Brought my house last year with a 10% deposit after years of saving. Glad I did with the amount people are paying in rent compared to my monthly mortgage repayments.
I couldn't afford to rent my own flat!

Brought my house last year with a 10% deposit after years of saving. Glad I did with the amount people are paying in rent compared to my monthly mortgage repayments.
borrow as much as you can now and let inflation do the work.
Sorry to burst your Utopian bubble, Maccapacca, but it's reality - I've lived it. With things like resistance to the passage of sound the builder only needs to prove the new build meets regulations for ONE of a similar design. So while the block next to ours had excellent standards of build, we had no sound-proofing whatsoever, totally hollow walls, bathroom tiles that were unsourceable, paint that couldn't be matched and was of terrible quality - the list was almost endless.
But then, of course, this is all just a strange fabrication on my part as I have an irrational hatred for building companies.
According to multiple sources (finance websites, newspapers, the news) the base rate is going to stay low for at least the next 5 years. Anyone on the housing market here? Now's the time to buy![]()
Sorry to burst your Utopian bubble, Maccapacca, but it's reality - I've lived it. With things like resistance to the passage of sound the builder only needs to prove the new build meets regulations for ONE of a similar design. So while the block next to ours had excellent standards of build, we had no sound-proofing whatsoever, totally hollow walls, bathroom tiles that were unsourceable, paint that couldn't be matched and was of terrible quality - the list was almost endless.
But then, of course, this is all just a strange fabrication on my part as I have an irrational hatred for building companies.
According to multiple sources (finance websites, newspapers, the news) the base rate is going to stay low for at least the next 5 years. Anyone on the housing market here? Now's the time to buy![]()
Yes in the UK. Comparing to 10 years ago the interest rates are so much better for buyers.
Why did you buy a house with no sound proofing![]()
True, with hollow walls that actually help to transmit unwanted sound all around the property; paint, tiles and other interior materials bought in bulk from some Bulgarian or Chinese supplier and therefore you're often unable to match, extend or touch up the existing decor; dodgy service charges for the communal grounds; and more besides!
They do look nice though.
The caveat is that prices can go down, in which case you are trapped in a property you can't get rid of. But in the end, it's your property and you can keep living into it for as long as you like.
Nothing sucks more than paying rent when you know you can use that money to pay for a mortgage payment.
How do you recommend he could check the soundproofing BEFORE he bought the house?
You do realise, of course, that he bought a newbuilt. This means he paid for it and then got the key once it was ready. After he moved in, he probably realised that he can hear the neighboors much clearer than he would wish.
Complaining to the builder etc. only leads to some tests from the council that prove that the built is within the required standards.
Now, whether these standards are too poor to begin with is another matter altogether.
I bought a new build and made sure the walls weren't hollow before I bought it...
hahaha what a load of tosh, ever heard of NHBC & building control? minimum standards and all that , CML completions rely on NHBC & building control sign off, some of the best products on the market come from Poland, some of the worst from the UK most ceramics come from Italy and very good stone comes from China.
Code for sustainable homes
SAP calculations
EPCs
All products have BS or EN standards
Timber is FSC
DDA regs
You're talking rubbish
They are still rubbish. I rented a new build once and the ceiling heights were pathetic, the rooms tiny (bedroom three was something stupid like 9' by 6'), the doors were the cheapest they could be and the walls paper thin.
Whereas my 250 year old house has 3m+ ceilings and all the bedrooms are 5m x 4m......![]()