New Builds Vs Old Builds

ComicGeek

bery_451 said:

Okay I am getting a sense from the replies posted in this thread is buying a new build can be a gamble because there's replies saying its bad or good.

Otherwise the new owners that bought a good house and believe its not a gamble then what best advice you give to potential new build buyers to limit the bad risks as possible.

All new builds come with the snagging list? If so how you get them rectified and can you get them rectified before moving in or handing over your money for the property? Once the property developer receives the money from the bank then what incentive will they have to complete the snagging list?

All house buying is a gamble, new or old. Having being involved with thousands of new homes every year for the last 20 years, I can honestly say that I've only seen 2 serious issues with a new house that have required the purchases to move out while being fixed.

Most of the time it's either cosmetic because the painter forgot/decided not to paint the final coat, or there's a problem with the boiler/appliance/shower etc completely outside of the control of the developer. 

Sometimes people's expectations for new builds are completely unrealistic. A lot of the developers are more tolerant with unreasonable demands than I would be.

RelievedSheff

bery_451 said:

HanPop said:

Their reputation is one thing at stake if they don’t rectify the problems with the house. I know new builds seem to have a bad reputation and some developers don’t seem to address any problems, but we bought with Bellway and I have to say they’ve been really good. For example last week the lock on our front door broke, we emailed them and within 4 hours someone was here fitting a new lock. Can’t complain about that type of service.

Surprised to read you got a good service from them as trustpilot reviews are stating the opposite:

https://uk.trustpilot.com/review/bellwayhomes.co.uk

On the basis of reviews it seems you took a huge gamble with your money but it worked out for you at the end, glad to hear 

Don't mind me asking how much you paid for your new build?

Bear in mind that people only tend to write those reviews when they have had a bad experience.

Very few people go on those sites to write a good review.

The national house builders build many thousands of houses each per year. They can't all be bad.

chanz4

nhbc warranty not worth the paper written on

HanPop

We paid £277,000 for our house, got a v good deal on it actually as it was a ‘stock plot’.
I have to agree with RelievedSheff, not many people bother to write any of these reviews if they’ve had a good experience, myself included. So I take these review sites with a pinch of salt and try to make my own judgement of the builder when I visit the site etc. We also owned a Redrow house previously and I have to say I had a really good experience with that house and them too. 

bery_451

HanPop said:

We paid £277,000 for our house, got a v good deal on it actually as it was a ‘stock plot’.
I have to agree with RelievedSheff, not many people bother to write any of these reviews if they’ve had a good experience, myself included. So I take these review sites with a pinch of salt and try to make my own judgement of the builder when I visit the site etc. We also owned a Redrow house previously and I have to say I had a really good experience with that house and them too. 

Redrow has good reviews according to this link:
https://uk.trustpilot.com/review/www.redrow.co.uk

How you explain all the good positive reviews written in the above link?

HanPop

I have no need to explain why Redrow have positive reviews, maybe people think they’re a good builder (I happen to), maybe they’ve had a good sales team and aftercare, maybe the reviews are fabricated? It is well known that people are more likely to write a bad review than a good review about a purchase. I have had a positive experience with Bellway and Redrow but have never written a review about them, nor did I read anyone else’s reviews of them before I made my own judgement.

Mineral1

All houses were new once. Buying brand new comes with a premium sure, but what you're getting is something that meets the latest building regulations at the very least which can result in cheaper bills compared with something older (and energy only ever gets more expensive).

tim_london

Also - All the new builds I've seen has gigabit Broadband, I think it is regulation now.  This is a big deal for rural properties.

Racky_Roo

Another plus for new builds is the layout tends to suit the way we live now, not in the 50's/60's/whatever era your house was built. The main reason I bought a new build was I wanted a kitchen diner, downstairs toilet and ensuite. Every house I looked at on RM in my area didn't meet all 3 of those and if i'd done the work to add them and knock walls down, it would have been more money overall and a lot of hassle

tim_london

bery_451 said:

Okay I am getting a sense from the replies posted in this thread is buying a new build can be a gamble because there's replies saying its bad or good.

Otherwise the new owners that bought a good house and believe its not a gamble then what best advice you give to potential new build buyers to limit the bad risks as possible.

All new builds come with the snagging list? If so how you get them rectified and can you get them rectified before moving in or handing over your money for the property? Once the property developer receives the money from the bank then what incentive will they have to complete the snagging list?

The majority of snags are there because buyers move in when the walls and plaster are still wet.  No buyer will ever say "take my deposit money but I'll move in a year after things have dried and you've patched it up".    If you follow the new build advice - don't paint and wallpaper for at least a year, open the windows and let plenty of air in, then you are unlikely to need major patches.

Getting them fixed is the same as if you were in rental, call them up and they'll send someone.  You are covered by warranty so they'll need to fix it.  The speed and urgency is based on luck it seems.  Most are just covering plasterboard cracks with filler, any amateur DIYer can get it done. 

Major f** up does happen like leaks and holes.  But they are rare and does not represent the majority of 'snags',