Opinion on new build flat

RAS

I'm not sure BuyLon's budget would stretch to that?

I noted that the value of flats in Lewes rarely seems to have increased much since they were built/converted. If you need a mortgage some are over shops or food outlets, which may not be acceptable to mortgage providers. Some have high ground rent and some high service charges, so you've not a lot of choice at that end of the market.

I assume you are not eligible for the shared ownership deals?

MFWannabe

The link in the Ops first post was a flat from £360k 🤔
Op what is your actual budget? 

RHemmings

BuyLon said:

Thank you. It's strange that the EA has not uploaded actual photos. 
Here are some pictures. Yeah, storage space is not really present much in the flat.

It looks nice dressed in that way, and I like the subtle colour scheme. 

But, I wonder about practicality. I keep looking at bits and wondering 'how will that work out?' E.g. as mentioned washing machine, decent sized fridge, etc. Your photo of the kitchen area above looks even smaller than the original pictures. 

BuyLon

Thank you for your replies. My budget is 400k but that stretches things but it's possible. I worry if it will be really hard to sell the flat again if I am able to upsize in a few years. 

BuyLon

RHemmings said:

BuyLon said:

Thank you. It's strange that the EA has not uploaded actual photos. 
Here are some pictures. Yeah, storage space is not really present much in the flat.

It looks nice dressed in that way, and I like the subtle colour scheme. 

But, I wonder about practicality. I keep looking at bits and wondering 'how will that work out?' E.g. as mentioned washing machine, decent sized fridge, etc. Your photo of the kitchen area above looks even smaller than the original pictures. 

I see what you mean. Washing machine and fridge are built in, just hidden behind the fronts in the photo. Overall not much storage space probably.

Murphybear

Do you need to buy new build?  I’ve just had a look on Rightmove.  There’s some lovely, bigger properties in Lewes within your budget.  

ReadySteadyPop

BuyLon said:

Any more thoughts on the place greatly appreciated, thank you.

I think you will probably lose money n it, and no outside shots would be a red flag for me.

BuyLon

Murphybear said:

Do you need to buy new build?  I’ve just had a look on Rightmove.  There’s some lovely, bigger properties in Lewes within your budget.  

Not necessarily, open to anything. There are bigger properties within my budget but they are often a bit further out and I don't drive but I should probably increase my radius.. 

RHemmings

BuyLon said:

RHemmings said:

BuyLon said:

Thank you. It's strange that the EA has not uploaded actual photos. 
Here are some pictures. Yeah, storage space is not really present much in the flat.

It looks nice dressed in that way, and I like the subtle colour scheme. 

But, I wonder about practicality. I keep looking at bits and wondering 'how will that work out?' E.g. as mentioned washing machine, decent sized fridge, etc. Your photo of the kitchen area above looks even smaller than the original pictures. 

I see what you mean. Washing machine and fridge are built in, just hidden behind the fronts in the photo. Overall not much storage space probably.

Yes, I was thinking the kitchen didn't have much storage space even before I knew that the fronts were hiding white goods. I saw a house with that problem when I was looking. Not much kitchen storage, and then when I opened one it was a fridge, and another was a freezer, etc. 

When I bought I compromised on kitchen space to get a detached house for cheaper. It does require extra work as things need to be organised, and put away. 

ThorOdinson

Check carefully what is included. All the nice stuff in the photos probably isn't in the base price.

Consider your future needs too. If it has parking, is it wired up for charging? If not, in a few years when you want/have to switch to an EV, you will have no choice but to use rip-off public charging instead of your own cheap home electricity supply. Not to mention the hassle.

Similarly check the EPC rating. If they haven't properly insulated it, it might be cold and draughty. Also check energy - gas is being phased out, you want a heat pump or you will be looking at an expensive retrofit later. They should be putting some solar on the roof too. Again, in future, not being able to generate your own energy is going to mean continual expense.