Barrett Homes and buying a house for the first time

tzzt123

Hi All,

How's everybody? Any advice would be welcome:

We're looking to buy a house in the first time. Very exciting. Maybe it's me not being a local - I'm from the US, but it's like the agents don't want to make things easy and informative.

Not sure whether this is just like what it is here or warning signs:

We're looking at a house offered by Barratt for a pretty expensive price for what's offered: a small 3 bedroom house. We already got a mortgage promise from the bank before starting any process.

Initially when I called, I asked whether Barratt would be able to remove a wall between the kitchen and the living room, for example.

Everything is so small and I was going to open up the space. I was told it would be possible and booked an appointment to see the show house.

When we arrived, not only we found out there was no house to show, the salesperson bluntly told us Barratt would not make any changes to the walls. This was probably not a good start and I feel mislead just for the sake of getting me through the door. They were also very vague about any questions we asked, like the sizes of the house, the drawings (I asked if the size of the bed in the images we were shown - I've been told before that sometime the beds are custom made to make them look like they fit well). They couldn't even tell us what the price was, and eventually admitted that they only decide how much to charge when they decide what's the maximum they can get.

The funny thing is that throughout the conversation, the salesperson mentioned that they were very popular and that everybody wants to see and buy the houses, countless times.

They then insisted that we go through their financial advisor to get qualified, even though I had a letter from the bank, stating that Barratt would like to make sure everything is genuine and it's a standard thing.

I wasn't very happy but my partner is keen on looking into it further. She spoke to them again and I know that they put pressure on her to progress stating again that there is a long waiting list and everybody wants to buy these houses, even to the point someone suggested that people buy these houses without seeing them just based on the plans.

I then called back asking for the financial advisor. I thought it wouldn't hurt to see the house. I ended up leaving a few messages and nobody would call back. Eventually I called customer service and spoke to a lady refused to help, asking me to call back the number at the development site and leave more message.

My attitude to this was that I was about to spend 400k on a house, and having no desire to even help me get through to a salesperson isn't a good sign at all.

We spoke to a saleslady today who again mentioned how popular they are 5 times during the conversation. I then spoke to the financial advisor, who qualified us without checking anything serious - she asked - on the phone, for names, pay, and job titles. No papers needed.

To me, it kinda sounds like Donald Trump. A lot of talk about how wonderful they are and how everybody wants to buy a house. In reality, even if they did, there are people who won't qualify, people who won't wait until houses are ready, and people who won't have the patience for bad customer service.

They presented the qualifying process as very important, but they financial advisor I spoke to did not check for anything. She qualified me based on what I said, only. Again, lots of show, in reality not a lot.

Answers are vague - I can't actually see the house and had to battle my way to convince someone to help me find at list a similar house in another town to view - they seem to haven't thought about it.

Sizes etc, all pretty vague, and I am asking myself why.

Customer service is horrendous - is that something I am going to have to experience after buying the house as well, let's say if there is a problem? House isn't something I would be able to just return.

It sounds like they're expecting me to buy the house based on description, whereas to me it seems crazy to buy a house without being able to walk inside it. At least a show house.

Maybe this is all because I am a first time buyer. It feels like these are warning signs and buying a 400k house (or anything) when there are warning signs does not sound like a good idea.

Can anyone share the experience ? Or thoughts.

ViolaLass

Do you have to buy new? Go and look at houses that are already up.

tzzt123

I don't have to buy anything, but it's always good to make an informative decision, whether it's a yes or a no

stardust09

I think your instinct is right and there are lots of alarm bells ringing there. Yes, people might be desperate enough to buy before even seeing the plans but there is a good English saying, "Act in haste, repent at leisure". I think a lot of people who rush into buying new builds because of sales pressure and believing that there's so much demand that they have to commit before having all the knowledge, feel that way.

Read the new build threads on this forum (I expect you have already) and that'll give you a good overview of how many developers work. Insisting you use their own financial advisor, for a start! Not good...

And you definitely don't want to overpay for a property, especially when it's that pricey. Stand firm!

Cakeguts

The UK government wants more housing. The UK isn't making any more land. Housing densities have increased and that means smaller houses. The builders are out to get as much profit as they can. The sales people want a job that fits round child care possibilities or just a job. The builders want to pay the sales team as little as possible. Land in the UK is expensive we aren't making any more of it. End result is very small very expensive houses being sold by people who are paid very little.

If you go back to the 60s or 50s you will find bigger houses because there was less pressure on land. In the 60s open plan was quite fashionable.

You are unlikely to be able to remove a wall in a modern house without the house falling down.

jimbog

If you do intend to buy a new house check to see if it is leasehold or freehold. If it is the former read this:
https://www.theguardian.com/money/2016/oct/29/new-builds-house-buyers-leasehold-property-trap

tzzt123

@Cakeguts: True - but that's relatively a minor thing in comparison to other other doubts I have. It feels like shady sales methods are the new normal. It feels like (and I am not saying it is) it is all about making the highest profit. Not being proud about maybe building the best quality, functionalty, design, delightfulnes, or even an informative, healthy, buying process.

SuzieSue

Welcome to new house selling in the UK. I bought from Barratts around 20 years ago and they were almost as bad then. I was able to chose the style of house but they wouldn't let us choose the plot - we had to take the next one available. But, we wanted the house and so we had to do what they said. I have lived here happily since then so it was the right thing to do. They are bullies who only care about profit.

Unfortunately, there are too many people who want to buy new houses and not enough new houses to go round. They know that they will be able to sell the houses so they do not care about customer service.

You also need to beware about the quality of new builds. Do a search on this forum and you will see what can go wrong.

Vampgirl

Sounds pretty normal for buying a new build house I'm afraid. Developers normally only build a few show houses - they're only there to give you an idea of finishes (and to sell you upgrades) really. When buying from the larg builders (such as Barratt) the majority of people will buy "off plan" without ever having seen an example of their house. The developer should be able to give you a plan of the house you're considering (with measurements and details of the plot) - use this to work out whether the room sizes are big enough for you. If you find it difficult to visualise measurements then compare them to the rooms in the place where you live right now.

If you only want to buy a house you have physically seen before then you need to buy secondhand or find one of the few builders who don't sell off plan (the downside to this can be that you get less choice of options). If you want a new build but want to be able to significantly customise the design/finish then you'll need to avoid the mass-volume builders (Barratt, Taylor Wimpey, etc.) who will only build to their plans and specifications. They will have a list of pre-defined upgrades/options you can choose from, but they will not normally customise anything else. This is their business model to maximise profit. You would need to look for a much smaller volume builder who would be more willing/able to cater to your requests - but the price is of course likely to be higher.

MyOnlyPost

When I bought off Barrat 15 years ago I was able to pick my plot from the next phase they were building. They hadn't even started groundworks for it and yet all the internals had been decided and I couldn't choose my own kitchen or bathroom suite. This has been standard practice for new builds in the UK for many years.

I am not aware of any major homebuilder who will alter the internal walls of a property for you. You have to remember that the plans have been submitted to building regs for approval and changing them would cause delays and extra costs for the builder as they would have to be resubmitted.

That said a good salesperson should be able to take you to a different site and show you the same style of home that you are looking to purchase

Lord_Baltimore

Welcome to the UK and welcome to buying (and selling houses). This is a learning experience for you that will stand you in good stead for the future. Everyone has hassle with reps, agents, solicitors, banks but it's nice when your plans come together and they will with a bit of determination. Some reps and agents can be amateur which can lead you to feel they are being shady when in fact they are just unskilled and incompetent.

You're going to have a nice home for a first time buyer. Stay focussed on the outcome; the bit before it is just part of life's rich tapestry of frustration and irritation .