Tips on buying new-builds...

[sarahloumadam]

Any useful tips? Did anyone pay less than asking price for a new-build?

[Fimbo]

Hopefully ours will be ok then, Willmouse. Cheers

[MrsPuddleduck]

Don't worry Fimbo - it wasn't Wimpey - in fact our house is a Wimpey house built in 1967 and is still doing very well.

I don't have any experience of dealing with Wimpey as a builder but it sounds as if you got a good deal.

[Fimbo]

Willmouse, do name the builder. We are almost at exchange on a new build by Wimpey. We were given £15000 discount on price and £5k of optional extras for carpets, tiling etc.

[MrsPuddleduck]

Most builders have set sum of money to spend on each house to sell it eg. part-exchange, carpets and curtains, stamp duty paid etc... If you offer full price they will simply accept and be laughing all the way to the bank.

If you have nothing to sell you are usually in a strong position and they should snap your hand off.

From my experience make sure you get something out of them.

However I would personally never buy a new house - ours was awful (I'm not sure whether I am allowed to name the builder). The walls were so thin that if you were sitting in the lounge and someone was having a wee in the ensuite it left nothing to the imagination. We have now got a house built in the 1960's and it solid, well built, and soundproof!!!

[pammo]

Previous house - full price but had a few options free like the house alarm and a shower over the main bath. Current house - 7% discount (after a few days of haggling)but we were not in a chain and we bought during a slow sales period - Summer 2005 in the south west.

[LilyLoo]

we had to pay full price no negotiations. Get a professional snagging list doen. They only a couple of hundred pound but well worth it as a professional will check everything. We missed loads of things on snagging list that only raised there heads after buildres had left site. Much more reluctant to return to fix things once you have paid them.

[Lilymaid]

I was told that you should always offer about 10% less than asking price (but that depends on how fast the sales are moving). We paid full list price for ours 10 years ago, but the next houses of our type to be built were already listed at considerably more. Agree with fine tooth comb re snagging. You do need to be persistent and to try to get as much done before the builders disappear from the development. You will also need a survey - the homeowner's one should normally be sufficient.

[sarahloumadam]

Thanks for the advice Bounder, will go over the house very carefully! Luckily there are still some houses to be built of the site so shouldn't be too hard getting them to do the work.

[Bounder]

Bought a new build 11 years ago - paid full price but in some markets eg city centre flats Im sure it pays to negotiate. <br /> My tip would be to go over the place with a fine tooth comb with the developer before completion and make sure he completes a full snagging list...there will be plenty of small glitches (we had hot and cold connected wrong way round in one of the showers and didnt notice until after completion, luckily they were good builders and sorted it out). Try everything out, check plasterwork, cornicing,light switches, heating etc! Good luck