"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.

I've had to downsize as I'm quite near retirement. I couldn't manage my massive garden any more. I had a solid 1930's house which I loved.
I had a look at the new builds and they were very small and pokey even the three beds for the price I was looking at.
Also very close together, no greenery on the estates.
In the end I chose a 1980's house, it was built by a local builder to very high standards with really good insulation in the walls so you cannot hear the neighbours and has a nice courtyard garden.
It's perfect and very low maintenance having no big issues. It's off estate a row of 5 houses only and there are nice big trees everywhere.
I love it.

Ignore their comments. You should be proud of being able to by your own home. New builds are generally terrible quality, and the newness and shiny appliances fade with a new build too. My house is 120 years old! Go for what you like, and maybe take someone else along to viewings with you?

Exactly this, OP. You are awesome!

Does your sister live in a NB or does she just wish she was you achieving what you are right now?

I wouldn’t live in a new build if you gave it to me for free - I’d sell it and buy a previously owned house!

Not to be harsh but…who in their right mind actively wants a house that quite literally hasn’t stood the test of time, is typically made of the cheapest material and full of snags, sits on a pretend estate full of identical houses, and could lose half its value overnight once the market’s had proper time to assess it…?

I understand these are hurtful and inconsiderate comments, although it may come from a place of ignorance not malice? Maybe try to educate them, say this what I can afford. I recently bought first home with DH, his family commented that the rooms are awkward and 'pokey', too old/bad condition and expected overall for it to be nicer. DH was very pissed off, my family know how much houses cost in this country, therefore think it was a great first time buy. (DH's family weren't wrong just out of touch)

I agree with this, we had a few and we were on it and they go repaired promptly. It is so energy efficient that our energy bills are less than half of what even smaller houses are.

will say the garden is on the smaller side and the estate does feel more crowded but the snobbery from posters on the thread calling them all shit and full of mould is just not true.

i do think that htb and other new build exclusive schemes artificially inflate house prices though

New builds are great. Compare to a 1980s house that by now will need new bathroom, kitchen, plastering the artex over, new fusebox, new rooflines and gutters, new heating system, new windows etc. You save on a load of repairs or inheriting badly done ones.

Ugh

All houses have their pros and cons, nothing bad about buying a house that someone has already lived in. Ours is 200 years old so definitely not new, pros is it's got character, cons is you have to keep fixing broken stuff. It's the opposite way round for a new build and there have been occasions that I may prefer to live in a new build.

Op your dm and ds are a bit bonkers imo

You just start off with a badly built house. I bet a house built this year won’t even be standing in 40 years time. And the 80s house will probably have had three new kitchens and bathrooms since it was built. It’s also got storage and a bedroom big enough to swing a cat because a quarter of it hasn’t been sacrificed for an unnecessary ensuite.

Your mother needs to educate herself in the horrendous problems associated with new builds, plus, is she aware that you could innocently tie yourself in buying a leasehold property in all innocence which you could probably never get out of.
I don’t wish to offend your caperbilities ie buying property but please please make sure you are buying a freehold property.

IME new builds are generally all quite cheaply done, and it’s a bit like buying a new car, as soon as you drive it off the price depreciaties. I thought most people didn’t want new builds they only bought because often there are inducements around covering stamp duty or 95% mortgages or such like. I wouldn’t buy or live in a a new build if you paid me. Period properties tend to be better built, classier looking and have actual communities and stuff near by

I've lived in both and give me an old house full of character any day. New builds are small square boxes with no personality in my experience. I would reply 'ew no thanks, I want my house to have some personality' or just 'I cant stand new builds'

It is possible to search only for new builds only on Rightmove.

I used to think the same till I ended up in a 3 storey Persimmon. It was well built with 3 good sized double bedrooms. Solid concrete floor downstairs not the crappy wooden floating ones you got in 70s/80s houses. Well insulated, very warm, hardly any heating needed. They really aren't all as crap as I used to believe.

i hate the way so many new builds have low ceilings and small windows. The proportions of older houses, particularly older terraces if that is what you are looking at , are usually much better.

Bizarre attitude as the most desirable and expensive houses around here are Victorian or Georgian terraces, a new build would cost half as much. Period homes are definitely far more sought after.

I'd never buy a new build. They have tiny rooms, are pretty shoddily built and have small gardens, esp those supposedly 'affordable'. At least a hundred years old (mine is only a 150, wish was older) with good-sized rooms, a decent garden, solid walls. A terrace is perfect, they are usually bigger than semis, with 3 decent bedrooms, rather than two and a half. Lots of light from big windows.
Don't listen to DM and DS, they are well behind the times. Never buy a new build - unless you want endless trouble.

"When did new builds become something to aspire to?"

Back in the 1960s and 1970s. I remember many people of my parents generation that were really proud to move into a brand new home.

But, there again, there's probably quite a bit of difference between new builds back than and new builds today.

For example, I remember an episode of the TV series "Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads" from 1973. Set in Newcastle, one of the characters was buying a new build house and his friend (James Bolam) was very jealous.

So much snobbery towards new builds. They completely vary. You can't tar them all with the same brush. I have lived on older houses with high energy bills and maintenance issues, and much prefer my new build. So energy efficient, warm, lovely community of neighbours and actually a very well thought out estate with lots of green space.

Don't buy a new build!!! Don't be sucked in by a new cheap kitchen or bathroom or white plastered walls. New build estates are cramped full of houses, roads aren't always wide enough, no green spaces, little amenities, tiny box houses that are all pretty much the same! They throw them up often on brown field sites which have difficulties because they weren't designed for a gazillion houses, or green field sites which shouldn't be built on (for another rant). You pay a premium because it's new and like cars they can depreciate immediately after purchase. I would not buy anything on an estate post 1980s. 60s, 70s and 80s houses are bigger, more spaced out bigger gardens, infrastructure close by.

My partners first house was a new build it had 132 snags with it, over 100 of those were never fixed. The build quality was rubbish, lawn kept flooding and when we pulled it up it was laid on rubbish, kitchen nice but cheap, flooring on the thinnest underlay possible, might as well not of been there, toilet not straight, bath not plumbed in properly so leaked, failed to fix it twice, windows weren't sealed, could feel the wind through them, mould from bathroom in bedroom, tiles from roof not secure, they used weak roof joists so couldn't have a loft or any storage, kitchen do small couldn't fit washer, no where else for a washer so it was in the living room until I insisted on a shed where it couldn't cope with outdoor living.

It got him in the ladder, had to accept 5k less than he paid for it 5 years later when sold. It was horrible.

So if you don't see my point: don't get a new build they are crap!

Give me a house with history any day! And maybe send this to your mum and nosy aunt. www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-berkshire-68663984.amp

A 1980s house is a new build. Seventies houses - still new builds - are popular, however, since they are the last new builds to Parker Morris standards, before Thatcher said it was ridiculous to want a third bedroom that would contain a bed, and abolished the standard.
70s houses tend to have large rooms for new builds and to have larger gardens. Often on smaller estates, too.

Christ. The stories I've heard about build quality on new houses, as well as personal preference for old buildings, mean I'd roll my eyes and do what I wanted anyway. Would they shut up if you said something like, "build quality and resale value are important to me and while my budget is limited, I don't want the equivalent of a cheap new car when a second hand but better model would be a more sensible decision". You could add "now fuck off" if you're that way inclined!!

I live in a new build. It's fine, and does everything we need it to do, but I would choose an older house any day of the week if given the choice. Unfortunately where we live we were very very limited for choice!

Although that said our first house was an older one and it had it's fair shair if problems too!

I would just tell your mum and sister that you don't want a new build!