Your Views on buying a new build???

TopKat*1 · 3 March 2009 at 8:51PM

After a couple of declined offers and then being messed about with a repo, i am exploring all options available to me. Me and OH have saved a deposit and really need to buy somewhere in the next few months, we are limited to certain areas due to us disagreeing but the areas that we are looking there isnt much around. But I do know one of the charles church estates are still building (they are very nice homes come with all the mod cons) Doubt they have sold much in the last 12 month. But what is the situation on buying new builds....can you haggle??? Can you still get a mortgage when you buy one?? We have a mortgage arranged with the Yorkshire??

Any help be appreciated

moo842 · 3 March 2009 at 9:01PM

I purchased a Barratt new build last year, before the credit crunch hit house prices, and we haggled with no problems at all. I think the house is great, it's certainly not small rooms and cardboard walls, which i think many peoplw beleive they are

TopKat*1 · 3 March 2009 at 9:12PM

so how much did u manage to get off the original price moo842

the ones i have looked at are 169k they were 189k last year so have been reduced but very slowly

moo842 · 3 March 2009 at 9:43PM

We part exchanged, and got over £22,500 off an asking price of £212,500. plus they gave us an extra £7000 on our property

Feline_friendly · 3 March 2009 at 10:22PM

We have just part exed our home..offer excepted last week....the houses were recently reduced by £30K plus we got them to knock off another £5K and give us more for our house. We have got a mortgage no problem too.

SolicitorMidlands · 3 March 2009 at 10:27PM

We are in the process of buying one. It's a lovely home. Massive too!

elspeth240 · 3 March 2009 at 11:18PM

If you're going to buy a new build, make sure you offer really low to start with as they are desperate to sell. I personally wouldn't buy a Charles Church home though, I have and know of others who have had nightmare situations with them so I would recommend you avoid at all costs,
see their owners forum for more views;
http://www.charles-church.org.uk/
http://charles-church.org.uk/New_homes_from_hell-charles_church.wmv

spendapennyortwo · 25 January 2011 at 4:29PM

I wouldn't touch a newbuild with a bargepole, sorry.

I think they are tiny inside in comparison to an ex council house!!

JuniorSherlock · 25 January 2011 at 4:50PM

As far as I know, new builds are subject to all sorts of restrictive covenants placed there by the builders. These range from not being able to park a caravan on your drive to restrictions on your windows and doors, so that is the first thing I would get checked out.

Some new builds are well built and spacious, but I have to admit that the ones we have looked at are tiny. They have no dining rooms and no storage.

But you take the good with the bad I guess. Older properties have issues with damp, draughts, rendering issues on the brickwork, poor insulation etc, whereas at least with a new build you know that the wiring is going to be ok, the boiler will be new, insulation shouldn't be an issue, everything double glazed etc. Like all properties, it very much depends on the house. I would never rule out new builds because there are some good ones out there, you may just have to look a little harder!

SuzieSue · 25 January 2011 at 5:40PM

You also need to ensure that the builder isn't going to sell the rest of the houses to a Housing Association if that would bother you (see the recent thread "New House Misery").