We are having a walk through on a newbuild

[Fluffycloudland77]

That we are trying to buy, what questions should we ask? Did you miss something that later caused problems?

I've never done this before and I haven't got a clue.

How much parking per house?
When will roads be adopted?
Is there a maintenance charge/Management group?
Discounts for buying off plan?
When will new build be complete?

Any restrictions on extending/developing the house if wanted to?

Check that the finishes are the ones you specified - I specified a white painted staircase and it had been varnished, so it had to be changed. Also check things like door handles, plugs etc are the type you want. Check where plugs are and if you are likely to want more or in different places. Is there an outside tap / lights front and back. Ask if you can change any of the appliances (usually you make up any difference in cost) if you want something different - I changed the oven & hob. Its the little things that will bug you in future - try and think what they might be, its easy for the developer to change or fit things like lights or bathroom fittings while they have people on site, whereas you might take a while (years in my case) to get round to them! I take the dont ask dont get approach!

Can you get furniture upstairs - some stairs are so narrow.

Are the bedroom big enough for a bed and furniture.

If it has a garage, measure it to make sure your car fits AND you can get in and out of it easily.

Deed restrictions/covenant restrictions? Some neighbourhoods have 'em, some don't.

Lighting, see what's in and what you can upgrade to.

Lawn/garden and was restrictions in place.

Some people ask if there's rented social housing on the estate and where it is. Very controversial here on MN, however, and I will certainly be flamed, but it does matter to some people and is a fair question.

Think about storage, as most don't have many cupboards. Where will you keep the hoover, is there enough room for bed, wardrobe, chest of drawers in the bedroom. What sort of heating, gas or storage heaters.

The question about garages is a good one: the expensive new-build houses in our village were built with garages wide enough to drive a car into... But once you had parked, you couldn't actually open the car doors to get out!