Buying a new build

[MovingNewBuild]

We have seen a new build house we would like to buy (Barratt Homes if relevant).

We are first time buyers so obviously never bought off plan etc before.

Talk to me like a child, what questions do we need to ask. What ever costs are we likely to have. What bits will we assume are included but find they are not and any other bits of wisdom you want to share?

I personally wouldn't recommend a new build. I don't believe that the building standards are adequate today. See video.

With new build you'll likely pay more council tax than equivalent well built older homes in better parts of town. You'll pay a new build premium because people won't expect to pay the same for a second hand home and appliances. You will be stitched up with Estate Charges while older homes have all this covered with their council tax.

If you do go New Build then look up the Welsh Snagger on YT and get one done.

I’d never buy a new build again. I’ve had 4 in the long past and my current one is 27 years old. It’s lovejy but ..

I’d buy a new build that’s about 12 months or more old. The previous owners will have probably done all the things the builder hadn’t done like curtain poles, burglar alarm, sorted out the garden etc. The flooring and decoration will still be “fresh” hopefully & you might even get a conservatory.

From what I’ve been told, new builds are well insulated but building standards, final fixing and so on can leave a lot to be desired.
Caveat Emptor.

This is such a wide ranging question that answers will just keep on coming.

Just to put it out there, we bought a NB as our retirement property a few years ago (not your developer) and are very happy.
Large, well designed & built house with high ceilings, plenty of room space, good sized gardens, plenty of private parking/garage, well laid out development with great walks plus easy reach to facilities.
Essentially it ticked all our boxes.

Firstly, ignore the "never buy a NB, they are all cardboard crap, built on a plot the size of a postage stamp, will never be worth what you paid for it" etc etc. These comments blind you to genuine, informed responses.

Research your developer, do they have a good reputation for build quality and after sales.
The development itself, does it look well laid out with plenty of parking, green spaces, proximity to services (schools, shops, medical, buses etc). How long will building be going on after you move in.
What about the plot, is it overlooked, have sufficient parking (NEVER rely on on-street parking, if you do so will everyone else), is the garden adequate for your needs.
What is the construction of the property, some are timber framed while others stick with brick/block and use block internal walls. If semi, are living /sleeping spaces against the party wall, what are noise transfer levels like.
Does the layout of the house work for you, does living space match the number of bedrooms.
Is there a management fee for green space maintenance (very common now and can be up to £200/pa).

Check thoroughly what is included as there will be an extensive options list and while some of it will be more costly than having it done yourself later, the ease of having it done ready for when you move in is priceless.
Check plans for position of sockets, lights, TV & ethernet points, outside lights & sockets, garden tap etc. Kitchen & bathroom upgrades can sometimes be worth it.
Are they throwing in any extras such as turf, white goods, flooring etc and what about help with solicitors, SD, removals etc.

Many NB gardens have issues in the first couple of years and even if turfed, may require work to help with drainage but these issues are usually resolved very easily and if you are keen gardeners (like us) you can do it yourself as you are planting.

If you have ANY problems with the house make sure you report them via the developers portal and if they are not resolved, KEEP REPORTING as they are obliged to fix these issues even after the original warranty has expired.

Loads more things will come to mind later.......😃

Barratt Homes are not known in the housing industry as one of the best builders however they're not as bad a Persimmon!

You should be able to negotiate on flooring, an upgraded kitchen ie including integrated appliances, turf for your garden, a shower for the family bathroom.
Essentially you are buying a blank box and they will give you the most basic fixtures and fittings unless you negotiate with them. Your home will look nothing like the show home which has the highest spec of everything inside. That lovely bathroom in the show home with the nice tiles, shower screen and chrome light fittings will essentially be a white box with 2 rows of tiles around the bath and one row over the sink.

On an average 4 bed detached you could be looking to add around 20-30k on extras if you get Barratt to put them in for you, so if they're not prepared to do you a deal on flooring ask yourself are you prepared to move in and arrange it?

Do your homework before speaking to them, how is the estate selling, do they have many empty plots, what is the percentage of affordable housing, what is around the plot that you're looking at, how many drive spaces do the homes around you have, is there potential for car parking drama, how much green space will there be, how wide are the roads and footpaths. Barratt are notorious for pushing planning legislation to the limit and cramming as many houses into the development as they can, will it feel like the houses are on top of each other or will there be plenty of space?

Visit completed developments by Barratt in other areas, you may have to travel but its worth it, how have they aged. New developments often have Facebook groups, have a look and see if people are complaining about any issues.

I live in a new build home and love it, we visited multiple developments before deciding which home we would purchase and the research worked out for us. I hope its the same for you and you find your happy home 🏡

hi, I bought a new build (first person in it!) in May 2023.

I was told by our estate agent, or perhaps the guy that did photos of our house? anyway, that they will have a pot of money for each house, so ASK about incentives - I got them to pay half of our stamp duty (not applicable if you are a first time buyer I think?), to turf the back garden, to put down flooring throughout (they gave me a few options to chose from), to put a proper shower in the family bathroom (and a screen). Other people on the estate got security lights, or a door through to garage from house etc.

Depending on what stage the development is at, the house may already have a kitchen and bathroom installed, if it doesn't ask if they will put one in (see above re incentives). Def get flooring done before you move in if at all possible. you can get access to measure up for curtains/blinds.

SNAG CAREFULLY. they should do a snagging visit after you've moved in - report EVERYTHING. they will sort it. You can still report any issues for a while after you've moved in as well.

I really like it - it's very energy efficient, and the estate itself is nice.

If you like the house, location etc, then I can see no reason not too, assuming developer is OK. Ask all of the questions. I found it pretty straightforward and the sales person was lovely, and looked after us when we were moving and gave us alot of help and support.

The most important things is are are the roads going to be adopted by the council, or is there a management company getting ready to rip buyers off. The chances of getting an upgraded kitchen, unless it's a really small development is minimal, but if you commit early enough you should be able to choose the cupboard doors, worktop and tiles, likewise the colour of paint used.

I wouldn't buy off plan.

If I was building I would try to sell all the houses that had undesirable features off plan first. Sewage central for example.

Off plan stuff because it has already been sold might not have as much effort put into it on finishing.

I actually want to see the house and look at the build quality.

This is the most important question. Avoid any development advertised as "freehold" but actually has a management fee attached for estate maintenance.

Thank you for a well thought out post that isn’t don’t buy! Will read properly and digest tonight.

Thank you!

Great advice, thank you. DH is a tradesman so family with snagging!

They are mainly selling before they are built unfortunately, so this would probably be the only option. Or left with the plots others don’t really want.

Tons of info here:

https://hoa.org.uk/advice/guides-for-homeowners/i-am-buying/top-tips-for-buying-a-new-build-home/

Also from that site about estate management fees:

https://hoa.org.uk/advice/guides-for-homeowners/for-owners/problems-new-build-estate-management-fees/

As you’re a first time buyer I would recommend having an overlap between getting the keys to your new build and giving up your current home (if possible). This will mean that you can sort out things like flooring and carpeting yourself rather than relying on the builders where you may have less choice of what’s available, and will usually be cheaper. Obviously if they agree to include flooring as an incentive this doesn’t apply!

Also with turf - it may be worth waiting until you’ve moved in and worked out how you will want to use the garden. Then you’re not paying to turf bits that you might want to dig up later. This may depend on the time of year you’re moving in and if you’ve got kids - if you want a garden that’s ready to use immediately then get the builders to do it (hopefully as an incentive).

One thing that has caught some people out is curtain rails, blinds etc as these won’t be in place so you will have to get those sorted. And no mirrors on the walls of the bathrooms.

I almost bought a new build last year but pulled out. The builders recommended a solicitor, who was dealing with the sales on that estate. I looked into this and found that it’s usual as new builds have specific searches etc. The first thing that put me off was the pressure they put me under to complete within 28 days. The second thing was that everything was done online.

Anyway, as a heads up, have a look at the affordable housing properties on the estate. Some affordable housing is being purchased for council houses.

New houses generally don’t have good storage, if any. If you want to use attic space you will have to pay for the area to be floored and fit to take the weight. Normally they are flimsy looking areas, and not solid . Look out for chips to shower trays, baths and tiles and poor finishing off. Integrated appliances are more expensive to fix or replace.

I wouldn’t expect mirrors to be provided anyway!

It’s just one of the things that are often just there so easy to overlook when you’re thinking about what’s needed to fit out a house.

We bought a new build as a retirement property from a different large building firm. Our requirements were three beds, an en suite to master bedroom, a kitchen diner and a downstairs toilet. Plus a smaller garden and being able to heat it more cheaply. We researched the house plans and the position of the house on the estate. The upgraded extras like tiles, carpets, extra plugs, lights and things like outside taps added to the cost of course, but with all that extra money we could not have bought a similar older house or added an en suite or downstairs loo. So we were very happy with what we paid as we got everything we wanted. It’s much cheaper to heat and we love it! Do not be put off. Make sure you know what’s included and be aware that they will hurry you to exchange contracts and complete. Ours paid for our estate agents fees which was a bonus, although we sold in a few weeks at the end of covid.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cwy8x3xe058o

Lots of good points but also some not so.

Yes to having a snagging survey done but beware the videos widely available as they are often a collection of horrors, as with anything you rarely hear of the good ones. If you believe them, every NB is shoddy and about to fall down but on our SN, the best they could come up with was paint defects (which were going to be dealt with before we moved in anyway).

Buying off-plan gave us ample opportunity (a year in fact) to form a relationship with the site manger (possibly the most important person you will have contact with) who gave us repeated visits to look around our house as it was being constructed (and see the methods & materials utilised). Also, my OH photographed every room before any plastering took place so we have a pictorial record of where every pipe, cable & beam is located. Soooo useful 👍
Afterwards, for the next 2yrs they were a single point of contact to liaise with any snagging (reported via the portal but the site manager was the person on the ground), plus they did extras like delivering additional topsoil, decorative stone chips, additional paving, taking away rubbish, bulk waste, chasing trades etc.

The options list for our house was massive but with so much choice, it was great while being slightly overwhelming.
All of the extras/upgrades we paid for (£25k) plus the "incentives" (weirdly, added AFTER we had reserved!) made the house ready to move straight into missing just blinds/curtains and toilet roll holders (all of which were well in hand)!
To be fair, even without any extras the houses were practically ready to go and at the absolute worst, required just some white goods, carpets & curtains.

Thank you, we can definitely afford a bit of an overlap, which gives us time to sort properly before moving in.

My DS used to work with a landscape gardener so unless we can get it as part of the deal I think we would get him to sort the garden once in. Kids are teens so no immediate need for garden use.

Really good point re curtains and blinds, one I hadn’t thought of (I’m sure I would have along the way). Mentioned it to DH, and he said well yes obviously 😂

How do the extras work? Assume you need cash for those? We are borrowing 90% (5% deposit and 5% contribution)

I bought a new build and agree with many of the pointers provided by other NB owners.

i would emphasise the importance of estate layout and landscaping. The streets in our estate with a higher percentage of affordable homes have no landscaping - they are all brick walls and parked cars. The rest have lovely a green outlook from the front.

Try to track the sun’s path in relation to your plot, are they building anything close by that will steal your afternoon sun? Three-storey homes or small blocks of flats can do this and it’s trickier to spot when buying off-plan.

If it is a mixed use development, look into the plans and permissions very carefully and consider whether you’d still want to live there if those plans changed. In this scenario developers sell land to the highest bidder with the deal being subject to pp and the buyer pushes their plans through permitting. It won’t necessarily be the same use as per the original planning permission.

The experience of storage will vary widely, but I have more than enough in my home. Developers will warn against boarding lofts, but a few have done it on our estate without issue. Check the restrictive covenants on the estate, some have things like garages can’t be used as living space, and any alterations to the exterior of the property require permission.

otherwise, I love my NB home. It’s been so easy to settle, the house is warm and a good layout so everything fits. I’ve had no major issues (or costs) in 5 years. The unexpected benefit was the sense of community that emerged as everyone moved in!

Definitely find out what you get as standard and what you’ll have to pay extra for. My friends new build came without turf etc. so a reasonable priced house suddenly became much more expensive.
My new build came with all floor coverings, fully tiled bathrooms, underfloor heating, intruder alarm, turfed garden as standard. We paid a premium for this though.