Would you move to a new build

Ev0 said:
Exactly, I've lived in old (Victorian) and new places and the new have always been better for us with more room, level floors, straight walls, plenty of parking :)
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I like uneven floors, wonky walls, bent door frames. It's character that only age can bring. Whereas in new builds this is called shoddy workmanship! :D

I'd like to see the state of the current 18th/19th Century houses in a couple more centuries versus new builds when they are well over 100 years old. Will be interesting to see how well they age.
 
Hah as said, everyone likes something different :)

In all honesty as long as the new build 'lasts' as long as I need it to I couldn't really care less about 100 years time, I sadly won't be around to see it.

I like a nice house, be it old or new, age doesn't factor in to what I like as such but it just so happens that on the whole I favour newer properties.

Plenty of older houses I'd happily live in round here, however they are all massively out of budget ;) Next move maybe...

Also where is people's 'cut off' age as to what constitutes a new house? Would you class something built in 80s and 90s as a new type property?
 
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You need to go and see the show homes and any recently built properties on that site.

Regs & standards have changed a lot in the last 20 years and peoples perceptions are often based on homes seen a long time ago.

I have a new build and funnily enough it wasn't over priced, I have a good sized garden and I'm not overlooked.

Yes there have been a few issues but there always will be. A professional snagging company could be worth the cost (not sure how much they would cost). Most things you'll begin to notice over time once the novelty & excitement wears off.

I'd probably think twice about buying a property that isn't detatched. I practically am in that I've a detatched 'model/style' home but am joined on the first floor only to a 3 storey townhouse (first floor is their carport). So behind two brick walls I don't hear a peep.

Depending on your position financially (if you've already sold and/or moved out in with relatives) you can negotiate a good deal.
 
BennyC said:
You need to go and see the show homes and any recently built properties on that site.

Regs & standards have changed a lot in the last 20 years and peoples perceptions are often based on homes seen a long time ago.

I have a new build and funnily enough it wasn't over priced, I have a good sized garden and I'm not overlooked.

Yes there have been a few issues but there always will be. A professional snagging company could be worth the cost (not sure how much they would cost). Most things you'll begin to notice over time once the novelty & excitement wears off.

I'd probably think twice about buying a property that isn't detatched. I practically am in that I've a detatched 'model/style' home but am joined on the first floor only to a 3 storey townhouse (first floor is their carport). So behind two brick walls I don't hear a peep.

Depending on your position financially (if you've already sold and/or moved out in with relatives) you can negotiate a good deal.
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Very few detached properties in Cambridge going, and whilst our budget can stretch to quite a lot, you just wouldn't find them in our price range.
 
Depends on the quality of the build, I bought a new build in London under 2 years ago and it its just amazing. It was done to quite a high spec so it has everything I would want in a self build but without the hassle. It was only a small project with 2 houses and I think the builder lost £100k per house as he needed a quick sale.

I haves seen other new builds and the quality of the work has been shocking so its very individual from project to project.
 
Affordable housing is the main rub, looked at quite a few new builds recently, all the brochures had small print stating so many plots would be reserved for affordable or social housing, no thanks.

In addition you either seem to get a tiny garden or postage stamp rooms just so they can fit more bedrooms in, so what should be a three bedroom house has been made into four.

But not all new builds are bad, my flat is 7 years old and has loads of space and constructed to a high standard.
 
I've never really fancied new build. Some are very nice and you get to customise stuff like the kitchen and bathroom but there just something offputting about hollow, plasterboard wall with bugger all sound proofing etc. I like a nice solid brick wall around me.

Gotta laugh at the Bett homes ads on the radio, "Which would you prefer a new build home or a second hand house" Considering the vast majority of houses are "second hand" and very nice to boot, I really don't see the problem.
 
I've lived in an 1800s house and a new build. Both have their good and bad points. Specific likes for a new build - everything works, very well insulated, generally efficient, flat walls. Dislikes - lack of space, lack of customisability, very packed in so little storage space, "token" features like a Juliette "balcony".
 
I'm currently in the process of buying my first house, it's a four bedroom detached new build. We've got a garage and two dedicated parking spaces, we're also off the main road (if you can call it that) with a private shared drive way with two other houses so ample parking for all three according to the plans.

Currently, I'm living in a terraced house without dedicate parking in the centre of Cardiff. I couldn't give too hoots about views - we're not going to be overlooked in our garden which is all I care about on the rare day we get some sunshine enough to have a BBQ and jump in the hot tub.

When we looked at buying a older home, ie not new to get a house with two dedicated parking spaces and a garage just didn't exsist in our price range.

We're also getting things like solarpanels on the roof for slightly cheaper eleccy (mind you I'm not convinced by this at all but it's included regardless) which is a bonus and clearly included in our price tag but hay ho.

Edit:

I'm going to pay to have network cable run thoughout the whole house as well while it's being built. I want each of the bedrooms and lounge to have atleast 4 Ethernet cables and two to the front door where the phone line is terminated all terminated into the loft with power and lighting. Going to cost a few quid but between that cabling and switches I should be set for some time to come.
 
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Unless you manage to negotiate some kind of awesome deal like we did I would strongly recommend you look at something else.

Negotiating (This is what we got)

5 Bed detached with separate garage

PartEx on our old house (100% value)
£50,000 off list price (checked a few years later and all the neighbours paid full wack WTF?)
Upgraded Kitchen
Legals Paid
Garden Fenced, Turfed and Fully Landscaped (Bench, Patio, Shrubs)
Carpets throughout
Curtains throughout

Then I managed to negotiate an additional £8,000 cashback after completition. If I hadn't got all that I wouldn't have bought, simple.

When you go round, spend A LONG amount of time looking all over the house inside, outside and around the development. Take the rose tinted glasses off and look to see any potential issues.

New Builds do devalue in price so you MUST make sure you will be staying put for a good few years. Pay a snagging company to do a full check the day you move in, be careful here. Get them in ASAP!!!! Most builders give you two weeks tops to report any issues as after that and they will blame you for them. They pick up things you never will.
 
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In answer to the original question I'd certainly consider moving to a new build, generally speaking I think I'd prefer an older house or one that is custom-built for me but depending on the house and the circumstances a new build isn't out of the question. It has pluses and minuses compared to existing housing but provided you're reasonably well aware of those then it can be a decent option.
 
I have lived in a new build for 10 years. I would avoid doing so again.

It may not be common to all new builds but ours came with a lot of problems due to poor workmanship and materials. We snagged and snagged, waiting years for resolutions and in the end lost patience and put up with a not-perfect house which was one of the new build attractions.

We have damp and other problems, the kind of things people say are a negative of old houses but we have had to put up with it from early on in the properties history, despite the house being well over the local average.
 
LordSplodge said:
I like uneven floors, wonky walls, bent door frames. It's character that only age can bring. Whereas in new builds this is called shoddy workmanship! :D

I'd like to see the state of the current 18th/19th Century houses in a couple more centuries versus new builds when they are well over 100 years old. Will be interesting to see how well they age.
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Our town has the majority of houses built in the 50s and 60s, they are already health hazards... Luckily I live in the old part so have a nice 100 year old house to live in. Roofs been redone for the second time in a century so it'll probably be good to go for another 50 years, just in time to see most of the new builds falling apart...
 
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