Can new homes be overpriced?

whambamboo

Jay1b wrote:

That house is absolutely tiny! I live in Sittingbourne (30 mins away), and i just brought a house for £130K with a total area of 22'x16' (352 sq) for lounge/kitchen/diner, compared to your 15'x13' (195 sq).

Also please look into the size of your garage, judging by the picture i doubt you could fit a car in there and open the door. Well unless you weigh about 8 stone.

you got the wrogn house. OP is buying the one on the right, with separate kitchen and living room. Similar size to yours (slightly smaller I think). House is still only about 600 square feet max though.
£1450/mth mortgage at 6%

but yeah, he'll have problems reselling at that price - it won't be new, and there are *lots* of 3-bed detacheds available for the same money in that town. People buy on bedrooms, and won't want to pay £230k for a 2-bed when you can get 3-bed (or even 4) with a conservatory for the money.

RHemmings

Sapphire wrote:

In addition, they are aesthetically revolting (at least to my eyes). . .

The ones I really dislike are the massive great big 5 bedroom detached houses with tiny postage-stamp gardens front and rear. Though I think planning regulations have something to do with this.

real1314

3 toilets in a 2 bed house??

Are there a lot of dodgy take-aways near by? or does the builder have a brother who's a plumber?

I know people like having an en-suite, but how do builders think people managed with 1 bathroom in a 3 bed semi?
Anything less than 4 beds (maybe 3 if they're all big) shouldn't really need an en-suite, and to have a downstairs loo as well in a 2 bed house is a poor use of the space available imho.
Ditch the downstairs loo, then you could easily have the kitchen as a kitchen/diner and this would leave space for the living room to include a work/study area.

As for the Maple design, why have an 18' x 9' bedroom when the whole living/dining/kitchen is so small, similarly, with such a small living area the 2nd bedroom is oversized.

I'd move the bathroom to the top end of bed 1 and pinch a bit of bed 2 for wardrobe space for bed 1.
The use the planned bathroom area for the kitchen, use the living area as dining and use the planned kitchen as living.

much better balance I think.

RHemmings

real1314 wrote:

3 toilets in a 2 bed house??

Are there a lot of dodgy take-aways near by? or does the builder have a brother who's a plumber?

Three toilets in a 2 bed house is extreme. But a lot of the "town houses" I see have too many bathrooms, sometimes one per floor plus an ensuite or two. As far as I can see the reasoning is that they are being built for investors, and to be let out has HMOs. Hence even accounting for the laws on HMOs, the large number of bathrooms is probably due to the plus of tenants having their "own" bathroom. Still doesn't explain more toilets than bedrooms. Perhaps it's sort of like making an offer of £135,250. The "250" is to beat any other bids at £135,000. Perhaps the extra toilent is just to go one up on other developments.

gingerdad

_s79 wrote:

I think it looks good.

I myself will most likely go for a new build. Remember, the appeal is that everything is brand new and should be finished to a decent standard and as there is no mess to clear or chain, its easier to move in.

I am looking at prebuild to get a better deal

Just wonder which new build houses are finished to a decent standard, as most near us are crap and the snagging goes on and on.

and you wouldn't get a 4 bed in this part of the north for 230K

Personally i'd avoid a new build like the plague

mystic_trev

Is the Pope a Catholic ?

seraphina

Bascially I would echo what the general consensus is - although it might be new and shiny, it's overpriced. I'd also chat to people who have bought houses from these developers - I don't know anyone who moved into a new build who didn't have a list of problems the length of their arm.

We have a king sized bed and after we put it in one of the bedrooms, there wouldn't be room for much else if my measurements are correct! It would be a 6ft bed, allow 2ft for the wardrobes they have shown and then the room is only 11ft3 wide. I also think that the ensuite is exessive in a two bed house. People say that it's for the by to let market so you can have two unrelated people in the same house, but generally the second bedroom is so small you'd be hard pushed to find anyone who would want to have it. Athough the garage is nice, in a two bed house I think I'd rather have extra downstairs space.

I do like how the house looks from the outside though.

alibongo42

I was told this year when I bought a newbuild of my own, that it is now a legal requirement to have a toilet on the ground floor of any house. Apparently even a one-bedroom house would require one. Something to do with disability regulations I think.

Julieboo

I bought a 2 bed townhouse a few months back, was on for £185'995 in North-really good links to motorway, shops, schools etc but in a residential area thats also eco friendly designed. Has own gated gardens with seating, play areas and statues/lighting etc-lovely and don't regret it at all.
Ask the builder though for a discount (there is always a margin) I negotiated 15% off asking price so paid approx £156'000. It is 2 bed (but I saw its potential) townhouse apartment (looks like a house but main living area is on level 2 & 3) built on three floors with own front door. Downstairs it has a really useful storeroom that could be used as an office. Level 2 has a huge open plan living/dining and kitchen and separate WC, has huge galleried landings too with good views which I have chairs in so can use as another area to get away to. On top floor has 2 good sized bedrooms, large bathroom and ensuite and again a large landing which I have furniture to maximise storage.
But the plus is it has its own loft space which is huge (2 bed worth) so I'm going to board and create into usable space.
There has been snagging issues, scratched glass, a bathroom leak but minimal. New houses can be good if you make sure you get them at the right price, but I would say if you are looking at 2 beds make sure they have made best use of space and look at ways of maximising this.
Good luck with what you decide.

grade15

I guess your going ahead with this purchase, there is nothing wrong..for 2 ppl..
its a bit on the expensive side..even with overpricing..added to it..
I would haggle to the bone for discount..about over 10k..and added "free stuff"..like stamp duty, legal fees, carpets..

with house prices going up stupidly..i think a few more years..to go..
more ppl in britain now.. :dance: