Helping UK new home buyers
The Do's and Don'ts of buying a new home
All too often, the show homes, the sales patter and the deals on offer blinker new home buyers. House builders are in business for one reason only - to make a profit. Nothing else matters to them. You will need to keep your wits about you to ensure that you do not make the same mistakes that 1000’s of buyers regret making every year when they buy a new home.
We have listed below a simple checklist of do's and don'ts - all being good advice based on buyer's feedback and the author's many years experience in the house building industry. Please feel free to print this checklist with our compliments. You will find more detailed information on this website.
Do's
Do work out exactly what you want from a home and set a firm budget. Remember the additional associated costs of moving home, they can add up.- Do watch out for sales gimmicks and deals. Are they the best value for you?
- Do your research before reserving. Check out the house builder online.
- Do ask for a copy of the Consumer Code for Home Builders and READ IT
- Do check prices in the area you are looking at. You will probably find that the brand new homes are more expensive and smaller.
- Do thoroughly check out the area before reservation for schools, crime and flood risk etc.
- Do ask the right questions.
- Do get everything verbally agreed in writing, or confirm in writing yourself.
- Do make sure all pertinent information is made available to you. Especially contamination reports, environmental assessments and specifications etc.
- Do check the site and plans carefully so your understand exactly what you are buying.
- Do demand to see you homes NHBC inspection book, where defects and breaches to standards have been recorded by the NHBC inspector.
- Do ask for a discount on the stated price. It is relatively easy to get 10% or more off the price listed.
- Do buy on a development that has won a NHBC Quality Award.
- Do avoid any new homes with shared driveways.
- Do buy from the house builders with the least complained about reputation.
- Do knock on doors of existing buyers on the development. Ask them about the standard of their new home and the service they got from the builder after they moved in regarding fixing any defects.
- Do report in writing all outstanding and unresolved defects, as well as any new problems to the house builder before the two-year warranty expires.
- Do report defects or snagging and always do so in writing to the regional office. You can still give a copy to the site manager.
- Do always get your new home professionally inspected and snagged by an independent company before you complete on the purchase.
- Do keep a record of any costs you incur as a result of defects and snags.
- Do get an home insurance policy that includes Legal Protection useful if you need to take the house builder to court.
Do complete the HBF customer satisfaction survey. But leave it for at least six months before doing so.
Don'ts
- Don't get taken in or fooled by the show home. Your new home will look nothing like this!
- Don't believe anything the sales advisor tells you. They are driven by commission and targets.
- Don't use the house builder’s solicitor or any solicitor they recommend. Your legal representative must be 100% independent - or this could happen!
- Don't take out your mortgage with the house builder's recommended broker.
- Don't use the house builder for optional extras. They are never good value, go to the trades directly.
- Don't use the house builder's carpets/carpet contractor. They are normally of a lower quality, fitted on cheap underlay. You should be in control of when your carpets are fitted – not the site manager!
- Don't ever regard the sales advisor or site manager as a "friend" Keep your relationship with them business like and professional at all times.
- Don't buy any new home that is not 100% complete at least two months before the house builder’s end of year figures date.
- Don't legally complete at Christmas. It is more expensive to move and no one is around during the festive period should anything go wrong in your new house - see when to buy a new home.
- Don't buy a new home built on Brownfield land if possible.
- Don't buy a Leasehold property if at all possible. Never buy a Leasehold new house. Even some flats are being sold Freehold.
- Don't buy a new home near a bin store or electricity substations.
- Don't buy from any house builder that is not rated 5 stars in the HBF survey.
- Don't buy a new home that does not have an NHBC warranty.
- Don't get taken in by house builder's incentives or help to buy schemes. You are nearly always better off buying without these with a larger discount.
- Don't buy a timber frame new home - especially if it is not detached.
- Don't buy a new home near the social housing units.
- Don't leave reporting defects to later. Always report any problems to the builder in writing on at least a weekly basis. You can then remind them of any works still outstanding along with the new defects.
- Don't accept any defects or sub standard work in your new home. It is always possible to put right anything and everything. 'Within tolerance' does not exist!
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Good advice when
buying a new home
