Thinking of buying a new build - any advice?

Strapped

Any advice? Don't. L:et someone else take the financial hit the minute they step over the threshold. And get all the little (and not so little) "snags" fixed.

advice_please_2

Having seen new builds find out the extent of future housings, roads, parking etc.

You'll be amazed how much more goes up and if it's a big build it becomes a maze and cramped with the ones I've seen

ceh209

Ask about service charges for the estate!

I've been to look at some new build sites recently (initial enquiries), and only 1 out of 4 mentioned there was a service charge. Turns out all of them have one, and they vary quite a bit.

LogisticsGuy

I'd second the comment regarding snagging. I'm just about to move out of a new-build (or it was when I bought it!) due to work, into a 'pre-loved' home.

The builder gave me a 2-year guarantee where they'd, essentially, attend to any problem I had - this was a diverse from a light-switch malfunctioning to replacing a seal on one of the toilets. As you can imagine, once the 2 years was coming to an end, I made sure absolutely everything/anything that I thought was a problem I tried to get them to resolve. This was in addition to the standard NHBC.

Haggle for extras like kitchen upgrades etc.

I've seen many new build houses now not having a fully integrated shower / sufficient tiling, so that's always worth keeping an eye out for if you prefer a shower to a bath!

MrsAtobe

We've decided to use a professional snagging surveyor, having read some horror stories. One in particular, about a boy who was killed when a fireplace fell on him some years after the family moved in made our minds up.

I wouldn't spot that a fireplace wasn't properly fixed to the wall. The OH trained as an electrician, so he'd probably be able to spot dodgy wiring, but it's all the other things, isn't it?

Mickygg

jamesml wrote: »

Any particular reason why it was the worst decision ever? A little detail (anything!) would go a long way.

Yes of course. I bought new build off plan whilst I walked round the site with plans and sales person telling me what would go where etc. Main problems were what I ended up with....


Driveway too narrow for car.
Estate a concrete and brick jungle, far worse than I visualised.
From my bedroom window I have a view of.... A neighbours brick wall.
Kitchen against health and safety, had a long battle and 2 years later had it replaced.
Snagging was just awful, truly awful. Well over 200 points, my neighboour had over 300! They were all eventually fixed but the stress was something I never want to repeat as it was a factor in my ex departing for good.


On the plus side the energy efficiency is very good, especially with gas bills. Also location is perfect.

advice_please_2

That's a good point about drive way
There are new builds near us where I take the little one for a walk and some are so tight inbetween houses you can't open doors!

fleurette1

i would never touch a new build again, as what they say you are going to get on paper is usually not what you get. at least if you buy a house that exists, you can see it, the location, the actual amenity, and you have assurance of what it is.

they can substitute inferior fittings and fixtures, you can be living on a building site for years if they don't sell the development

avoid very small developers as they have no reputation to worry about

sandsni

Find out about council bin collections and maintenance of street-lighting, footpaths etc.. I know someone who bought a new build, but the development was never completed and so the council wouldn't "adopt" (or whatever the term is) the estate. She still has to trek her wheelie bin about half a mile to the end of the estate for collection. It sounds like a small issue in the bigger scheme of things, but it can become a real bugbear! Also some major problems with vandalism around unsold and unfinished houses, but the developer won't do anything about it.

glos1983

My advise would be not to buy new build. I have just sold our first house (a new build) and would not touch them again. They are massively overpriced - it took us a year to sell and we lost £15k on a £137k property in six years.

The build quality on all new builds I have seen are terrible. We found even having George Wimpy on site for the first year was little help, they were very slow in fixing problems.

There is very little space and no parking (cause of much friction between neighbours), the estate has become very run down despite being in a relatively nice area, and this seems to be a common theme with many new build estates.

I have put my massive financial loss down to experience and am really looking forward to moving into an older and much nicer property soon. I would strongly advise anyone against making the same mistake I did six years ago.