New built or older property as a middle-aged buyer...

[Greenfairydust]

I am looking to buy a 2 bed in the South East where I will be semi-retiring which is likely to be my home for the next 20s (I am in my early 50s).

The housing stock in the seaside towns I am looking at are either cottages, new-built-ish estates or victorian houses.

The cottages I have seen are just too small, dark inside due to small windows had roofs that would potentially need expensive work at some point & all made me feel a bit claustrophobic. So I am left with new-ish estates or victorian houses as options.

I am due to view various houses built in the late 90s - 2008 on small estates this weekend. I know new-builds are not always popular on this forum but the Victorian houses in my budget I have seen so far either look like they would need work to update and maintain or are just not on great roads. The nicer ones are usually much bigger homes (so higher heating/maintenance/council tax bills) and often out of my budget.

The newer estates though are in better locations and I assume would be easier to heat/maintain but at the same time they don't have much character and I know that the construction standards are not always great.

But as I am getting older and will live by myself I am not quite sure it is wise to consider a Victorian house.

Has anyone had a good experience with buying a house built in the late 90s to mid 00s? is that more sensible if you are looking for a place where you will be living in retirement or should I give Victorian houses a chance as they were built to last?

Also, whilst it's highly area dependent, houses on our estate have doubled in value since they were built around 2008.

I’m in a 20 year old house, non estate and built in a conservation area with ‘enforced’ characteristics to fit in with surroundings so still a bit of outside character like specially made bricks, stone pillars, wooden sash windows.

It is my first modern house after owning 6 houses as an adult, four of them listed.

The convenience of this house is amazing. Cavity wall insulation, very little ongoing maintenance. Cheap to run (relative to the others).

Living here has taught me that actually my things inside are a lot of what gives a home character. I would never have thought about it previously.

Just read @CarterBeatsTheDevil’s post (after writing all this). She/he has summed it up perfectly. I too had new build snobbery, I too love it and can see that it is my things that make it what it is.

My house was built in the early 90s recession and the whole estate was built originally with single glazed windows, which I find just appalling.

Lots of people say that houses built during a recession can be shoddily finished. I've certainly heard enough stories about the roofing and electrics of my neighbours to believe it.

Definitely avoid conservatories which are often a feature in 90s houses. They obviously leak heat like a sieve, often leak water and tend to have shallow foundations making them vulnerable to subsidence.

@Mercurial123 did you have to anything down over the concrete and before Lino/vinyl?

Not 100% sure as the letting agent arranged the work. I think it was just concrete and lino. It wasn't expensive less than £500.

@Mercurial123 thank you

You have the right attitude . Just keep an open mind
I have lived in both a new build and currently live in a beautiful period house. I loved living in both

I saw a house built in 2016 that I really liked the look of yesterday and was about to make an offer.

Unfortunately I heard today after further questioning the agent that the estate has not been adopted by the council so there is a yearly maintenance charge and that has made me very nervous.

I have read about ''fleecehold'' and issues that can crop up because these charges are uncapped.

I really wanted a house to call my own to escape the leasehold trap (I had a flat before) so this is a bit of a risk as far as I am concerned to take something on which again has some kind of charge I have no control on attached to it.

This is a bit dispiriting a I was so excited about the house which was in great condition...

I wouldn't worry too much without investigating it further @Greenfairydust if you really like the property.

I lived in a house where we were responsible for the maintenance of highway, parkland and trees. The service charge wasn't onerous. Equivalent to a month's council tax. The road that the development was built on was eventually adopted by the highways authority, it took ten years! Why I do not know but some of it centred around the pavements and drains meeting a certain specification. The developer was obliged to make everything good, no charge to homeowners, once it was completed the highway was adopted.

I believe that there is a piece of legislation somewhere that limits annual increases to 10% of the charge but I am not an expert. I'd be checking that it was owned and managed properly by a limited company with a proper governance structure in place. Look at a balance sheet to see what their financial position is, look at the minutes from the last few meetings to see if they have anything going on that could lead to liabilities and speak to your solicitor for advice. Or get your solicitor to do the whole thing if it isn't your bag.

It is possible that it is a temporary thing (although in my case the trees and parkland were part of the deal but then we got to enjoy them too).

It isn't like a leasehold at all.

@StormObelisk I am also concerned that this is a Persimmon built estate and they have a terrible reputation so that is a lot of uncertainty to take on...

I know a new Persimmon estate outside Canterbury has thrown up a lot of issues.

@TheGander yes! I read about that today as well when I was researching estates with management charges.

I will stick to looking at older estates with adopted roads/green spaces that the council looks after.

I wish the estate agents would make these type of info clear in the property info/listing from the start...

Unfortunately we can’t rely on them being open about any problems with the properties they are trying to sell. Kent online can be a good source of info if you are looking to buy in the county
www.kentonline.co.uk/canterbury/news/emergency-works-on-24-new-builds-after-house-collapses-213092/

@TheGander Yes, I am following local news and local Facebook groups. I think I am going to give anything built in the past 25 years or so a miss.

Truly shocking that these big developers cut so many corners.

It shows how important it is to do as much possible research when trying to buy...maybe these Victorian houses are not such a bad bet after all. At least they are still standing after all these years!

I’m really not an expert though as I’ve only ever owned one home, an Edwardian flat. Maybe some new builds are good and it’s a question of researching who the better developers are?

You shouldn’t really get neighbour noise in a newbuild due to the sound insulation regs. Older Victorian semis/terraces can be just solid brick between then and shared chimneys so much more chance of next door noise.

I've lived in my current house for the past 15 years, it was built in 1989 and is in the new style of housing.

I'm about to move to a house built in the 1960s which is much larger, solid and has so much more space around it.

I've been very happy in my house, and it's a lovely property but with newer builds you're much closer to neighbours - modern builders like to cram as much in as possible for profit. Outside space is crappy, both front gardens and back. Parking is often more limited - obvs depends where in the country you are. Definitely thinner walls with more noise from neighbours, and just a lower quality of construction all round.

I consider my house to be a good "new" type of property - although I appreciate it's 30 years old, it looks just like all the new properties still being built now. But it looks just like all the others on the street, and no matter what people say, new houses DON'T have any character inside. Of course they can be very lovely, and that's up to you with your decor and style. But actual character? No. They're just a series of boxed rooms, there's no quirky features or nooks and crannies - that's what gives a house character rather than just making it beautifully decorated and stylish.

I'm not slating new homes, so don't all jump on me haha! I love my current house very much and if it was bigger I'd probably never leave it. I can just be honest about the fact that I've never seen any new build with character and all of the many benefits have to be balanced against the drawbacks. What matters most depends on your own personal priorities.

In your shoes OP I would just keep an open mind and view any house which takes your fancy. As PP said, just pay close attention to the EPC and definitely get a decent survey before buying. You might fall in love with a new house or you could find an older house which has been loved, renovated and won't gobble up the heating. I reckon we'd all love to give you our opinions if you fancy sharing links 😅😊