I can only comment on my own experiences of a new build as I lived in one for two years.
Short answer is no, I wouldn't ever want to live in one again.
We lived in a 3 storey town house, with another one attached on our left, and garages with a coach house flat on the right.
First thing you notice in an 'attached' new build is sound. I had my bedroom on the top floor, and in a morning I could hear next door on their ground floor walking through their hall. The woman had ceramic tiles in her hall and wore 'office heels' and every morning you could hear clip clop clip clop. Also, it was so bad that I could lie in bed at night, and if next door got up and used the toilet in their en-suite I could hear the click-click of the pull cord for the light!
Anytime they had guests it was bordering on intrusive - but that is not to say they were being overt, in fact they were quite a quiet couple. It was because there is nothing to new builds and that allows sound to travel a lot.
However, the house itself was lovely - for a month or two. Nice and neutral and comfortable. But then you start to get natural shrinkage of the internal finishings. OK, so I don't mind going around with some decorating caulk and sealing around door frames and skirtings, but when the plaster on your ceilings are all full of nail head holes because they have not been put up correctly, it starts to get annoying! Also the garden was bland, small and overlooked. When we moved in, it wasn't even turfed. Also - my biggest issue was the plastic water/heating pipes with quick release joints. Never thought much of it to start with as I was a first time buyer, but when one pops off, it makes a right mess! Luckily we were at home and caught it. My cousin was on holiday when it happened to him. Small windows was also something I had never noticed but did come to my attention. Ever noticed how many new builds have tiny windows? Overall though I like the feel of a new house, and it could just be that the people that built our estate did a shoddy job, and on other estates it could be better. That said, pretty much every internal wall was plasterboard stud. Not a solid wall in the house other than the party wall and external walls, which didn't help with sound. I suppose it could be a compromise if you managed to get a detached house though.
Then there was the general environment of the street. Very cramped. Everyone on top of each other and parking was a real issue for us but it was one we didn't see straight away because we were one of the first to move in. Again a bit of first time buying naivety, but a bit of an indictment on new build estates nevertheless. Many people in the street had their own parking spaces on a purpose built car park round the back of the houses, but only for 1 car then there were a few generic visitor spaces. Most had 2+ vehicles and insisted on parking in the road, half up the pavement. Even though they parked this way, the bin lorry couldn't get round (our street was like a horse shoe shape with a large grass island in the middle). So unless everyone walked their bins up the street to the main road, the bin men wouldn't empty them!
It took them 18 months to finish paving the footpaths and roads, even though most of the houses were built / occupied. Dodging raised drain covers was the new game!
Then there was the depreciation. Oh lordy we got stung badly. The house cost £160k in 2005. After two years it was valued at £135k (negative equity). In the end, it sold in 2008 for £117k. An identical house across the road was also sold at a similar time for £121K. Huge losses, but to be fair the bottom had just dropped out of the market. Still, you don't expect a house to lose £43k value in 3 years.
It does seem to be the trend with new build estates that they are cramped, and poorly designed. I felt like I was living in a cardboard house. It looked very pretty but had no substance.
There are benefits for first time buyers though, like help with getting a mortgage, no stamp duty, and the opportunity to move into a livable house that is brand new without the added costs of refurbishment or decorating (if you like beige and white that is!). It is a tempting option to many young people, and I was one of them back then. In hindsight, I wished I hadn't bothered, but that is just me.
I now live in a 3 bed detached that was built in 1970. Every wall is block, bar a small area in the kitchen where they have covered an old door up. But it is by no means perfect. The electrics are old, the floorboards upstairs need attention, the ceilings are all artex (hate it!), and the shower is mavity fed from a header tank in the loft and has very little power. The kitchen is over 25yrs old and the window frames in some rooms need sealing properly.The garage roof is leaking slightly, and the driveway needs doing. There is plenty to be getting on with, but the house itself is solid. I would rather have that and see it as a work in progress than a brand spanking new build that looks the part but is really superficial. Also - I have the room to extend, which is something very unlikely on any new build estate.
I would only consider another new build if it was detached and on a street that wasn't cramped and if it had a good size driveway and garden. The rear garden of my current house is adequate, and the driveway easily parks 3 cars, 4 if I block one in. I am also in a nice area and on a quiet cul-de-sac, not to mention the houses are well spaced and the street feels open and not cramped. All for £152k. I couldn't buy what I have now on a new build estate. Agreed, I probably need to throw another £20k at it, but the base building blocks are already there, and I can renovate it over a number of years.
Obviously that may not suit many people, and in real terms I suppose the arguments for and against new builds / old builds are subjective. However - whatever the case, you will get far more for you money 'out of town', depending on the area. It does not always ring true. We were renting in a more affluent area and to buy a house like we have now would cost us in excess of £200k. So we moved even further out and saved ourselves some money!
As far as utilities go - I would say you will most likely have on the new estate whatever the general area already has. Query it with the sales centre for the new estate though. When we bought new build, to be fair to the sales team, they were very helpful and informative.
Finally, I would certainly check what the area used to be that they are building on, as well as if it is close to any flood planes or anything that may cause you problems or cause issues with insurance. The new build we had was built on an old common that was quite boggy, and I'm not sure why but the gnat/small flying thingy population in our street was insane. During warm weather they were everywhere. You couldn't walk out of your house without walking into a swarm of them. Never had that in any other street I have lived in, so I am guessing the former use of the land may have had some bearing on it. Also, several houses started to get cracks appearing in their brick work and we had one straight down the middle of one of our internal garage walls. Our back garden was also very boggy, even after it was turfed for two years.
Cheers
Buff
