# Buying new build and part exchange?



## Nick-ST (Mar 4, 2013)

Evening all!

So me and the better half currently have a 3 bed semi detached house and are looking to move up into a detached house next year. Until the last couple of weeks I don't think we had ever even considered a new build. But a couple of properties have really taken our fancy (from the computer generated images anyway). We have a meeting booked to have a look around the show home and to discuss everything in general.

BUT my question to you all is, are there any things to be careful or wary of when potentially buying a new build? Are prices set in stone and can you negotiate on changes like worktop colours etc?

Also the company offer a part exchange scheme with your existing home. Again does anyone have experience with this? I accept it will be similar as to with a car as in not getting what the home would be worth selling ourselves etc. But there are also pros to it like not being part of a chain etc. 

I really want to try and get a better understanding before the meeting as knowing me and the wife if we fall in love we will end up agreeing to buy there and then :lol:

TIA

Nick


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## Harry_p (Mar 18, 2015)

My sister has recently part exchanged her flat for a newbuild. They offered bang in the middle of a couple of independent estate agent valuations, and made the whole thing increadibly hassle free with no back and forth with offers, chains or pressure to be out on a certain date.


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## BTS (Jul 22, 2013)

Nick-ST said:


> Evening all!
> 
> So me and the better half currently have a 3 bed semi detached house and are looking to move up into a detached house next year. Until the last couple of weeks I don't think we had ever even considered a new build. But a couple of properties have really taken our fancy (from the computer generated images anyway). We have a meeting booked to have a look around the show home and to discuss everything in general.
> 
> ...


Hi mate,

Me and the other half bought a new build in May this year. It was a first home so I don't have any info on the exchange.

When we bought ours it was a relatively new development and very popular. We couldn't get any money off at all and we tried hard. Now they are offering deals on plots that they need to shift so on ours you can get things like free kitchen upgrades, money towards moving costs, stamp duty paid etc.

What builder is it?

We got in before the roof was on so was able to pick everything. Not sure if they would change it if they have been installed though.

My advice would be to make sure everything is written down and most communication is via email so you have evidence. Do not trust a word they say and question everything. Do not go with their flooring and try and leave the upgrades. Our builder wanted £136 per spot light!!! We got people in after we moved in for much cheaper.

My biggest advice would be to get your home professionally snagged ideally before you move in. We paid someone to do this and it was worth its weight in gold. We had 5 pages worth of snagging that they picked up and they supported us in getting the builder to put this right.

Hope that helps.

Ben.

Sent from my LG-H850 using Tapatalk


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## Kerr (Mar 27, 2012)

If a builder is accepting houses in part exchange I would have the suspicion they are struggling to sell their houses. 

One of my neighbours recently bought a new build on a part exchange basis. Rather than the builder discount their property they paid our neighbour £40,000 more than their part exchange was worth. 

Checking on Zoopla it looks like the builder has managed to get full price for every house. I know that's far from true. 

I'm not sure I would have another new build. The quality of materials and workmanship isn't what it used to be.


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## wish wash (Aug 25, 2011)

Some developments are better than others, but one thing I've never liked about ones I've looked at is I feel to pended in. Small gardens, overlooked by everyone, poor fit and finish. Show houses never have furniture in as it highlights how small the rooms are. Yours will be bigger and better if it's detached.


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## kingswood (Jun 23, 2016)

do lots more research.

id never buy a new build for numerous reasons:

cant add value
depreciate (like new cars) days of buying off plan and then selling and making a mint are long gone
never know what the estate is going to end up looking like - bus routes, people over looking you etc
snagging - unfortunately tradesman are not what they were
new builds are smaller with small gardens and no car parking

not to mention the good points tho if moneys no issue

nice to have a 10yr warranty
new kitchens, bathrooms etc

to me the cons dont outweigh the pro's


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## Nick-ST (Mar 4, 2013)

Thanks for all your help folks. Will post how we get on this weekend


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## Mcpx (Mar 15, 2016)

We have bought two new builds and the second one was an exchange but was about 13 years ago now so any deal you do is subject to the state of the market at the time. Be aware of the local market, not just prices but how quickly houses sell, or don’t, and look at trends. If house prices in the area are consistently rising then take this into account. You probably won’t get the full market value for the property but it should be close, it’s up to you how much you are prepared to lose and to weigh that against the convenience of the exchange. 

As for the spec of the house, it depends on what stage of build it’s at. The first house we bought was an ex show home so was all completed which meant we had to take it as it was, but that did mean that it was fully kitted out with all the basic stuff like light fittings that you wouldn’t get on a standard build. On the second one we got in just before it was completed so we had a few kitchen options and that was it. My sister bought one before construction began and she was able to specify everything from the kitchen to the bathroom tiles, she even got them to paint everything white instead of the usual dreaded magnolia. 

Talk to the builder and see, small independents are much more flexible than the big corporate builders, because they buy things like light switches and tiles in bulk so any deviation from standard carries a significant cost. See what they will change and more importantly, see what it will cost. It could even be cheaper to change things yourself after the build is completed. 

Finally when you are ready to take over the property make sure you do a very thorough snag list and that it gets actioned before you move in. There is the normal space time continuum where most of us live and then there is builder time, which is quite, quite different.


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## Andyg_TSi (Sep 6, 2013)

Just one thing to consider which isnt an obvious 'spring to mind' thing....

Plot position.

You might think buying the house in an end plot is great (not overlooked...bit more land etc. However, theives prefer an end of estate development house for the same reason & will take more risk to target that property......again, because its not overlooked & has a better 'escape route' especially if the house backs onto fields.

Better if you get a corner plot between two streets on the estate.


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## c87reed (Dec 9, 2015)

I would buy another new build, but I would always want to see the house in the flesh rather than on plan. I would always want to see how the estate is looking in terms of feel and the layout. Finish could be better in areas but this varies a lot from one estate to another, old houses will be re-finished by the same grade of tradesman - no escaping that.

Not all estates are cramped, ours feels spacious in terms of the width of the roads - our front garden is about 40ft. Not all new-builds are cramped either, our 3 bed semi is 1100 sqft. with good-sized rooms, whereas some 3 beds are as low as 650 sqft. but some people don't really take note of the dimensions. 

Try to image where your neighbours will park as there often isn't much free parking space around on the roadside. If a lot of houses only have parking for one car try to imagine what this would be like if they have two cars and visitors. Think about who could see into your garden and where the sunlight will come in etc.

In North Yorkshire where I live, new-builds regularly re-sell quickly when offered for sale and often for a higher figure than when bought new. It will always depend on how desirable the house is. I know that ours would sell easily and quickly and there will always be a limited amount of 3 bed houses with 3 good-sized double bedrooms and a garage.


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## wish wash (Aug 25, 2011)

c87reed said:


> I would buy another new build, but I would always want to see the house in the flesh rather than on plan. I would always want to see how the estate is looking in terms of feel and the layout. Finish could be better in areas but this varies a lot from one estate to another, old houses will be re-finished by the same grade of tradesman - no escaping that.
> 
> Not all estates are cramped, ours feels spacious in terms of the width of the roads - our front garden is about 40ft. Not all new-builds are cramped either, our 3 bed semi is 1100 sqft. with good-sized rooms, whereas some 3 beds are as low as 650 sqft. but some people don't really take note of the dimensions.
> 
> ...


Christ a 40ft front garden on a new build, where's that. Obviously the developer was feeling generous. The ones I've seen are lucky if it's the full length of a car


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## willywonker (Oct 27, 2016)

Definitely get out and look at as many house and developements as possible, also do you research on builders. They are not all the same, much like a Dacia vs a Jag, not all new builds are the same!

As someone said, keep an eye on the sales staff, gte everything they agree in writing.

Think about the options, some are expensive, some good value. We were offered to extend our patio for something like £20 a slab, which sounded a lot, but when we had a quote for someone else to do it, it was much more with levelling of the ground etc.

If you want a bargain, buy towards the end of a development when they want rid. Our first new build was one of the last few houses, we got stamp duty paid and some upgrades and £20k off list. You can make money on new builds, we did nothing to ours other than decorate and made a tidy profit over 5 years.

We just brought another new build, as it’s such a simple way to own a house. Having helped my folks do up old properties where stuffs been bodged and money needs spending, new builds are low effort! If I do it again I’d buy from a smaller developer next time, not a big brand one.


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## c87reed (Dec 9, 2015)

wish wash said:


> Christ a 40ft front garden on a new build, where's that. Obviously the developer was feeling generous. The ones I've seen are lucky if it's the full length of a car


Ours was built by Linden Homes, but the site was originally designed/planned by Shepherd Homes, as were the house styles/layouts. They were a smaller builder but sold their housing operations to Linden. Our area isn't a highly sought after area and so we got a lot more for our money. Ours has a low proportion of social housing, with 21 out of the 96 plots being social - normally around 40%.

One thing that is impossible to see on a plan is the topography of the land. We've seen plots on our estate that we liked on the plan but once built they have a steep drive or garden.


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