New build - would you?

Mazzawa

Eek! Now im regretting looking at the glossy leaflets... Big pretty houses with ok gardens etc but if there is going to be leaks etc I am not interested! I know about the paper walls but nice chunky houses are really expensive up here

chambta

IHateDida wrote: »

Err....it came with a new boiler and we haven't had any problems with that....yet!

I could add to the problems though.....matchbox garden, no storage (apart from garage), cardboard walls/doors, leaky pipes as not fitted correctly, shoddy building work...etc etc...!:rotfl:

It crossed my mind to consider a part-ex with a new build (my interest expending to having a snoop round the show home in a similar development and researching online).

But then I realised that if it wasn't for the convenience aspect I wouldn't be even considering it. Wrong part of town, tiny third bedroom etc etc.

Mazzawa

Anyone else have any experiences they can share, good or bad? Or even good companies to look out for (not sure who are the good guys or who are the cons...)

Barneysmom

I was completely against new builds after a friend bought one about 5 years ago and it was not a very good build.
But seeint the one my daughter bought last summer, it's a hundred times better.
It's got loads of eco things, solar panels for the hot water, and undergound rain harvesting tank for flushing the loo, the back walls are about a foot thick (the windows sill are lovely and deep).
It's a smaller house but is ideal for the 2 of them, and it's so lovely and warm, much easier and cheaper to heat than my 104 year-old semi.
And the walls and ceilings are lovely and flat, not like my old things. The ceilings are pretty high in my house which means it costs more in gas to heat it.
I wouldn't want their garden though, it's too small for me.

kford224

Mazzawa wrote: »

Eek! Now im regretting looking at the glossy leaflets... Big pretty houses with ok gardens etc but if there is going to be leaks etc I am not interested! I know about the paper walls but nice chunky houses are really expensive up here

I think another thing worth considering is what it is going to be like in a few years time....My old housemate bought a new build in a lovely new estate and was one of the first people to move in. The first few months were fine, but once the other properties started filling up you couldn't move for double-parked cars, even with off road parking and garages. He is now trying to move.

I would try and imagine what the area will be like when it is busy with people, not just the house.

We looked at new builds and older houses. Originally we were set on a new build because everything was done - no decorating to work to do as such, but they are very pricey and there is very little you can do to add value. They are also on much, much smaller plots than good ol' fashioned houses. We are now in the process of buying an older house that needs a lot of work - the complete opposite! It has a lot of potential though and we are looking to stay there 10-15yrs minimum because it has the space and everything we need, for a lot less (around £20k)

hcb42

I wouldn't touch it either, for the fact of shared equity or whatever they are calling it, and the fact it is a new build, the latter fills me with horror living on estate like that!

if you need a leg up of 25% to get a 5 bedroom house, then I would get a smaller house and not have that 25% thing hanging around your neck for years on end. Plenty of threads here about when that has gone awry.

Mazzawa

That's great, thank you. Yes I have never fancied living on a new build estate, but the thought of being able to get a new detached house in budget as opposed to a 2 bed semi is very tempting. Up here in the central belt of scotland, older style properties are incredibly popular and hence come at a premium, a premium that is about 50k over our budget, and we need to sell up and move before we go mad living here! Wish someone would just be able to tell us exactly what to do!

hcb42

what area are you in? I used to live in Scotland.

Hard to say what to do, i can see why you are attracted to one of these newbuilds with that size, but I would avoid that 25% noose at all costs.

Mazzawa

East of scotland, lothians. Do you think a new build contractor would drop the price by 25%? I know it is possibly a case of just haggling but if we could get that 25% off then we could buy outright with no noose as you say. The company were in the scotsman last week saying how tough it is to sell and how people keep pulling out as they cannot sell their own properties.

kford224

Mazzawa wrote: »

East of scotland, lothians. Do you think a new build contractor would drop the price by 25%? I know it is possibly a case of just haggling but if we could get that 25% off then we could buy outright with no noose as you say. The company were in the scotsman last week saying how tough it is to sell and how people keep pulling out as they cannot sell their own properties.

Worth a try - new builds are often massively inflated so the developers can be seen to offer 'good deals'