New build overpriced?

TBeckett100 · 18 June 2015 at 10:26PM

We are in the process of buying a 4 bed detached for £520k in The South East. It's a row of houses, high quality and the homes look stunning. They are specced in luxury.

We agreed to pay the asking price in return for wood flooring, carpeting, turfing and stamp duty paid. Tiling is included as is a well spec'd kitchen (the range oven is 2k alone)

The new school is literally across the road so will serve daughter for many years.

However what is bugging me is

There is a garage which I doubt I'd fit my car in so that leaves a driveway for one. We'd have to rely on one of the visitor spaces opposite the house being free. Hopefully the neighbours will get into a habit of leaving a space for us.

Bedrooms are a little small. Largest is 12x12 plus the ensuite. Another room has an ensuite and there is a family bathroom

Downstairs rooms are perfect

Next door has gone on the market (buyer must have dropped out). That's a 4 bed, 200 sq ft smaller and a different design. However it is £90k cheaper so I am a little worried if my house is really worth 90k more

We do have another option, another new build in a neighbouring village for 520k but I suspect they may not offer as many incentives. Certainly full tiling is extra but whoever reserved it seems to have pulled out. It's 5 bed, double drive and double garage, good plot, slightly bigger bedrooms and downstairs space. However this would mean leaving daughter in the school a few miles away and to be honest the village is a bit too social housed.

So I am in a quandary, do we have a nicer home and more space and ease of parking but in a not to taste village or do we plump for a higher end area but slightly less space and parking issues

Sorry to ramble, just trying to weigh it up

Gloomendoom · 18 June 2015 at 10:43PM

Smaller car?

goodwithsaving · 18 June 2015 at 10:43PM

Just to pick up on something....'Hopefully the neighbours will get into a habit of leaving a space for us.'.......why should they? They may have two cars too, and visitors spaces are often designated strictly visitors spaces in new developments.
It depends where the new build is. Someone I know bought a 4 bed house in Essex which has increased in value. Other developments are just plainly overpriced. £520,000 is a lot of money. If you know the house isn't going to be perfect in terms of parking (which is personally a deal breaker for me), why not explore the other one, weigh up pros and cons to each and go from there. How inconvenient is it to drive to and from the school rather than just cross the road?
If it's a nice (generally expensive) village...social housing isn't actually that bad.
I know which I'd go for, but it isn't my place to say. Where is this development?

Paully232000 · 18 June 2015 at 10:51PM

TBeckett100 wrote: »

We are in the process of buying a 4 bed detached for £520k in The South East. It's a row of houses, high quality and the homes look stunning. They are specced in luxury.

We agreed to pay the asking price in return for wood flooring, carpeting, turfing and stamp duty paid. Tiling is included as is a well spec'd kitchen (the range oven is 2k alone)

The new school is literally across the road so will serve daughter for many years.

However what is bugging me is

There is a garage which I doubt I'd fit my car in so that leaves a driveway for one. We'd have to rely on one of the visitor spaces opposite the house being free. Hopefully the neighbours will get into a habit of leaving a space for us.

Bedrooms are a little small. Largest is 12x12 plus the ensuite. Another room has an ensuite and there is a family bathroom

Downstairs rooms are perfect

Next door has gone on the market (buyer must have dropped out). That's a 4 bed, 200 sq ft smaller and a different design. However it is £90k cheaper so I am a little worried if my house is really worth 90k more

We do have another option, another new build in a neighbouring village for 520k but I suspect they may not offer as many incentives. Certainly full tiling is extra but whoever reserved it seems to have pulled out. It's 5 bed, double drive and double garage, good plot, slightly bigger bedrooms and downstairs space. However this would mean leaving daughter in the school a few miles away and to be honest the village is a bit too social housed.

So I am in a quandary, do we have a nicer home and more space and ease of parking but in a not to taste village or do we plump for a higher end area but slightly less space and parking issues

Sorry to ramble, just trying to weigh it up

I think this would put me off more than anything if you mean the school is right across the road. All well and good now (possibly), but schools are notorious for parents parking all over the place, yellow lines, zigg zag lines, across your drive etc etc.

TBeckett100 · 18 June 2015 at 10:53PM

I can't really name locations. However, the other bigger new build will be ready in October so it's unfair to make our buyers wait whilst this new build is ready this week.

I suppose when spending all this money it should be perfect. The visitor parking is technically for two houses as the layout of other homes along the row and parking means our neighbour to the right will be able to park outside the front and down the side on the driveway. We will be in the middle and the house to the left (husband and wife with two little kids) will probably need one of the four spaces and we'll use one. I guess as with all these things is people notice who uses what space and therefor may be considerate

TBeckett100 · 18 June 2015 at 10:56PM

Paully232000 wrote: »

I think this would put me off more than anything if you mean the school is right across the road. All well and good now (possibly), but schools are notorious for parents parking all over the place, yellow lines, zigg zag lines, across your drive etc etc.

The official road entrance to the school is the back of the school. The front of the school gates opposite us is pedestrian access. Oddly there isn't any zig zagging.

I may have to do a drive by before and after school as it is a fair point though I find with taking mine to school that 10 minutes after home time, the streets are back to normal

Paully232000 · 18 June 2015 at 11:00PM

TBeckett100 wrote: »

I can't really name locations. However, the other bigger new build will be ready in October so it's unfair to make our buyers wait whilst this new build is ready this week.

I suppose when spending all this money it should be perfect. The visitor parking is technically for two houses as the layout of other homes along the row and parking means our neighbour to the right will be able to park outside the front and down the side on the driveway. We will be in the middle and the house to the left (husband and wife with two little kids) will probably need one of the four spaces and we'll use one. I guess as with all these things is people notice who uses what space and therefor may be considerate

Ill play devils advocate here, and say in an ideal world yes people should be considerate, but in the real world people are often not, and it may become a source of angst.
and IMHO, I would think twice about buying a house where I know there is not enough official space for the cars I have.

sniggings · 18 June 2015 at 11:17PM

TBeckett100 wrote: »

I guess as with all these things is people notice who uses what space and therefor may be considerate

I have to say you have a very skewed way of looking at this parking issue.

Why would someone that has the right to use a parking space, and takes advantage of that space (space they have paid for) be classed as inconsiderate for using that space???

It's a bonus if you get to use it, no way should you be starting off in a new place thinking someone is inconsiderate for using space they have paid for.

As for your question, why don't you be considerate and buy a smaller car so the parking space is left available for the intended use, rather then you claiming it as yours

I do agree with you tho, that for the money you are paying it should be near enough perfect.

I would also look into the 90k difference as for me that is a sign you maybe paying too much.

TBeckett100 · 18 June 2015 at 11:44PM

Basically in a row there are about 12 houses. They are in pockets. Our pocket has 5 houses, each with a garage and driveway. There are 4 visitor parking spaces for that pocket. It certainly isn't a large estate with dozens of homes, it's 5 houses.

We are not on the main road. There is a gravel road that runs parallel which serves our pocket with exits to the main road at either end. It is planned to put bollards between houses 2 and 3 thus creating a dead end. This allows houses 2 and 3 to park either side of the bollard at the front of the house (on the gravel road) and have a car in the drive and the garage (three max spaces)

House 4 and 5 Which is us and next door will in theory have use of the 4 spaces. House three won't need it as they'll have three spaces.

sniggings · 19 June 2015 at 12:00AM

TBeckett100 wrote: »

Basically in a row there are about 12 houses. They are in pockets. Our pocket has 5 houses, each with a garage and driveway. There are 4 visitor parking spaces for that pocket. It certainly isn't a large estate with dozens of homes, it's 5 houses.

We are not on the main road. There is a gravel road that runs parallel which serves our pocket with exits to the main road at either end. It is planned to put bollards between houses 2 and 3 thus creating a dead end. This allows houses 2 and 3 to park either side of the bollard at the front of the house (on the gravel road) and have a car in the drive and the garage (three max spaces)

House 4 and 5 Which is us and next door will in theory have use of the 4 spaces. House three won't need it as they'll have three spaces.

We get it, they have other options, it is nice tho when spending half a million to use the visiting parking space for it's intended use.

Look at it from their point of view, they've paid the same as you, and watch you claim a space that is intended for others to share, that would grate on me.

What I'm saying is, don't buy if that space is that important to you, as if problems do crop up, then it could make you wish you carried on looking.

If it were me, I would carry on looking, if you are unwilling to down size your car, parking in a visitor space when paying half a mill would not be for me.

Chanes · 19 June 2015 at 12:03AM

I was advised that new houses are always overpriced in comparison. But it's only a gamble if you sell quickly, if you stay awhile the price will climb. Maybe you should view it as a home for now and console yourself that houses have proven to be wise investments long term.

Your worry about car parking is very fair, we have two spaces with potential to pave the garden for another two. A next door neighbour has four cars, another neighbour has three. There is only a small space for visitors on the pavement without occluding someones drive. And cars and parking are a big source of problems (so much so we nearly lost the sale of our previous house because it!) If you can consider the parking to be enough you should be fine, but if you are concerned now, you should work out what you can accept and if in the future it could reflect as an issue on the value of your home. Or it would be a point of conflict that would spoil the enjoyment of what could be a lovely new home.

And having said all that, I love new houses and would have been much more content to find one where we are.

PLEASE READ BEFORE POSTING

New build overpriced?

Comments

Categories

Get our FREE Weekly email full of deals & guides - and it’s spam-free