Are people tending to buy new builds over old?

Waterlily24

We've only had one new build in 6 moves, never again. The reason we went for the new build was that my son was only 3 and we wanted somewhere where there might be children (there were luckily) but there were only 20 houses on the estate so not too big. Every other house we've had have been do-er uppers which we prefer.

exiled_red

I currently live in a flat which was originally a new build that I rented, but I bought off the landlord a few years back, so I am the second owner but the only person to have lived in it.

Obviously the situation with flats is slightly different to houses as regards general areas and service charges etc. and personally I would prefer to living a house, but houses are so much more expensive where I live and it's just something that I couldn't afford now. Anyway based on my experiences with the current 'new build' I wouldn't go down that route when I move from here, while everything is new and looks nice initially you realise after a while that everything was done on the cheap and as many corners as possible where cut to keep costs down and maximise profits, this seems to be a common theme with friends who also have new build houses/flats. Also having looked at a few new build properties they tend to make the rooms as small as possible so that what would be a decent sized 2 bedroom space can be stretched into 3 bedrooms or similar.

Sure it's nice to have a waranty but that really only covers the builders putting right something that they messed up in the first place.

phoebe1989seb

We're on our seventh property and have never so much as considered viewing a new build. Our first flat (we were early twenties) was in a Victorian mansion block with the amazing period features we love - eg, a 30'+ living room with high corniced ceilings and marble fireplace - and that gave us a taste of restoring old property, so from there we moved on to tackle older, larger and more interesting houses. They are - usually - more solidly built and the satisfaction and sense of achievement you get from the restoration (DIY in our case) is immense!

DS - now 26 and soon to buy his third home - embarked on his own property journey at 21 and he wouldn't even look at a new build......chip off the old block, I guess :D

Jon_B_2

There is a lot of misconception about new builds and dare I say it, snobbery from people who dismiss new builds. Much like this thread, I read the comments and wonder if they actually have any real world experience of a new build as I have lived in three different new builds and have never know many of the problems that have been presented.

AFF8879

I initially started looking at new builds too, but gave up when I found out the deposit required was too high. The flat I eventually bought is much bigger than most new builds, big storage cupboards and separate kitchen etc, plus has lovely communal gardens and allocated parking - something majority of London flats don't seem to have these days!!

Given the price booms it's not economical for developers to build them as big as they used to, I don't think it's down to developer greed.

Polaris49

I chose a new build for the pure fact i cannot afford the time or money to do up a house, with my budget i got a much better house for my money (south east) and i moved straight in withoit it being a building site for months. But had i had the time and money for a renovation this would have been my preferred option.

But i didnt even look at new builds to start with, the only reason i chose this site was because it was so lovely and all the houses are nicely spaced apart.

I looked at a much larger development and it was hidious!

But i have a lovely house and am very glad i chose a new build

rusty_f

I am personally very happy with our new build. We bought a freehold 4 bedroom detached house in a very small development of 18 houses.

We have had a few teething issues but they have all been sorted fairly promptly by the developer. Some of the restrictive covenants were a bit odd but not something that really affected us negatively. We refused to pay for any turf or extras and ended up doing the majority of the extra work ourselves - we found it very satisfying and saved thousands.

We used the Help to Buy Equity Loan scheme - it brought the house within reach for us and we have a plan in place to pay off the 20% in 5 years (we're not expecting the prices in our area to rocket).

It does all depend what you are after - if you are buying a house that you want to sell in a few years and hopefully make a profit, the 'premium' is something you should consider. If, however, you are buying a home to live in for the long term, like we have, then I don't think it is as much of an issue.

Davesnave

Jon_B wrote: »

There is a lot of misconception about new builds and dare I say it, snobbery from people who dismiss new builds. Much like this thread, I read the comments and wonder if they actually have any real world experience of a new build as I have lived in three different new builds and have never know many of the problems that have been presented.

The thread looks pretty well-balanced to me.

Missus_Hyde

“
There is a lot of misconception about new builds and dare I say it, snobbery from people who dismiss new builds. Much like this thread, I read the comments and wonder if they actually have any real world experience of a new build as I have lived in three different new builds and have never know many of the problems that have been presented.
Originally posted by Jon B

Davesnave wrote: »

The thread looks pretty well-balanced to me.

Me, too.
I dare say many people might prefer new builds, but they certainly don't appeal to me in the least, even supposing I could afford one, which I can't!:p

GwylimT

Jon_B wrote: »

There is a lot of misconception about new builds and dare I say it, snobbery from people who dismiss new builds. Much like this thread, I read the comments and wonder if they actually have any real world experience of a new build as I have lived in three different new builds and have never know many of the problems that have been presented.

It is a huge mixed bag though, one of my brothers has a barratt home, the external doors are smaller than the opening by such an extent you can see day light all around and you get cold air coming through.

The sewerage is poor, so toilets are regularly out of action.

Mainly stud walls internally.

Sound proofing isn't great, if you sneeze in the living room you can hear the neighbour say "bless you".

No sealant around the shower trays, the tiny splash back about six inches tall wasn't attached to the work surface, but floating above it, so if you weren't careful things could roll off and get stuck down the back of the cupboards.

His parking space is funny, its between two houses and isn't bit enough to fit his car, nevermind open the doors!

We've had a few new builds, we're in one now, its a 4 bed ground floor flat with a big private garden, private driveway and a parking space in the main covered car park. All of our internal walls are brick, the rooms are very big, this is the biggest home we have owned by quite a long way. We have had zero teething problems, which suprised us to be honest.

No noise from the flats above or beside us, its the quietest home we've had!

We also have large communal gardens, on site gym, 24hr staff, brick BBQs. The solar panels on the roof mean we don't pay a service charge, a fund is given each year to organise a party, big BBQ etc.