New builds - yay or nay?

[JoanApple]

Just that really...

It's a yes from me! We've owned two new builds and one older house (plus rented various older houses before buying). The two new builds has been my favourite homes by far. Everything in them works!

Current house (new build) is almost my forever home; I just need one more bedroom and it would be - everything else is perfect. It's so close to perfect that I can't find anything better to move to at any budget (within a few miles of where we are now).

No - small rooms, excessive numbers of bathrooms. Too large for the plot they sit on.

On a case by case basis. Just like older houses range from oh yeah to no chance in hell.

No. Tiny and overpriced.

I've lived in my new build for two years. Redrow so top of the market. Mine is a semi, walls are so thin I hear everything in my neighbours house. It's a nightmare! The regulations now are that they must also build social housing on new estates. I was one of the first to buy on my estate and not much else was built, then a year in they built a row of social housing backing on to my house. Loud parties and domestics most evenings and weekends, it's a nightmare.

Have just sold and bought an older house and can't wait to get in there and away from here!

The idea of it all nice and brand new wears off quickly. When everything starts to crack as the house settles and none of your doors will close.

Also the cost of decorating and furnishing a blank, lifeless new build isn't cheap. Also flooring!

We are in a new build - just over three years here and absolutely no problems. It is really hit and miss though, others in our development have had issues, some quite serious but we only had a few snags in the beginning which they fixed quickly.
I would buy new again after this experience.

@JoanApple

Nothing major and all fixed promptly. And that was with the dreaded Persimmon!!

I think people go into it thinking its like a new car, which should be absolutely immaculate. Houses aren't like that, they settle. As long as its structurally sound and any snags are fixed, I'm fine with the imperfections.

If you buy one, here is a tip - keep your house between 17 and 21 degrees at all times. We did that and our settlement was minimal, whereas our neighbours didn't and their settlement was much worse.

We are detached so can't hear neighbours. Sound proofing is definitely not as good as it could be, but its not awful. My parents 1960's house is just as bad.

I'm in a new build.

My home style actually does have character I feel. It's designed to look like a modern cottage with a hipped roof. None of the other house styles are like this one on the estate, so it is different and has that extra bit of character.

I've liked the new aspect. Having a customer care team to look after you and any issues as you move in is really nice. Also, great for the community feel as everyone is new and in the same boat. I agree that the development group can be a bit moany but not always: on the whole ours is more helpful and useful than a place to moan.

As we are finding out things like Part M building regulations mean the homes are supposed to be disabled friendly, which means you can have peace of mind of step-free access (for the buggy), disabled visitors or in case you an injury etc. That's good for the long term imo because in a lot of older homes they have no step free access.

yes, front gardens are tiny. But really - how much time do you spend in the front garden? Mine has lots of lovey flowers and looks pretty even though it is very small. It's there to make the front of house presentable. Ultimately, you spend time in the back garden.

My back garden is decent sized and not overlooked. However, most homes on the estate are overlooked - and they still sold really well. I guess people just accept homes being overlooked as part and parcel.

@JoanApple things you've listed are what swayed me tbh. Not having to fork out on new kitchen or bathroom for a good 10-15 years or anything like that. Cheaper bills. You sort of know your outgoings for the foreseeable future with a new build. That's actually valuable under the current financial situation.

There are pros and cons like others have said but the main issue for me is depreciation. Even if you're planning to stay 10 years, you're likely not to make much of a profit if anything at all when you sell it if bought from brand new.

A nay for me. There is a huge new build estate near me, the build plan covers a massive area and has a total build time of around 25 years. The whole estate is completely soulless, everywhere looks the same, hardly any of the houses have drives, the area has flooded repeatedly and I don't mean water logged lawns, I'm talking 5ft of water. There are only two roads into the estate and both of these flooded cutting residents off completely.

All that aside, my biggest annoyance in the lack of basic amenities. There's a "centre" with a handful of shops but you need to travel a mile to get to a supermarket. The estate is 15 years into development now and there's still no real bus route meaning children have to rely on their parents to drive them everywhere.

Give me a 1950's property any day!

Honestly, it depends on what you're looking for. Lots of people complain about small gardens but I'm not one for gardening, so as long as I have somewhere outside to sit, that wouldn't bother me.

I do like spacious rooms, but my dad is in a new build at the moment and both bedrooms upstairs are very spacious. In fact his whole development is beautiful with big driveways and pretty trees. But then I have another friend who has one and it's tiny, no drive, and everyone is fighting for parking.

Don't just go for something because it's new. Think about pros and cons like you would with any other house.

I would actually love a new build, but not on just any development. Ideally I'd like to get my own built, but I have no idea where to start with that, and almost certainly couldn't afford to do that at the moment.

I know some people love them and are not so fussed about character features and lack of space internally and externally so each to their own but definitely not me for all of the negatives listed before. I bought new once and I hated it so much we were out within a year.

Nope. Not for me.

Yes from me. I’m in a shared ownership new build so I’m aware I’ve paid over the odds for my 50% but I wouldn’t have got a mortgage for a whole house.

I’ve got 2 parking spaces so life is so much easier for me parking wise than lots of streets around me. I’ve been here a year and had nothing go wrong so far, it’s got a lovely grey carpet throughout and all looks clean and nice still. Rooms are pretty big and the garden is a nice size with a patio too. Close to town centre. Cannot hear anything at all from neighbours. A lovely big cupboard under the stairs. Very happy with what I’ve got.

We had a new build detached and loved it, but it cost a fortune to carpet/tile the floor, decorate, curtain poles, blinds, sort the mud bath clay garden etc etc. We didnt have any major issues, Redrow even came back after a few weeks to touch up any cracks from the plaster drying out.
My massive issue was that we bought into a 'regeneration' area and it was horrific, nearly everyone was broken into and I never felt safe living there. We sold after 2 years and luckily made a profit.
I would buy new build again but I wouldnt want to be stuck in a big estate.

I viewed one and hated everything about it. Living room was too small to get a sofa and coffee table etc in. The ‘garden’ faces a brick wall as the house was at the bottom of the estate and the parking was 5 spaces between 3 houses which was always going to be a disaster.
I’m not sure if I just had a bad experience but I got a house literally 3 x the size for the same price the new build was listed as.

Nay. Inflated prices & characterless.

I swore I’d never live in a new build...until two years ago when we moved into a new build. Our energy bills are minuscule, only small snags, gorgeous walks all around the estate, wide roads, plenty of parking, catchment for good or outstanding schools, local shop and artisan bakers has just opened. Parts of the estate are 5 years old so some houses are going up for sale - sell quickly and have gone up in value++.

I think the only reason this has all happened so perfectly is because the developer is half decent and the location is hugely desirable. I think buying a new build with a dodgy developer or in an average location would be a huge mistake.

Yes , if like you say you don’t want any hassle, problems with maintenance, older houses as nice as some of them look , will need constant bits of work doing on them , some small and some major

They will be better insulated than older houses too
There are pros and cons to old and new houses but some of the new build estates I’ve seen look quite nice.

We moved into our new build in January. We viewed lots of show homes and not all new builds are the same! On our estate everyone has at least 2 parking spaces and plenty of visitor parking, don't hear any noise from the neighbours (we are detached though), and all 4 bedrooms can fit a double bed/wardrobe etc in. Our home has a beautiful double vaulted ceiling in the hallway, bay window and bifolds onto the garden, plenty of character. Our gas and electric bill has been about £40 a month even though we've been working from home.

We moved from a new build rental, which was tiny! So close to a main road, oddly shaped rooms, everything done cheaply (eg the downstairs loo had one tile behind the sink, in our house the downstairs loo was fully tiled as standard).

There has been snagging, our last few snags are booked in for the next few weeks but this would have been dealt with sooner if we didn't have lockdown. The finish isn't perfect on the paint, but it's a blank canvas for us. The builder would have sent someone out to repaint but for us we were planning on adding our own colour anyway so it's a waste to get someone out to do more white.

It depends entirely on your builder/site but having previously said never on a new build we're now very happy here!

Check theres no annual charge. Some developments have a fee for landscaping despite being freehold because the council won't take the development on.

@PurBal yeah that's what happened with mine. £230 a year and you can't spread it monthly

If it's on an estate and has service charges attached I would run a mile.

@Blusteryday2020 can I ask who your developer is?

Poor quantity, expensive and small. I'd happily build my own house and possibly consider a local builder if they had good builds. Never from a national chain.