Would you buy a new build house?

[Cowsontheloose]

Just that really. Would you buy a new build house?
We bought one 5.5 years ago and I love the fact that everything was new and we didn't have to worry.
My mum told us we were making a huge mistake and that we should never have bought it.
She has since come round and now likes it but says she would never buy one for herself.
I was just wondering peoples opinions.

Personally I prefer older houses as theyre much more spacious at least around here (Hertfordshire). I find that newbuilds are very small and squashed at least the 2 bed newbuilds are (which is the amount of rooms I’d need) I think it’s because t

Nope I build them for a very high-end developer and based on the things we hide/are bodged during the build I would never buy one myself, I can only imagine how shoddy the lower end builds are! The finishes are cheap, the rooms are small, the developments are poorly designed with inadequate access to public transport, shops and parking facilities. The maintenance fees are a joke.

My house, which I bought two years ago, is a new-build - spacious 3-bed semi on a tiny group of 7 houses on the edge of a very small rural village. It is wonderful - lovely views, well-insulated for sound and heat, very efficient heating system.

"Lawn" was a downside, as laid on rubble, but I have got this sorted and am very happy indeed here.

Some new builds are on estates where the houses are as small as possible and all crammed in together with tiny gardens. I would not have bought one of those. So basically it depends on the new-build and where it is.

I wouldn’t unless it was a project I’d designed / had input in designing and I’d had a big say in the materials. My experience of new builds is they are really poor quality in terms of materials. I also like character/history and I’d miss that. x

It was built by a well-known and respected local builder - I know where he lives! I can ring him any time is there is something I am concerned about. So I guess that is very different to buying from a large developer.

We looked at one but they simply didn't have the supply on the site plan of the size we needed, and then we found somewhere we could get much more house for our money and with loads of period features in a period property.

I've never seen one with enough space in a smaller modest home. A 2/3 bed house should still offer options for a utility, large under stair cupboard and a 2nd reception room. In my opinion, otherwise yes I would buy one but I'm not in the market for a big 4/5 bed detached that would more likely have these as standard.

My 3 bed new build has all of that. Utility room with built in cupboards and w/machine; huge under stairs cupboard.

Not all new build are the same.

We’re on our second new build. There’s two main reasons we bought new build - firstly we don’t want to have to do stuff to a house soon after moving in, and secondly because it makes the buying/selling/moving process so much easier. The first new build was our very first property and without the offers from the developer we would never have been able to afford to buy. For the second new build we did a part exchange with the developer so we didn’t have to worry about a chain falling apart and we didn’t have to move out until our new house was ready. I love our new house - it’s light and airy, rooms are massive, and no issues so far. Time will tell if there are bigger issues but we were in our previous one for 10 years and didn’t need to do anything to it.

I would not buy anything that:

• comes with ''estate maintenance fees''
• has been built by one of the major developers in the past 25 years or so
• has ridiculously small rooms and little storage.

I would consider:

• something on a smaller estate
• has been built by local builders rather than a major developer like Persimmon and the rest
• a modern house but was built some time ago, rather than an actual new-built, and has been maintained well by the owners. Some of these recent houses already look dreadful and all sorts of problems 10 or 20 years after they were built so something that has lasted and is well maintained would be OK.

What’s the score with the maintenance payments. Are the cost high and have people found they increase a lot year after year?

Depends on the development. I've been in some lovely ones, and also some that have zero storage space.

The ones around me are 2x the price of the former council 40s semis, but are about 20m2 + smaller...
So no. Coupled with other things

I would. My current house was nearly new when I bought it and it's now 17 years old and is fine, well proportioned with lots of land around it (though the soil is rubbly in some parts - I'm working on that) and there have been no problems. And after living in a 100 year old house it was nice that the walls, roof and windows all fitted together without gaps.

My parents have bought new build houses twice. The first was a Wimpey house on an estate in 1971. The estate now looks a little of its time, but with various extensions and modernisations the samey-samey houses (three variations) have become more individual. The second was from a local developer in 1994. They're still there and think it's the best house in the world. I think it's a little short of soundproofing, personally, but it's a good size and layout and we were able to adapt it when one of my parents needed to sleep downstairs for a while.

On a small development, maybe. On a big estate, definitely not. I also don’t like the fact that lots of new builds have small rooms and small gardens.

I'd consider a small development from a smaller building firm but not a big one. My DH had a flat on a new build estate for 6 or 7 years. They were still periodically ripping up roads to install new services when he left. It was always a building site.

Around here, they always come with service charges. Parking spaces are also limited so most roads are lined with cars and quite difficult to get through when it's busy.

Seems like a split.
We p/x our old house (which was a 70s build which needed a LOT doing) and we found it easier to move.
Got loads of freebies so was worth it for us. Has risen in value by 30% so puts us in a good spot. We do live in an old mining town and house prices aren't as high as in other areas but it's a nice place. When we downsize in 20 years, we will probably choose another new build ready for retirement.
I know people's opinions will not be the same, but I was genuinely curious

I did but it was a no brainer as I part ex’d my house at market value and the house was 12% lower than market value. It was a case of right time right place and a bit of luck.

Our maintenance charge is about £110 per year. Lived here for 7 years and it’s the same amount every year. It pays for the upkeep of the play area and green spaces on the estate.

I’ve had two new builds and I would buy another. Haven’t had any major problems, our current house has really good sized rooms and a drive that can accommodate four cars. I will say that, yes, the soil in the garden was really poor when we moved in, but it wasn’t too difficult to improve the garden with a bit of patience and topsoil. I have mature flowerbeds now and a lush green lawn.

Our area is being choked by identikit hutches. They're nowhere near any amenities, poky and advertised as luxe cos of the OTT decor used to disguise said dimensions. Future shit holes.

The gardens are usually tiny with zero privacy and the houses do tend to be occupied by young families which invariably in summer means hoardes of screaming children bouncing on trampolines..no thanks!

The problem with some new builds is that they are built on big estates in not very good locations. The only thing they have going for them is that they are brand new, which some people like. However, by the time you come to sell them they are not brand new they are just an average property on an estate in a crap location. So the prices tend to appreciate much slower than if you had bought a character property on a good road close to local amenities.

My first home was a new build. It was small but fine - although I do agree with a previous poster about the soil quality being crap.

When we outgrew it and needed a larger house, we couldn't afford the larger house new so we bought a 1930s house instead. Again it's fine but by the time we fix everything that needs fixing, we'll have spent the same as if we'd bought new.

Imo there's pros and cons to both you've just got to decide which problems you'd rather be dealing with and at least with a new build, the company you bought from are obliged to put right any problems.

There's a lot of snobbery about new builds. Granted, some have problems with quality but if it's a respected builder using good contractors then they can be great purchases. Our first home was a new build in 2014, sold in 2018 with £40k increase in value which was good for our area. Then bought a second new build which we love. They often have snagging issues but then a lot of older properties require a lot of maintenance too!

It wouldn’t be for me, but I can see the attraction for some buyers, being an easy turn key solution.

lack of character and the lack quality of some new build estates would put me off, can’t stand tiny rooms and windows and being so close together. I know living on an estate wouldn’t be right for me. The investment would put me off too, friends that have bought, new builds often struggle to sell.