New build vs old build
Many residents of new-build properties do not have enough room to put all their furniture, prepare food or entertain friends.
Those are the finding of a survey from the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE), which advises the government on buildings.
In short, some new-build properties are not big enough to live in, highlighting some of the problems that can come with new developments.
But new-builds come with a host of advantages, too, and are a particularly popular choice for first-time buyers.
Should we be avoiding new builds and demanding better from developers? Or do the advantages far outweigh their problems?
Sarah Routledge explores the pitfalls and rewards of buying a brand new home.
Shiny and new
The most obvious attraction about buying a new build is the fixtures and fittings are new, and tend to be in a neutral style, giving the buyer a blank canvas. Many developers will also give you some choice on the finishes as well.
There is no need for redecoration or refurbishment, so moving straight in is simple - and without a chain, immediate.
Designed for modern living, many new-builds offer mod cons such as en-suite bathrooms, while modern building standards for insulation are higher - so your energy bills should be lower.
New homes, are on average four times more energy efficient than older houses. And they are usually sited in desirable locations, close to shops and amenities.
New homes also come with a ten-year NHBC Buildmark warranty, which guarantees the structure of the home for ten years. It is important to check your new house has this as some properties have latent defects that only come to light several years after they are built.
Around 80 per cent of new homes built in the UK are covered by the warranty and it currently protects more than 1.7 million homes.
If a problem is reported in the first two years after the home is finished, NHBC can provide its free independent Resolution service. This involves investigating the problem and if a breach of NHBC Technical Standards has occurred, NHBC will instruct the builders to put it right.
Incentives
Once developers have spent a lot of money on building their homes, they are understandably keen to get them sold. This can be an advantage to the buyer, particularly in areas with high levels of competition.
Barratt Homes' new development in Horley, The Acres, offers a package of help including part exchange with free removals and free mortgage protection for the first year.
Other developments have offered to pay the stamp duty, given out interest-free loans to help with the deposit and in some cases, even given away a car to buyers.
Barratt Southern Counties managing director Trevor Sawyer said: "Deals and assistance like this are just not available when buying second-hand homes because the vast majority of individual vendors and their estate agents are just not in a position to offer them.
"Very often, it is the help we can give with deposits or stamp duty, with discounts, part exchange and a whole raft of other benefits - these are what make the difference between people being able to buy and not being able to buy."
Some of these incentives can be very helpful, but you should be negotiating on the price too.
New-build houses tend to come at a slight premium, and to get an idea of what you should be paying make sure you look at the price similar properties in the area sold at recently.
Teething problems
"We did a survey a few years ago and we found a third of all new homes have between 100 and 200 defects," says the director of ew Build Inspections, Stephen Roberts.
New Build Inspections offers a 'snagging service' for new-build buyers which identifies problems for the builder to fix before the buyer moves in.
"We've seen things such as insulation missing, fire doors that don't work, through to major structural problems."
Although an advantage of buying a new house should be that you don't have to worry about anything going wrong or needing replacing for a while, new homes actually come with a whole range of problems.
"It's impossible to build a defect-free house," says Mr Roberts.
"So I don't expect to find no defects. The difference lies in the builders' attitudes to fix those defects."
Some developers will do anything to make sure the buyer is happy - and others take a different tack, Mr Roberts says.
"There was one property we did where the tiler had tiled the bathroom floor straight onto the timber sub-floor. When the sub-floor moved, the tiles cracked. It is possible to tile directly onto the sub-floor, but it has to be done properly.
"When we pointed this out, his solution was to stick new tiles onto the old cracked ones! Just because a repair is done, doesn't mean it is done right."
New Build Inspections also offer the service of repeating their inspection after the repairs have been carried out, to ensure they are up to scratch.
Mr Roberts says he always recommends people to get a professional to conduct a snagging inspection, as they will go through hundreds of checks, but if you are doing it yourself go through every room, starting with the door, and thoroughly check everything, including windows, ceilings and floors.
There are plenty of good reasons to buy a new-build home - just make sure you know what you are getting before signing.
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