and not a small box on a large estate.

Such a weird thing for people to say, many new builds are poor quality, crammed onto badly designed estates with inadequate parking so the roads are jammed up with parked cars, overlooked on all sides, tiny gardens and most importantly, there's a huge premium on the price you pay making them poor value for money. Of course there are exceptions to this, but just because a house is new doesn't necessarily make it superior in any way.

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

This sounds great. I don't like the look and feel of new builds, but having a recent kitchen upgrade and some fresh plumbing gives you the best of both worlds. Some new builds are very shoddily put together these days, also.

My ex worked in construction and said he'd never buy a new build. Too many corners cut, too many cheap materials used. They are also usually tiny compared to older houses.

I live in an ex council house, built in the 1950s. Very sturdy and nice big rooms.

You couldn’t give me a new build. We refused to look at any. The build quality is appalling. I was part of a FB group when house hunting and someone was asking peoples opinions on 2 houses, 1 of them was a new build. There were so many people (builders of new builds included) telling her to stay clear of a new build.

I have also experience of living in ex MOD housing and again, massive bedrooms, living room, huge gardens etc, ample storage space throughout the property.