New builds advice please

[Evianliveyoung1]

Has anyone that has bought a new build have any good stories? We have reserved and are hearing nothing but bad things. Would love to hear of some positive experiences

I live in one. Mine was already built before I saw it though so from viewing/offer to moving in was 6 weeks. I think it can depend on the builder. I've had minor issues but my entire estate is currently covered in scaffolding as the builder (4 years later) is fixing something they bodged on every house. I would absolutely buy one again, even from the same company.

We bought a new build 6 years ago. It was already finished and like the pp, moved in within 6 weeks.

We’ve been really pleased and still are 😊. Our builders were happy to fix any snags we highlighted, not that we had many.

I think it probably depends on your builders. Ours feels solid and all the fixtures and fittings are really good quality (Neff, Villeroy and Boch etc).

Thanks both could I ask who you bought with? Do you pay a service charge? That’s once of my biggest concerns. We’ve viewed the actual property and love it!

Bellway. The service charge is a constant source of grief with some residents though! Year 1 it was around £75 and although there's some wording in the deeds saying that it can't increase by more than [some index or other] it has done and was around £95 last time. Some residents complain each year and pay the lower rate so I'm not sure if they'll face a massive rise after the 5 year term whereas the rest of us are having it phased in. Either way, it's not a huge amount and I benefit directly as my house overlooks one of the green spaces that that fee maintains.

This is something I'm interested in too. From what I understand from my research so far I have found that Taylor Wimpey & Persimmon aka Charles Church are more likely to be problematic & Crest Nicholson are better. Not sure about other developers. It can vary greatly depending on the site manager though!

Never had one but I have friends who have bought Croudace from several developments throughout the UK and they’ve all been very pleased.

IME avoid Redrow unless you fancy a legal case.

Ours was built by Morris. They weren’t perfect as we had a huge problem getting them to put the park in and do some landscaping...took about 6 years I believe 😳.

Really happy with our house though.

New estates with planned open space for everyone need it maintained. How else is it going to happen? There has to be some sort of charge!

The vast majority of builders are ok but some make mistakes when they build and don’t check the workmanship or ensure it’s high quality. I think more expensive houses tend to be better built but if you buy one that’s already built you can have a good look around.

A poster was starting legal action against Morris for their drainage layout. An estate might be brilliant for the majority but if yours is the one that’s wrong, it doesn’t feel good. Check out the workmanship and things that matter to you. You only ever hear about problems. Lovely homes are not newsworthy!