buying a show house

peterusa

We are consideing buying a showhouse.All the views pros and cons are welcome

googler

Pros

You can inspect all the fittings, fixtures, floorcoverings etc and verify that they've been well fitted

You may get a good deal on furnishings, if they appeal to you

Cons

You'll be (almost) the last to move in, since the builder will want to use the showhome up to the very last minute.

namecheck

googler wrote: »

Cons

You'll be (almost) the last to move in, since the builder will want to use the showhome up to the very last minute.

Possibly not - developers often change the show house as and when, particularly if things are a bit slow. Then they can advertise something like "New show house open".

girl_withno_name

Aren't the show homes usually amongst the biggest of the bunch?

chris_m

googler wrote: »

Pros

You can inspect all the fittings, fixtures, floorcoverings etc and verify that they've been well fitted

You also get to see exactly what the rooms are like - the opposite of few posts I've seen recently where the room layout was subtly (or not so subtly) changed between the client signing contracts and the place actually being built.

grannybroon

Show homes are usually finished to a high standard with a good deal to buy the carpets etc. Also quite often the garden has been landscaped.

inmypocketnottheirs

You will be paying a hearty developers premium so expect to sit tight for a few years.

BobQ

You will not have to compile a snag list the day you move in and negotiate over its reolution.

Any minor imperfections will have been noted by salesmen showing many more people around than you and so fixed beforehand.

The fixtures and fittings will be in place and you do not have to bother. Also they and the colour scheme have been chosen by experts ...even if you do not like it

Contessa

Last week I had another look around show houses on two developments. One would be the very last house to be sold (worth trying an offer I was told). The other was one of the very first to be sold, at an undisclosed price. I said the buyer must have been really keen to buy and be prepared to wait for a long time before moving in. Apparently he leases it back to the developers. My guess is it's someone who expects to make a profit from selling it on, rather than living in it.

clairejohnno

I bought a showhome 9 years ago. We seriously only had to bring our suitcases, however, pros: fabulous fixtures and very good quality, we still use nearly everything! Cons: we had to replace almost every floor covering as white carpet in a lounge totally impractical, ( you get the idea), plus the couches and beds were smaller size than normal! We felt we got a good deal overall, we have moved twice and still have all the light fittings, bedroom furniture andpictures etc:)

namecheck

grannybroon wrote: »

Show homes are usually finished to a high standard with a good deal to buy the carpets etc. Also quite often the garden has been landscaped.

Sometimes they are. Though with most developers' haste to get things done quickly this is not necessarily the case. So the quality can vary, although it may APPEAR to be good (this can apply to the garden too).