Oh definitely, I'm one of them! Never again.
New build flat - offer/negotiation points
- Thread starter TNGL
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I have had two now.
First one didn't have many problem. 2nd one did have a lot and was barely finished.
However, it all gets fixed eventually and at no cost and you normally get some nice little extras due to mistakes/issues (got a new extended patio, a free heated towel rail, and integrated dishwasher due to various issues/mistakes etc)
The thing with a new build, is that you will have problems and it will be hassle, just like you would have and get with a used house. However, with a new build you dont have to pay to put it right/make everything perfect. It is all done on the developers dime.
Would I buy another? Probably.
Soldato
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I don't know about never again. The one we have isn't perfect, but would I buy a newly built house not built by a major developer - 100%.
For me it's mainly that my criteria for buying a house has changed. If I'm planning to live there a long time, I want options to extend/develop the property. With new build I find that all usable space has already been maximised, so the ability to develop and increase it's value is limited.
I would agree with these rules.
But I guess if you have to live in a city and aren't minted you don't have much choice?
For me they have too small a garden.
I don't know what people class as a new build but one I have is 2000s built.
On layout..
It's a bit of an unusual layout. Kitchen diner on one side and living room on other. So they are completely separate.
I kind of think the open plan makes houses seem bigger. But I'm not sure if I like the separation or not.
Personally, unless I absolutely knew the area was immune to potential up an coming economic pain I'd avoid buying..New builds and flats.
Prices are heavily inflated due to stamp duty holiday (in England) not sure if this applies to you.
Definitely do a bit of reading on the forecasts. Last time I looked most were negative
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Soldato
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For sure. That's why I think a smaller or independent developer would be much better, where they've gone for quality over quantity. Where we lived they've packed us in like sardines. The garden is smaller than the footprint of the house. I don't hate having an ensuite, but I would rather have had a bigger spare room, moved the bathroom across, and had a bigger spare room or something like that. Having an ensuite in a two bed, plus a bathroom, plus a downstairs toilet is just dumb. I'd hope a smart builder wouldn't do that.
Our property, in all fairness, has increased in value by about £90k over the 5 years we've owned it. But because they're all larger identical, they're harder to sell. No one viewing the house realises, for example, and our house is much more isolated and therefore much quieter than similar properties in the estate.
Yeah, the bathroom thing is weird. There seems to be a trend to cram as many bathrooms as humanly possible, sacrificing bedroom/storage space. I would rather have 1 en-suite, 1 family bath and 1 downstairs - even in a super big house.
Soldato
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Agreed. To me it seems to be the sensible limit of bathrooms in a normal house, but not in a 2 bed! 1 bathroom and the downstairs toilet would be perfect.
Caporegime
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Likely because you live alone or have no need for the.
I know someone with 5 en suites and the 2 bedrooms that don't have them the people in there wish they did.
If you are wondering yeah a 7 bedroom house. With 5 en suites, a main bathroom upstairs and 2 downstairs.
The rooms are considerably large in size too for the majority of them. In fact the house itself is probably double the size of modern 5 bedroom house from a premium builder.
For example you could have three 5 a side football pitches in the back garden and the driveway holds 6 large cars not including the double garage.
I don't need 5 en suites but that doesn't mean some people don't. It's a convenience and modern luxury.
Back in the day people had 1 toilet between several houses. People didn't need driveways or parking spaces either.
Things have changed.
Not quite; I live in an old-ish 5 bed detached with a wife and 2 kids.
Maybe as the kids get older we’d love more bathrooms, but 3 seems perfect at the moment.
The other point I will make is don't be fooled into thinking because it's a new build it won't have snags and issues, of which these won't always be dealt with by the developer. The reasons for this is you may not want to wait and spend excessive time chasing them to fix stuff or they may have get out clauses of less than perfect being within the tolerances you agreed to. Even if you do get the developer to fix something it could be some odd job person who makes a rough stab at improving it rather than it being done by a professional.
Therefore you won't escape decorating and DIY just because it's new, in fact our new build that we bought on the resale market has had more done to it now than if we'd bought an older place and ripped through that but at the time it represented value for the size and layout. You certainly could add more value by buying an older property which if you gutted it where necessary there wouldn't be any reason one wouldn't look more expensive and sophisticated than a new build which is probably quite generic. It comes down to priorities I guess but there's no such thing as a free lunch as they say so taking on more work at the beginning of the home buying cycle could pay dividends later on whereas the over priced done job is less likely to acquire capital growth to plough into a future purchase.
House builders don't generally employ any builders, trades or architects, they're usually all sub contracted. A house builder is a glorified marketing company in most cases as the main employees will be those at their head office.
Therefore you won't escape decorating and DIY just because it's new, in fact our new build that we bought on the resale market has had more done to it now than if we'd bought an older place and ripped through that but at the time it represented value for the size and layout. You certainly could add more value by buying an older property which if you gutted it where necessary there wouldn't be any reason one wouldn't look more expensive and sophisticated than a new build which is probably quite generic. It comes down to priorities I guess but there's no such thing as a free lunch as they say so taking on more work at the beginning of the home buying cycle could pay dividends later on whereas the over priced done job is less likely to acquire capital growth to plough into a future purchase.
House builders don't generally employ any builders, trades or architects, they're usually all sub contracted. A house builder is a glorified marketing company in most cases as the main employees will be those at their head office.
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Ha, I was thinking that myself as I posted.
Thanks for all the input above, much appreciated and all taken on board, whether or not I agree with it. Trying not to turn this into a new build vs non-new build thread but good to know what to look out for in any case.
Ha, well! It is the show-home at the moment because it's one of few that have been completed and nobody has moved into it yet.
Show home as in the one that all prospective buyers go inside and view?
That's like buying the last pair of shoes that have been on display and everyone has been trying them on. No thanks
Ha, well! It is the show-home at the moment because it's one of few that have been completed and nobody has moved into it yet.
Caporegime
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Nothing wrong with new builds but it will depend on the builder.
I think we had to get them to replace kitchen worktop and all the smoke alarms because of issues other than that nothing of note.
Both have their pros and cons and I know I would have no issues with the more higher end builders.
How do I know if it's a higher end builder? Just a Google and search around?
The property comes with a 20 year warranty too, versus the standard 10 (or at least that's what I've been told the standard is). Do these things count for much?
Caporegime
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You can normally tell by their properties and their prices Vs other builders in the same area.
We just had a whole new village built was over 20,000 homes iirc from at least 5 different builders. Out of all the builders there is only 2 I'd class as higher end possibly 3 and this was in an affluent area.
Properties will be bigger than cheaper builders, they will look better both inside and out as they use higher quality materials.
Like the below
https://www.robertsonhomes.co.uk/homes-for-sale/kilmardinny-gait/plot-075-linton/
Look at the outside of the house it's not just cheap simple bricks used, etc.
https://www.robertsonhomes.co.uk/homes-for-sale/kilmardinny-gait/plot-063-hutton-grand/
Same with this one.
You can tell it's built to a higher standard by the design and materials used.
Doesn't sound that unusual to me.
As for excess bathrooms yes that seems to be a trend. My house has more bathrooms than bedrooms, I don't really see the value in having an ensuite on the same floor as the family bathroom. To be honest we just use half of that room for storing old stuff.
Seems odd it is for sale in that case. Normally the show homes get sold last.