Everything You Need to Know About Buying a New-Build Home
Buying a home is an all-consuming task for any individual or family. There is a whole host of decisions to make, from your budget to your search area and far beyond.
One such decision is a relatively innocuous one, but one which could have dramatic impacts for the success of your house hunt and the affordability of your next home: to new-build, or not?
Between 2022 and 2023, Homes England-affiliated development programmes saw well over 35,000 new-build homes started across the country – with just under 33,000 completed in the same period. But what exactly is a new-build property, and what might you need to know about investing in one over a ‘conventional’ home?
New Builds – The What and Why
New-build properties are exactly as they sound: newly-constructed homes, often in entirely new suburbs or neighbourhoods. One of the many factors influencing the increasingly difficulty first-time buyers face in the UK property market is supply, and new developments are naturally part of the solution. New-build homes also offer some benefits over pre-existing properties.
For one, their newness makes them less likely to exhibit structural issues or require extensive post-purchase spending to get in a liveable state. Their newness also gives them an advantage with regard to innovation and developments, both in construction and interior design; as well as enjoying higher energy efficiency, new-build homeowners can enjoy a number of modern conveniences linked to recent technological developments. They can also be easier to buy, at least where developers decide not to sell new-builds as an investment (hence giving families a chance to get on the housing ladder).
Choosing a Location
As with the purchase of any property, location is absolutely key to the purchasing of a new-build. Your priorities are no different here, and such factors as the proximity of public transport links or local amenities will remain important considerations for you.
New-build developments are often strategically placed with such concerns in mind, too; as an example, there are new build homes in Bath that provide strong public and private transport connections to London, while keeping the historic charm of a smaller city close by. Northern developments can also be bought into at a steal.
Buying Off-Plan
In some cases, new builds do not present as fully-realised homes in existing neighbourhood. Indeed, they are often sold ‘off-plan’, as opposed to after construction; buyers reserve a plot based on the plans for the unit, and potentially a tour of a previously-finished show-home that demonstrates the eventual form and quality of the finished build.
Off-plan buys are higher risk, simply on account of your inability to see exactly what it is you are buying before you sign the contract. This risk is offset by a couple of factors, however. For one, off-plan agreements are often closed well below average market values for a given area. Developers are also likely to offer a warranty with new-builds, which guarantees free maintenance and repair where issues with a property arise.
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