Have you considered a house that is a few years old. There can be problems with a new build - more time and energy draining than financial but often a bit of a headache to get sorted.
As an example my house is 6 years old. I bought it when it was 2 years old, all of the initial snagging had been seen to, the garden was becoming established, all of the little extras like light fittings and doorhandles etc were in, and in my case the previous owner had made changes to the house (adding a utility room, knocking through 2 bedrooms and putting in a swish family bathroom).
You have the remaining NHBC, and if you get one that is pretty new it may still be under builders waranty too.
You also know what the estate is actually going to look like. Everything is built so you can see what your view will be. My friend bought a show house a few years ago with a lovely front garden. When moving day came the front garden had been replaced with a footpath just outside their door. Not the end of the world, but not what they thought they were getting.
The big plus of buying these houses is the price. We like many others in this age of house have found ourselves in no mans land. New build estates are selling a bit cheaper with lots of perks e.g part exchange, 5% deposit, lots of extras. In an area like mine where we have 3 new build estates currently building on our doorstep no one can sell their house.
Despite the fact that I live in a new house, this was actually an accident. I much prefer older houses. They can cost more to run, but one that has been well modernised should be not too far off/equal to a new build. Have you looked into that? New double glazing, cavity wall insulation, upgraded roof insulation, modern boiler that type of thing.
Just another thought. Haven't answered your question though, just thrown a few more into the mix, oops 
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