Aaquil

Right we went to see a house on one of those 'George Wimpy' new housing estates. One was on offer one of the last three...the sales lady was going to offer lots of extras as they wanted to shift it.

The wife really liked the idea of it...double drive, end terrace, huge garden with potential to extend and all that. Trouble is it would be facing a real dodgey council estate and many of my friends who had been locals for years advised me it was best to leave.

Anyway as we were looking at the 'show house' and deciding what to do the sales lady offered us the show house at a 10% discount. Wife got excited so did her friend (who was there at the time)...but it had quite a few criteria we were looking for missing (Drive - one parking space away from the house, large garden - rather a tiny one, Two reception rooms - only one with no room for expansion). The wife was hooked...yet it was at the max of our agreed mortgage limit (We had agreed we would only go that high if it was really special).

So...here is the question... what do you guys think about these newly built houses...we are looking for 3 bedrooms and many of the 'so called' older houses on sale claim to be 3 but are really 2 with a box room. These new houses have 3 bedrooms with 3 bathroom (one of them en suite) and 3 good sized bedrooms but they look cheap even though (superficially?) they look very nice on the inside.

My problem is they seem so cramped in terms of proximity of one house to another and remind me of 'Brookside' I was half expecting Sinbad to knock on the door while we were there asking if we had any odd jobs!!!

Wife is in a bit of a mood she wanted that house...its only the third house we have actually viewed in the flesh!!!

falkster

The thing with new builds are that the 'master' bedroom being the biggest is usually no bigger than 12x14 and once youve put furniture in there it becomes a small double.

The build quality is usually poor using stud walls everywhere and chipboard for the floors that will start making noises within a year (once its dried out)

When me and my wife first got together she had a new build and I spent the first few months making the house look half decent. Got a huge box of filler to cover up all the holes in the wall where the plaster had popped around the nails and cracks where the plaster board wasnt fixed correctly (using nails rather than dry wall screws)

I even had to cut holes in the floor to shove bits of wood under the joists that were ill fitted and caused the whole floor to creak badly.

They are all built on a budget and usually the fixtures and fittings are poor quality.


We have since bought a 4 storey victorian stone built terrace and the smallest bedroom is 14ft x 10ft. We have 2 good bathrooms, 4 bedrooms and we have had our heating turned off since March due to the fact that the house keeps it heat so well from the sun light we get during the day!

You never get noise from the neighbours because the walls are so thick.

Hanslow

You may also find that the show homes use under sized furniture to give the feeling of more expanse. Go round with a tape measure ourself and get some numbers.

We're in our second newishly built house. We looked at older houses but couldn't find the right one, and this newish one we're currently in happened to come up for sale and we liked it (not your usual new build). Would have preferred an older house though as I personally believe they were much better built on more sizeable plots, and not crammed in.

molko

Very good point, they deffo do this with the RedRow houses

Fuzz

Built like a shoebox, wouldn't live in one if you paid me to.


Andy

David Lock

It's a very personal thing. But I think you can assume that a Wimpey house will not be put together as well as say, a new house built by a reputable local builder. Shoddy might be the appropriate description. But Wimpey and the big boys are very good at marketing. Resist I say.

My main objection would be thin walls and noise, especially for a terrace. Also doubts about long term soundness of plumbing and electrics.

Plus I think you should take notice of what your mates say about the locality - you're hardly going to hear that from the Wimpey sales lady.

And do go and see lots of houses. A pain but worth it. You never know you might even find one that you both like And, as I said before, if in doubt promise Mrs Woman a new kitchen Fun isn't it!! d

Aaquil

Had a major bust up today...she keeps going on about the box room in 3 bedroom older houses and I keep going on about the quality of these newer houses and how much they are crammed together. She will not budge on that and I am certainly not keen on these new houses...it ended with "...Lets not bother getting a house at all then." "That's fine." Was my response. Its not looking very good should I say.

apples24

iTrader: (1)

personally id be more worried about the council estate than the rooms in the house, that is a big big downer for a nice new housing estate, there will be scumbags everywere ripping down road signs and swearing spitting all over the place

Aaquil

The 'totally impractical' show house was actually on the opposite side of the Wimpy estate to the other one (we were considering) that was facing the notorious council estate.

The reasonable one (in practical terms and what it had to offer) we both rejected due to its location and the impractical 'show house' (which was in an okay location) I rejected due to it not having half the things we agreed we had wanted in a house we were going to buy. It was rejecting the second house (show house) that narked off the misses.

POC

Get out and see some more fella, you will come across the right one

We are just about to exchange on our first property, looked at 4 and bought the fifth. It'll feel right for both of you when you find it Good luck and tell the Mrs to stopp being such a little girl

David Lock

'Er indoors is wrong in her assumption that all older houses have small box rooms - some do, of course. Wimpey lego houses will be just the same (worse in some cases). But of course she won't listen to logic, being of the female persuasion, so you're just going to have to keep looking. Get her to choose the ones she wants to see and slip a few of your own in whilst you're at it. d

Aaquil

If I give her '...the little girl...' statement I am dead!!! WE have both calmed down a bit and I printed out this thread and she seems to have calmed down a bit since she read it. Thanks to all you guys we may be looking at some decent older houses with an 'open mind'.

Thanks for all the helpful replies...three houses viewed a million to go...looking at one tommorow looks okay and good location with potential to expand. Will let you all know.

Thanks again.

David Lock

Well it sounds like you have an absolutely fantastic wife I know you have posted in the past just how good looking she is and how you don't deserve her. Sounds like you can trust her judgment completely and I am sure she will get it right for you both

I hope you feel suitably ashamed of just trying to do your best by looking for a suitable property for your family.......... d

Aaquil

She is defo a fantastic wife. Doing all she does for me and putting up with my nonsense...I call her my African Queen but as for choosing suitable houses for family consumption...err? I don't think so!!! I will let you know how we got on tommorow.

Deep Singh

1) Avoid anything near a council estate. The local yobs will see you 'honest folk' as fodder for their antics.

2)No offence to anyone who lives in one, but I would never live in one of those new build boxes on a souless estate where you can't tell your house apart from the neighbours.

3) Never buy a house (unless you are retired perhaps) that cannot be extended. At some point, when the family grows etc, you will want/need more space. Its far easier to extend then to go through the hassle/expense of moving. Extending may also help you to increase the value of the property.

IMHO!

MattW

IMO the opposite is true. A modern estate has a range of house styles, not something that can be said of other decades.

Aaquil

Thank you for the honest, straight up advice.

Iwan

Very true.

Option A - Red garage door.
Option B - Blue garage door.
Option C - Green garage door.

Etc etc.

MJB2

I live in a 3 year old GW home! If you do buy one make sure your snag list is the worst thing that they have ever seen. I ended up getting pissed off with GW and fixed stuff myself. If i went back in time i would get them back, and back and back again until it was right. The amount you pay there is no reason why it should not be perfect.

fatherpierre

"potential to extend"

New houses have zero to very little potential to extend.

Cheap all the way down the line, other than the asking prices.

turbogav

Location, Location, Location!

And opposite a council estate is probably not the best. If you can get it at a reasonable price, ie below the value of other similar in the area, and be prepared for difficulties in re-sell precisely because of the location then go ahead.

If not look elsewhere.

Kevin Mc

I'd agree with a lot of the points made so far.

Generally speaking you're going to get a bigger plot and better sized rooms with an older house. There are good sized, well built new houses out there, but you will have to pay a premium for them. Older houses, despite being bigger will less likely to have parking, and will need more maintenance.

I think the 31st house we went round was the one we bought (first house). It's amazing the amount of poo that's out there. (Much like second hand cars being advertised as "Excellent" or "A1" ) Our second house was a big old terraced which we got for a good price because viewers didn't seem to be able to see past the old carpets and rubbish fixtures and fittings. We've since moved to a 4 bedroom detached, and I think it is only very slightly bigger than the terraced - but far better laid out.

I think the main thing is to look at quite a few houses as someone has already said.

You were right to shy away from the new builds near the council estate. Sounds like there were too many things which didn't meet your pre-requisites. It's very easy to get carried away after viewing a new house - best to come away and think about it for a couple of days before moving further.

Definately agree with what was said about potential for extending. We could do with more space, but to get something that's only very slightly better than our house, we'd need to spend 50% more at the very least. Needless to say we could probably build a complete house for that 50%, let alone an extention!

It's all about compromising, but go for the best house in the best area you can afford.

njkmrs

The fact is ,it is all very exciting getting your first place ,so make sure you dont rush into a decision you may regret .

Search ,search and search again .It will probably be your biggest commitment in life buying a property, and if you dont make the correct decision ,then it will cause you much agro for years to come .

Most people dont get everything they want ,when they but their first place ,so you may have to compromise.But dont compromise on Location !!


Take your time ,when the right one comes along it will all fall into place .
There is one out there with your name on it .
Good luck .

Kuro

Believe it or not, and despite this thread, there are some advantages to buying a new house

Think about the stuff that you *won't* have to worry about, like wiring (it will be modern spec) heating (modern, efficient) and nightmare jobs like roofing, windows, guttering

Each and every home has their appeal. For me, it is new-build everytime. I wouldn't touch an old house, far too much hassle. Besides, with a new build *everything* is how you want it, no dodgy flock wallpaper or crappy DIY jobs to content with.

Bear in mind that new estates as of a few years ago have to allow for an element of social housing within them. Some crap about social integration or something. So with that in mind, you'll never be that far from 'housing of a state nature' shall we say...

fivetide

iTrader: (1)

Agreed with the social aspect. its to stop putting all the scrubbers in one place and having them wreck an entire estate. the plan is they'll realise how other people actually live and up their game.

my experience is that it doesn't work. the one on our estate are still layabout scrubbers with untaxed/non running cars sitting all over, shouting at their kids, not taking out rubbish etc.

5t.

john banks

They are throwing deals at you because they are trying to polish a turd.

I'd rather rent than buy a shoebox next to a council estate!

Your wife needs to settle down, only the third house you've looked at. The GW sales lady will be trying all the tricks in the book, the reality is she isn't discounting it because she likes you.

Aaquil

Thanks for all the replies guys...in my wifes defence she is willing to llok at other older houses but i think she just prefers the concept of a newer house as KURO has stated.

I prefer the concept of getting an older house and doing it up to our exact spec (within reason)...I have explained this to my wife and she seems cool with it.

Keep it coming...

fitzscoob

They put a GW estate not so far from me, in fact a friend has bought a flat on there. It is a mixed estate of flats and houses.

Honestly, the flat is immaculate, very high standards, built very well.

But the estate has deteriorated, the housing association has had a bad effect on the over all state of the site and the way the estate was designed means it is near enough impossible to find a parking space unless you are a resident. Even then you only get 1 allocated space.

If you are looking at new builds with allocated parking, find out what you are entitled to.

They went into a new build to save themselves all the hassle of properties that needed work...

You pay your money....

Bakerman

I did the new house on an estate in Oxon (all non-council and fairly affluent, cheapest flats are now around £100k and most expensive detached around £335k) and for us at the time it was fine, served a purpose, went up lots and lots and OK the fittings arent the best quality but if they work then so what. Cheap living maybe important to you (close to your limit) and by buying a new house you can do this and it certainly was for us, lots of people out there like the uniformity and to be frank they are built like they are because they sell to their market - easy to sell when you are ready to as people know what they are getting.

Each to their own, we have since moved to an older property but not because of the house more to do with having a few more quid to use.

Look at lots of houses and pick the best one for the both of you, not what people on snet say as to be frank a whole lot of ****e gets spoken on here.

Nimbus

I can see the appeal of a new house. I was dead set on buying one when we moved house a few years ago, for all the reasons listed above. However, we viewed an old house (1920s) on a whim, fell in love with it and after a stressful 6 months eventually bought it. It does not have a double garage that I wanted (but has a massive driveway) and only three beds instead of 4 that I wanted, but it's in a fab location on the edge of a village and there's room to extend if necessary.

Not sure how that helps you, other than you may not end up getting what you think you want...