Would we buy another NEW BUILD house in the UK?

We’ve lived in a worked in a lot of different houses over the years, new and old. So bearing in mind the amount of work involved in renovating an older property, would we buy another new build house in the UK?
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Chapters:
00:00 - Introduction
01:37 - Snagging
07:42 - New build positives
12:39 - The Great Park debacle
18:20 - New build red flags
22:20 - Would we buy another new build?
All content on this channel is exclusively owned by MacLellan Creative Limited. Copyright (c) 2024. All rights reserved.
#propertyinvestment #newbuild #property

[@phildxyz]

This ought to be a TV program. Brilliant summary that deserves a wider audience.

[@ge2719]

And a more informed house buyer might actually mean builders need to up the quality of their product and aren't able to get away with the crap they currently are getting away with.

[@michaelwinkley2302]

"...and we found a full bottle of piss in one of our walls." How you delivered this line was just pure comedy genius. 😂

[@Officialcbr]

@@-BY205 LOL

[@tubaman66]

I would have been tempted to post it back to the builders asking that they hand it back to its owner.

[@ahah1785]

the most brittish thing ever to do....

[@lewisbrown51]

Just shows the horrendous mentality of the type of person building these houses now, going completely unchecked obviously

[@jakeroadtonowhere4070]

I would’ve took that bottle of piss to the police to do DNA on it ., to get that builder back because he’s taking the piss 😂😂

[@MrOdoric]

I thought "snagging" was finding minor faults that missed inspection. This looks like the builders are simply unqualified chancers who couldn't care less. How could you have any faith that the house will be standing in a year's time?

[@corylus86]

Councils should heavily fine developers for not adhering to planning conditions

[@marissakeynes2532]

No they just go after private landlords. ​@@corylus86

[@LiquidFlower]

Trouble is you can just make a limited company and not have any liability as a person if something goes wrong. It enables cowboys like this to do a shoddy job. Always ask the person who is working for you if they have insurance and certificates at the very least.

[@CraigBass1988]

@@corylus86 that won’t help with snagging, you can’t condition that within a planning consent. The problem is the privatisation of building control. You’ve got absolute muppets who don’t have a clue, and are being paid by the developers, to sign off the works. It is a complete disgrace. To add insult to injury, the NHBC is made up of ex-developer directors so they’re nearly always on the side of the builder.

[@TalesOfWar]

@@corylus86 Councils literally don't have the people to do follow these kind of things. Their budgets and resources are cut beyond the bone thanks to central government constantly giving them less and less. On top of that a HUGE swath of the current Tory party are landlords and property developers, and receive huge brib... "campaign donations" from other developers so they turn a blind eye or pass legislation to reduce regulations and the rights of tenants and home owners.

[@MrDirkles]

"if its under the builders warranty it will all be covered" 🤣That's the best laugh i've had in years.

[@u2kjib4cjkqn]

Not worth the paper written on had a few dealings with warranty’s for customers complete waste of time .

[@fqlynx]

That's because it's an insurance scam and not a manufacturer's warranty. The way some of these developers get off any accountability, is simply by letting the company go bust and starting a new one. The NHBC is a complete disgrace too.

[@christinedavis5813]

I am still laughing at that ass well

[@jellyboy123]

what my company does is change our name every 2 years tax breaks plus the warranty is with the old company we all do this

[@Tokaisho1]

@@jellyboy123 Never using a company less than 5 years old

[@richtea7868]

I got really lucky, my new build was build by a small local builder, he buys up big older houses that are falling down and then puts several smaller ones on them. I bought the property off him directly and he sorted all the snagging. His son and family do all the work and Im actually almost friends with him now. He makes a decent amount of money and still does a good job.

[@rbnhd1144]

A small local builder should equal care, you get a much nicer product, built with Pride.

[@klawlor3659]

Can relate to that. My home was built by a local builder in 2003, and touch wood I've had no issues. This was despite it being used and abused as a buy to let property for 14 years, with minimum spent. Just replaced the front door, windows and kitchen and painted it from top to bottom.

[@si0054]

We just did the same, hands down one of the best built properties in the whole region. He built four on this plot, great views no ‘affordable’ social houses That’s a separate issue, I’d never buy a house near affordable housing again. We had a cannabis house, drug dealers, hordes of screaming kids for months on end because we bought without knowing it was social houses at the back of mine. I don’t care what anyone calls me, not what I paid for. Plush the 3 page snagging list.

[@johnboyginger]

One golden rule - Never, ever buy a house built by Persimmon Homes!!! Cheap tat thrown up as cheaply as possible.

[@paulknights1764]

I agree I’ve worked on a few of there sites as a carpenter.. very poor quality and finish .

[@MK-yo4jn]

😂

[@steverobinson9836]

@@MK-yo4jn We were working at a new build house by persimmon and I am not a brickie but OMG it was dreaful, how the hell that even got passed was beyond me and that sums up the state of our unskilled couldn't care less workforce sadly, I wish I had taken a picture

[@MK-yo4jn]

That's scary. I'm so old school. I bought an old property. 1930s and we are slow renovating it. Trying to DIY small things but getting professionals to do the heavy lifting.

[@johnboyginger]

No wonder their former chief executive took a £90 million bonus a few years ago. Cheap tat sold for a fortune.

[@CameronFussner]

People will have to accept the possibility that we won't ever return to 3%. If sellers must sell, home prices will have to decline, and lower evaluations will follow. Sure I'm not alone in my chain of thoughts.

[@LucasBenjamin-hv7sk]

Buy now, home prices will not go lower. If rates drop, you can refinance.

[@leojack9090]

The government will have no choice but to print more notes and lower interest rates.

[@hasede-lg9hj]

Well i think, home prices will need to fall by at least 40% before the market normalizes. If you do not know whether to buy a house or not, it is best you seek guidance from a well-experienced advisor for proper portfolio allocation. So far, that’s how I’ve stayed afloat over 5 years now, amassing nearly $1m in return on investments.

[@KarlyNoorda]

@@hasede-lg9hj Could you kindly elaborate on the advisor's background and qualifications?

[@hasede-lg9hj]

Finding financial advisors like Sharon Ann Meny who can assist you shape your portfolio would be a very creative option. There will be difficult times ahead, and prudent personal money management will be essential to navigating them.

[@bobikdylan]

We bought a one acre plot and got a local builder to do the foundations, external and internal walls, and the roof. Bought architect's plans online for £400 and had them tweaked by a local architect so we got exactly what we wanted. All materials are good and solid. The stairs and ceiling are reinforced concrete, and the whole place is wrapped in 15cm of polystyrence insulation. 15 years on we've had no problems.

[@gtiggsmusicstudent]

This appeals to me way more than all the plaster board I have a feeling plaster board walls aren't really for me I I really prefer knowing I have solid walls and any fittings and hangings will not move a millimetre. I have spent the last of five years constantly search alternatives to some.of these house builds and settled on self build like you did and be in control of chosen proven materials. And outside finishes. Ans yeah always wondered why use those renders that then turn green once exposed to blighty's unforgiving weather. I like the crisp nice finish but won't have it unless i know it can be protected and won't discolor. Yes I like your approach.

[@zenastronomy]

how much it cost to build?

[@bobikdylan]

@@zenastronomy It's difficult to say because we built in Poland, where labour is cheaper than in the UK. I'd say about £50k in labour and materials.

[@Thepourdeuxchanson]

@@bobikdylan My friend who bought a disastrous sloppy new build near Cambridge found out that most of the builders on the estate were Polish - Poland exported their worst and kept their best obviously.

[@stefanszakal87]

That’s the only way if you want a good house . But on top of the cost for quality materials and maybe multiple teams of workers (as you may fire some if they don’t do a good job ) you will also have to pay a lot with your time (not sure if you can have a full time job while doing this ) and stress ! Regarding workers . I think all good ones went to west Europe. In Romania you go to church to merry the guy if he knows how to do his job without you telling him .

[@SomeKidFromBritain]

The "negative equity" concern is a very very useful thing to know. Thank you.

[@hughjanus7354]

Anyone who buys anything that requires a loan without understanding this... I feel sorry for you.

[@Zel0978]

I bought a 4 bed detached place in Grantham in 2020 that had been on the market for over 6 months. Built in '78 and rented for most of it's life you can imagine the landlord had spent the bare minimum to keep it liveable. It was on the market for £215k and I got it for £195k, and proceeded to strip it back and start over. We've only got the kitchen and living room left to do and nothing has been missed out. It's now worth about £315k as it stands and we couldn't be happier. Watching this made me realise just how many criminals run around in suits, and how easily people are separated from their hard earned money.

[@gm2407]

As you say you can buy a substandard new build and fix it yourself, or buy a substandard old build that only gets repaired if the owner has the money and inclination to do so. I.E is not a slum lord. Then fix it yourself. If you can find an honest workman who knows what they are doing, when you have to sift through getting quotes and waiting to get the work done. It is a tough gig for most people as there are so many bear traps you walk into if you don't know how something should have been made and the standards the work should be done to.

[@diegolove173]

I'm really happy with my victorian house made in 1857 very solid ! we changed the tiles last year and re pointed the chimney in 2020 so far so good

[@Monsieur405]

Not a sparky, but an Aussie homeowner. Your new build disasters are a common story here in Australia too. Build quality has gone down the tubes. IMO it's a combination of problems. 1. Privatisation of building inspectors 2. Drop in quality by trades. Builders and inspectors are in bed together and work that doesn't pass our National Construction Code gets signed off on. If i was dictator for a day, I would 1. Bring inspectors into a government role akin to 'building police' 2. Implement a '3 strikes' system where trades who willingly breech the NCC or 'Australian Standards' get three chances before their license is revoked and they are banned from the industry. For inspectors who sign off on non-compliant work and are found out? Lose your license and banned from industry. I've got a particularly bad case in my own home where the structural engineers signed off on non-compliant structural work. 'She'll be right', 'You can't see it from my house' and 'what the eye don't see the chef gets away with' are phrases that sum up the attitude of builders here. I genuinely don't know how these cowboys can sleep at night.

[@snoopy13946]

I’d take it further and introduce jail time for certain offences. They’d buck themselves up then!

[@gm2407]

If the structural engineer doesn't know what they are doing or care the the whole thing is doomed. Might as well build the damned thing yourself for all the garbage the industry throws up.

[@boyasaka]

It’s a disgrace that the builder , developer doesn’t pick lots of these snags up BEFORE they hand over the keys

[@lynnew5619]

I think it’s more of a disgrace that people’s lives are potentially at risk from shoddy, seemingly incompetent work, all to keep costs down & maximise the greedy developer’s profits.

[@DodgyChris2012]

They're hoping people won't care or will perceive it as normal so they can get away with it, doesn't matter on the builder either, even the more reputable ones are awful, the best new builds I've been in or worked are the ones built as small little developments by a smaller company, who actually take pride in their work. The council should really up there game and look more at quality before signing the building certificate in my opinion

[@boyasaka]

@@DodgyChris2012 does the council actually sign off the work as I was lead to belive they use a supposedly accredited company to sign them off but if said company was to strict , large builder would stop using said company to inspect and sign off I mean I’ve seen houses where ground work is above the air bricks Gas meters not sealed And other really serious stuff

[@hewoguys2506]

ive been a snagger and i will tell you new builds are crap buikt with crap materials and tradesmen dont care coz developers dont pay enough thats why its are revolving door of trades coming in and out one thing must say they warm and thats about it

[@girlsdrinkfeck]

@@boyasaka if i was a new build buyer in such a situation id take the inspectors to court

[@clivelockwood3236]

Fair play you do get insulation in the new build which is a good thing but that's probably where it ends.

[@Dr.Stacker]

Even then not difficult to retrofit into an old property, Got all walls cavity insulated, Floorbeds removed and insulated and loft...

[@TheHateSpeechChannel]

Only because they are forced to install it. Do you think they are doing to be nice?

[@fritz4345]

Never trust the shiny rendering of any developers. They are worse than any car salesmen. While new houses might have better insulation, at older houses you know what you are getting into, you see the developed neighborhood and you can fix most of the old house problems over time. Excellent video!

[@John-ou4rm]

There can be a lot of cost with an older house, and they can't be fixed cheaply especially as often it requires ripping out good fittings to access what you're trying to remedy, like underfloor insulation.

[@funnythat9956]

The house to buy is a 4 year old new build. The snags have been dealt with and the insulation is still up to the latest standard.

[@John-ou4rm]

@@funnythat9956 I've got a 172 year old house, and they're ice boxes in the winter, to put insulation back in requires a lot of invasive work. I think a 1980s house probably is a good middle ground as electrics / insulation etc is all reasonably up to spec. 1980s houses generally were built quite well, modern houses use the cheapest of fittings that will look really tired in 10 years, taps will bubble and rust etc. We build houses, we know.

[@tmmtmm]

@@funnythat9956 did you watch the video? You can renovate/fix a house but you can't renovate non-existent infrastructure.

[@sirrodneyffing1]

"at older houses you know what you are getting into," really?..

[@Doug....]

If those loose cables didnt show up on the continuity test and other required processes then i would say it either hadn't been inspected or the inspection procedures aren't fit for purpose. 😱. It obviously wasn't installed by a qualified electrician as they would have held the cable in place, tightened up and TUGGED the cable afterwards. Disgraceful.

[@rob5944]

I had a local electrician round to put a towel rail in, he didn't seem to know what he was doing.

[@Doug....]

@@rob5944 Well that makes you think doesn't it. Not the same "electrician" that fitted Andy's consumer unit was it 👀😁

[@rob5944]

@@Doug.... the craftsmen from years ago have gone. Nobody seems to care anymore, no pride in their work. Half the things you buy are rubbish too.

[@LiquidFlower]

Lots of it would be fixed if the law was properly enforced not allowing such bad practices..

[@notmyname4261]

@@LiquidFlower Deregulation started in the 1980's under Thatcher and has slowly increased since. Brexit has made it explode and what's most concerning now is it's coming to the food industry.

[@terryj50]

Would not buy one in the first place seen so many bad stories. I bought an old home it’s been up 200 years I’m sure it will be up another 200.

[@pureblood1978x]

I worked for the cowboys who supplied and "installed " the windows at great park. They're garbage and the firm went bust. The boss was a clown. On one development they fitted float glass instead of acoustic glass, lied about it and got caught. This helped sink the company.

[@cuebj]

Negative equity: £90k in March 1989; £45k a year later and stayed that way for about 5 years. Beckton, in London Docklands, was national capital of negative equity. Eventually, lived there for nearly 30 years, raised our family, and enjoyed our time in our tiny house with neighbours and church. Upsized south of the River so children, spouses, grandchildren could visit. Spent 5 years gutting and rebuilding what we bought while still working and living in our old house. 1930s semi that is now thermally efficient and extended sideways, backwards, upwards and we have a large brick inhabitable bungalow shed at the end of the garden. Children did really well finding their homes - a 1970s massively extended 3-bed semi in North Wales and a 19th century terrace in South London. Our current house and the 19th century terrace a well out of true. The 19th century house, like others I've seen has corkscrewed and rooms drop 50mm or more from one wall to the next. But no cracked walls and it makes for interesting fixtures and fittings - I built a large kitchen for a friend that was flexible to hug the wavy walls - looked perfect 20 years later.

[@ReeceBurgess]

“Oh and obviously we found a full bottle of piss hidden in one of our walls…anyway..” 🤣🤣🤣

[@tsango1972]

I nearly spat my core out laughing….😆

[@Face--wx5js]

I live in a new build house that we purchased from the developer. On the plus side, they offered to buy my previous house for a very fair price, which was a rescue at the time as we were in a pretty big chain and the original person buying my house pulled out on the day of signing the contract to try force down the price! The area our new build is in is lovely, on the edge of a very pleasant village, so we were not 'sold' a dream of a new area being built from scratch as it already existed with all the benefits of that. The house was also very reasonably priced and has increased in value over the 10 years we have been here. Additionally we got solar panels on the property that we did not have to pay extra for and the kitchen was apparently the best the best they offered... On the downside, the quality of the build is shockingly bad, you can absolutely tell they built these properties as cheaply and quickly as possible. I am not a person who raises complaints as a rule, but we had to have the developers out almost weekly to fix stuff that was a major problem, from dodgy electrics to leaky roof's, tiles falling off and broken guttering, internal doors that did not fit properly so would not shut, as well as goodness knows how many issues I fixed myself because I could not be bothered having a debate with the developer. And that raises another issue, when we discovered a problem, half the time it was a battle to get them to accept that it was their responsibility to fix it. After about 4 or 5 years the inverter on our solar panels stopped working, looking through the paper work we discovered we were still in warranty, so we got in touch with the developers to get it sorted - they tried to fob us off by saying it was the company who installed the system who was liable, not them. After investigating this company it transpired that they had declared bankruptcy and the person who owned the company had a history of starting companies, completing contracts, then promptly declaring them bankrupt. We had to almost threaten the developers with legal action to get this fixed, pointing out that they were either negligent in their due diligence in utilizing that particular trader, or were willfully ignorant. All in all I would say there is a 25% chance of me buying a new build again, but in hindsight I would take the advice of our neighbors who's current home is their 2nd new build property. When they agreed to buy they made all sorts of demands and modifications to the plans to make it suit their needs. They also had a much better knowledge base on what they could get the developers to fix/change/amend in those first 2 years

[@CarlBland-tn1jo]

25 percent r u stupid?

[@steve11211]

As an electrician I would be really worried about what you can't see if that is what you can see, I would however point out that the back boxes do not need to be earthed on sockets and fcu, the regulations state as long as there is one fixed lug which there is on metal back boxes then it is not required as it will be earth'd via the screw..

[@barrydoherty636]

This service charge on new builds is a scam, considering how much council tax you already pay. It’s now standard council tax increase @ 5% great video, well done.

[@user-bt8cz9nv4x]

Council tax will have to be increased because of the cost of increased social services! In the US property taxes are used for social services and are a lot higher!

[@barrydoherty636]

@@user-bt8cz9nv4x all what you say is true, but it’s got to be affordable to the original man in the street. If your bills are £100 pounds and you only get £99 pounds you’re in trouble!

[@satanismybrother]

Excellent video mr Mac. 8 years ago we bought an old house and my mate bought a new build. we recently sold ours quickly and with a decent markup whereas my mate is unfortunately struggling and in negative equity. Like you say - overvaluation

[@cuebj]

The electrics... seen a lot of that done by registered, highly recommended sparks. One friend struggled to get taken on so he could complete his qualifications because he was being too 'by the book'. I've been amazed how our house could pass the tests then I found loose wires, oven connected to a mains level MCB, not the neighbouring oven grade MCB, etc. I always check work done by professionals and fix it myself unless I can't. The diligent pros I know are retired to care of infirm spouses but the cost of keeping registered is too high to work part-time

[@traceywoodall6937]

Wonderful explanation of what is out there. Thanks for you honesty.

[@mda5003]

I also bought new build and whilst I was fairly happy with the quality of the building I wasn't happy with the legally binding maintenance and service agreement which is supposed to look after the area when I also have to pay the parish premium on top of the council tax which should cover the same work meaning I'm paying twice just for the grass to be cut along the roadside. However, the real disappointment was finding out the Council Tax band which wasn't disclosed until afterwards. I then knew the band was too high and did all the work to prove it and went to the Tribunal. Waste of time as all they did was listen, wait a month and then rejected it. Yes, council tax banding on new builds is indeed a stitch up!

[@k.hussain360]

I think you need to go down the self build route Andy, would love to see your approach to a project like that, although I guess not so different to your renovation project.

[@stuartandrews4344]

Self build every time, you control the quailty & finish of the build.

[@peterwest7855]

Keep cool everyone. Andy is right, be nice to each other; even the professionals bashing the DIY's and vice versa.

[@JohnnyMotel99]

I was talking to a new home owner in the Poundbury, Dorset development. The problems she is having made me question the QC on new builds there. The older properties seem to be a lot better constructed and thought out. This is a development that is constructed by reputable builders! She said that the humidity in the house was approaching 80%, settlement cracks, bit's of external fascia coming away from the main walls.

[@mumihp]

This is why I would never consider a new build. Sure, it shiney and new but most of the time, you find so many issues. Developers, builders don't care but they care when you refuse to sign the exchange contract. Anyone who buys a new build, don't sign the exchange contract until you have checked out the property, take a building surveyor, make sure they property is 100% fine. Once you sign the exchange contract, things move slowly and will take months to fix. Read the horror stories online.

[@marissakeynes2532]

I was thinking I hope ur own conveyancer advised u not to sign until everything is fixed but then I thought that probably the developer offered their own legal team. 😬

[@1sally1288]

We have been in our new to us house for about 2 months now. It's a converted 30s bungalow (4 bed) just outside of a nice southern town, my brother bought a new build about the same distance on the other side of the town. We bought for the same amount, his is smaller, but very nice (and cheap to heat), but he had to spend 15k on new carpets etc since he didn't want the finishing touches the developer offered. We have a bigger house and garden, but estimate that we need to spend about 30k (less with doing bits ourselves) but we also estimate that our house will end up being worth about 100-150k more in a few years as it really is the rough house in a popular area. We didn't want a new build due to the worry about equity and also the lack of space, but I guess it is really up to you on how much work you want to do yourselves. Great video!

[@sarahm4909]

Bradley Stoke, just north of Bristol, is a similar sort of development, but it was started at the tail end of the 1980s. Many homeowners there found themselves in negative equity and as a result, it earned the nickname "Sadly Broke". I've not been out that way in a long time, but from what I can gather it's not a bad place to live, it just took a long time to get things sorted.

[@richardstamper5630]

Excellent, I actually watched it to the end without skipping. New builds are not for us, we bought a double fronted 30's house which we have fully modernised, including solar. My interest is in our children who due to price will be forced into a possible new build so your video has given us much to think about - thanks.

[@mypointofview1111]

Same here. However snazzy a new build show house looks it's almost guaranteed yours won't look anything like as nice.

[@ge2719]

7:20 wtf! I always though electrical certificates were meaningless. Since if you change something in your house who is to know it wasn't like that when it was certified. But for even the electronics certification system to be so completely corrupt that there multiple faults that could burn the house down amd it still gets signed of.... That's absolutely nuts.

[@zlamanit]

A friend had exposed live cables in the loft. There were sparks! The guy who self certified the work insisted that it’s OK.

[@carolynewilliams1194]

Can you imagine that sage building as a shopping precinct? With cafes and a theatre? It’s a shame really that they were allowed to abandon it.

[@marissakeynes2532]

Backhanders 😐

[@AllenTaylor-lu9bu]

We had recently built homes in Coventry where scaffolding was installed around the houses to make them 'safe'. The row between the home owners, developer and NHBC went on for years as did the the issue of not completing the roads on the estate. However the City Council had no issues in allowing them to build even more shoddy homes as the row went on for years.

[@mypointofview1111]

I wonder how much the local councils get bunged for turning a blind eye to all these blatantly dangerous buildings. That's just corruption at its most basic

[@MartinParnham]

This is fascinating for me as we live in a "new build" that we bought off plan. We had snags but it sounds like we got off pretty lightly compared to yourselves. I'm trying to remember some of the issues we had but will probably have missed some as a lot has happened since then. One thing I do remember is that our en suite toilet seemed to smell for no apparent reason, and it turned out the seal round the back wasn't on tight enough or something, so that meant air was escaping (fortunately nothing else did). The main one that I can recall is that we were supposed to have fitted wardrobes but these seemed to have been missed! They were eventually fitted but by that time we'd had a TV mounted on the wall, so they had to cut one of the wardrobes down to fit. Nobody could tell us how far the wardrobe would come out so we gambled a bit on whether the TV would be in the way. In the other bedroom, it transpired that an outlet (socket) had been installed right where the wardrobe should've been, so the fitter then had to stop while a sparks came in and moved the socket... We had a "ticking" coming from our central heating, which to be fair, they fixed although nobody could tell initially where it was coming from and it took 3 visits and various holes in our hallway ceiling to fix. It was made good though and you can't tell to look now that any holes had been made. It turns out a pipe had been put too close to a joist or A.N.Other piece of wood, which meant that when the pipe expanded once the system heated up, it made a loud "ticking" noise. We still hear something occasionally but it's very low level and nothing like as pronounced as it was when we first moved in. The developer did end up relaying the tarmac out the front of our row of houses though, after all the residents complained about the initial surfacing seeming to flake after not very long. More recently, we had to have our dishwasher repaired. It's integrated and there had always been a bit of play on the appliance but I didn't think too much of it as the dishwasher was working and nothing was leaking or anything like that. When the engineer from Indesit (also had a bad experience with D&G/Indesit, but that's another story) came to repair it he said that the dishwasher was basically being held on with a couple of screws at the sides and that the front of the appliance should've had two brackets installed for the door to hang on, but these brackets hadn't been put on, so the door had just been screwed on and those screws were taking the weight. Obviously, you're not going to pick that up in your snagging as nobody is going to take their dishwasher door off... The other issues we had were fairly minor and were resolved pretty swiftly, to be honest, so it could've been a lot worse. We do still have problems with drainage though and if it rains heavily for a couple of days then the garden is basically a bog that you need wellies to walk round (and that's not an exaggeration). I still can't fathom why the gardens were done with no drains in them, the nearest one is on the drive. In our previous house, we had a drain directly under the outside tap. The current "issue", which is comparatively minor, in fairness, is that there is a trailing fibreoptic cable out the front - which we found when digging out weeds and gardening - which is not connected to any supply and that nobody seems to know why it's there or who fitted it. We had Openreach out and apparently, it isn't one of theirs. Some comments on your experience: That electrical stuff with the switches and smoke alarms is shocking. How any electrician worth the title can do work like that is staggering. I'm not a qualified electrician but I would expect one to be able to wire a light switch and a smoke alarm correctly. I pretty much agree completely with your thoughts on the positives of new builds. It worked for us at the time and we feel we got a lot of house for our money. The bedrooms are a bit on the small side but that's the case with most new houses built in the last 20-odd years and you have to weigh everything up, unless you have unlimited funds. Interesting how the Great Park development has turned out. This is already an essay but we are keeping an eye on our development to see what actually transpires. Thanks for doing this video!

[@DjGiluk]

Brilliant video Andy, very informative and well balanced. Having only lived in the North East for about five years it’s really interesting hearing about Great Park and the dream people were sold. I completely agree about over inflated house prices for new builds, it’s ridiculous. We bought our first house two years ago (1960s 3 bed semi) and we are renovating it now and yes it’s hard work but we love it!

[@davefish8107]

I was a electrical test inspector for new built homes in the early 90s , and never met any builders working on the homes that said they would buy them

[@SBBUK]

Your new build videos from a few years back were super helpful helping me chose a new build ,based on your fair and balanced view of the pros/cons. In general, pur new build has been a good house. When we purchased ours in 2021, the prices of houses were inflating at a massive rate, and the new build actually presented better value for money at the time we purchased, even based on proper calculations of the m2 of the property, factoring in optional extras. etc, as the new build prices were somewhat fixed and weren't subject to market forces as quickly. The house itself we're happy with, but my main piece of advice for anyone considering a new build is just really have a look deeply onto the plans of the plot you are considering buying, and think about the frontage, access, etc. We focused too much on the house itself, room sizes, if they were suitable for our needs etc, and didn't realise that the property was on a narrow shared driveway (on the plans, it looks like a small cul-de-sac, but after measuring the plan I realised how small it actually was .. with no foot path... ) with several houses which is pretty awful to live with. It might not bother some, just my 2 pence. Snagging wise, the only real significant issue we've had resolved is both the front and back doors got replaced as they were installed poorly. I've noticed many of the other houses nearby having similar work done. My understanding is that the developer purchased "off the shelf" size doors but the apetures they will fit in in the houses were not accurately built, so whoever installed the doors just smashed them into place, bending and packing the frames to fit as best they could. Not particularly a huge deal but incredibly annoying and wasteful of time and materials. Also on the topic of council tax, I managed to successfully challenge our council tax band, based on the size of nearby, similar sized properties on an earlier phase of the estate being a band lower. I did have to go to the national valuation office, and prepare for a tribunal, however - fortunately the case was discontinued in my favour, before I actually had to present any evidence.

[@graeme6040]

We bought the last plot on a big development in Wallsend (not far from Great Park). We had our snagging issues but all were sorted, most with no hassle but admittedly a couple took constant nagging and chasing. Being the last plot on the development the roads and pavements were all finished and topped within 9-12 months. My advice to anyone buying new is go in with your eyes wide open. Don't take anything at face value that you are told by your builder. If you accept that houses aren't built in factories and will have issues you should enjoy the experience.

[@richardh50]

This is a good advert for getting a factory built home

[@eynshamyman3403]

Trying to answer your questions regarding electrics, Metal back boxes don't require a separate earth as long it has fixed lug, its earthed through the front plate screws. The ring fault may have been caused by the electrical tester, if he tested at the consumer unit, they have to remove/replace conductors out of mcb to test continuity, which probably had passed the tests, only to fail when the cables were reinstalled into mcb. A conscientious sparky might do a quick tug on conductors to check connections are sound.

[@alwinjm1404]

Buy the showhouse as it is meticulously well built although you cannot personalise it. However the appliances and everything are ridiculously expensive but included in the price. I live in one built by a relatively small scale housebuilder

[@chrisfaron]

@Gosforth Great video, just one point about sq metres, having lived abroad where price per sq metre/foot is a great way of comparing price/value for different houses. in the UK we are obsessed with bedroom number rather than total square feet. I think you are in a great position to educate buyers in using this method.

[@Sam-xu8si]

An old house has stood the test of time. Honestly, if you have money, then I fail to see the appeal of a new build.

[@Lewis_Standing]

Older houses are often freezing

[@totherarf]

Part of the testing would be to remove the two wires from the breaker and test for continuity. It might have been the tester themselves who did the final connection wrong!

[@NorthernNegatives]

As a resident of the Maples (Persimmons latest venture in Great Park), I can safely say that after almost 2 years living here, we’ll be moving as soon as possible. The whole idea of Great Park is… great. But the reality is far from what is promised when you have your first appointment with the eager salesperson. The service charge is a rough topic 😂 I love your channel though and this video really stuck a chord.

[@SteveAndAlexBuild]

The big house builders only care about profit and don’t care about you once the bank has handed over the money . As for the NHBC they should be dissolved as they are complete clowns and no use to anyone who actually needs them . 3 bed detached up here 20 mins from Liverpool £367 ! Over a third of a million ! How do normal folk get a mortgage for that . I worry for my kids 😔. Superb video Andy and a real eye opener cheers 🧱👍🏽

[@LiquidFlower]

£367k is not that much in todays money. We bought a 2 bed semi detached in the south for £345k about 2 years ago. And that was the best we could do 1,5h from London in a town most people wouldn’t want to live in.. as our first house. When I watch videos like this it makes me realise just how little the system actually works. Nothing you can rely on at all and everyone paying through the roof for services. We got it good compared to some other people for sure but I don’t see buying a house as much of an investment for my pension anymore. The money you pay in rent just goes to upkeep, fees and bills that all went up.

[@markbaker980]

I bought a Redrow new build in 2021. Pretty happy with it. Snagging was not too bad. Only issue that wasn’t a quick fix was a crack in external render, which I fixed myself in the end. You are right about the insulation. Our bills are a fraction of what they were in our previous Victorian terraced house, and it feels so much warmer. No issues with electrics, though having seen yours I will do some checking!. Split RCD, I hope by now they are using RCBOs as standard. I may upgrade my socket rings to AFDDs soon. Heating system is great. We have three en-suites and the pressurised hot water tank can supply all three showers at once. Thermostats and controllers are cheap, I will put NEST or HIVE in before next winter. I have a 3 car driveway and a single garage. The garage is too small for a modern car, needs to be a metre wider! It came with a car charger, but it turns out to be a 13A socket in a waterproof housing. If I ever get an electric car, it will cost me £1000 to fit a proper charger, which won’t use any of the current socket’s circuit. I don’t miss the list of jobs I had trying to keep my old Victorian house going!

[@petergoddard1960]

Extremely informative, well covered yet I sense that this is just a rabbit hole. We're lucky that we're settled in a good quality property built about 30 years ago, we've renewed everything, new floors, electrics, plumbing, heating, windows, fully replastered, new bathroom,kitchen, appliances,roof issues fixed, the list goes on. It wasnt cheap, but we have no mortgage. The large garden needs probably about £30k investing in it and that's the next thing to tackle. We're in a good location, a village near Durham which we love. Recently we looked at the new build options accross the north East and found shortcomings everywhere or prices greatly inflated. So we've decided to stay put and invest a little more in what we have. I think it would be hard to walk away from that fabulous garden you have, at least for a long as you are fit and well enought to maintain it. It's stunning what you've achieved in your time there. It's compelling, rewarding viewing and always a treat.

[@Kazi2812]

30k for a garden?

[@petergoddard1960]

@@Kazi2812 very probably. Large garden, very steep hillside which needs retention walls, new paved areas. Removal of massive hedges all round the boundary, replaced with new fencing. New planting, trees. It’s pretty extensive. Not a DIY job. We’re too old and not fit enough to take all that on. I might be being pessimistic in my estimate, but I expect not by all that much.

[@stewartmcardle8149]

NHBC policy isn't worth the paper on which it's written.....unless it's Andrex (other brands are available!)...

[@SalisburyKing]

As you mentioned on your video, if you want proper outside space and a space between you and your neighbours, you need to buy an old house. I have recently bought a 1970's property which had a C1 79 energy rating which was better than the new build I moved out of.

[@petercampbe11]

we bought our first house in Nov 18 (a Bellway new build) we got off very lightly with snags, a patio door was split, a window also. but other than that all other stuff indoors was okay - the problem came with the garden, this was a hell hole, took me all of lockdown to sort it out - i dug a trench in the garden to see what i was dealing with (spade width, 1 ft down and about 10 foot long) i complained to Bellway about the garden and they couldnt help me because i had messed with the garden (the trench) so my advice to anyone regarding the garden is get the builder out first if you have complaints. Sold for a nice profit in 2021 and moved into a 1950's semi detached house.

[@mikebashford8198]

I bought a new build once. The worst snag was the first floor banister - properly fixed to the newel post at one end, but fixed to the wall plate at the other end with a panel pin. Could have killed someone if I hadn't noticed it.

[@HoverdogBrewery]

I bought a new build in 2000 and the quality looked good on the surface but every DIY job takes me 10 times longer than it should as I have to fix the mess made by 'professionals'. My house was "ready" on a Friday afternoon and I had seven days to complete or I had to start paying interest on the sale cost of the house. Had some free carpets thrown in and they were fitted on Tues/Wed so I could only snag on Thursday. Made a list of extremely obvious things and only two were fixed before I had to move in on Friday. New builds are thrown up to a poor quality to maximise profit. I spoke to one window fitter and he said he was paid £20 to fit a each window and most jobs took two people so you will get windows that are thrown in, a couple of screws and hope it don't fall out before someone moves in. Same for the rest of the trades I guess. I recently priced up a new build that is about the same size as my current house (4 bed detached with integrated garden) and the builder wanted £450k and the garden was the size of a postage stamp - no thanks, I will buy an older property that I can sort.

[@leeevans9654]

We bought a brand new 3 bed detached house off plan in 2011, had no problems, very few snagging, nothing major. Maybe we were lucky.

[@TheTW11]

House prices are entirely dependent on interest rates. Ask anyone who was around in the early 90's. You can have all the demand that you like, but if the interest on the loan is too high then the loan doesn't get taken out. On new build: a mate of mine is a surveyor. I asked him if he would ever buy a new build. His answer was that he would, but he would only buy from small companies that might only build a few houses a year. Those smaller, local companies often build a quality product. He laughed when I mentioned the major national housebuilders - he wouldn't touch one with a bargepole. But then again, I though that was common knowledge.

[@heliumfreak5364]

We got a new build back in November from Persimmons. I thought ours was bad but i guess maybe not if your friend had over 300 snagging issues. We only had 26 snagging problems and none of them were serious, most of it was cosmetic. Scratched glass, cracked facia, garage floor screed cracked, taps plummed backwards etc. All of it besides 2 or 3 things have been fixed and im just giong to fix the final things myself instead of waiting for them. Because they are a headache to get them to do anything we had to bust their balls several times a week to get them to do anything. I certainly wouldnt recommend Persimmons to anyone else though but thankfully it worked out well for us.

[@Tina_Fay]

I need this mini documentary on Great Park! This video was so interesting

[@rbnhd1144]

I really enjoyed this, so sad things were never finished but its typical of marketers building a vision of your dreams, it happens all the time, Promises Promises.

[@shm5547]

The other option is to buy an existing house, then flatten it and do your own new build! I was surprised when this was done to a house near us, but apparently you don't pay VAT on new builds, but you do on extensions. So, if the house is small (this was a 2-bed bungalow) and you are doing a lot of work to it, it can be cost effective to start from scratch.

[@QmunkE]

Then you have to battle the broken planning permission system

[@Bozebo]

@@QmunkE Where takes years for them to even get it because of large house builders playing the game and clogging up the entire council department.

[@YuriBez2023]

I bought a new house about twenty years ago. I would not buy a new house that's been built in the last ten years. The quality has fallen off a cliff.

[@kiwicol7383]

😂😂😂 the quality was never at the top of the cliff at the start

[@victoriarobinson3909]

My parents bought a new build in the 80s. They said that when they moved in, the house wasn't finished. The bath tub was full of pee as the builders had been using it as a bathroom. The list of issues was long, as nothing had really been finished. You just got lucky with your new build, it really depends o the company.

[@WoldsEndPhotography]

The great shame is that our countryside is being lost to poorly built & unimaginative housing. I recently looked at a £500k new build that had a small garden with a great view of a neighbouring properties heat pump, on top of that the house was cheaply built, I’d live in it if you paid me but I wouldn’t be happy. The new developments I look at must do nothing but depress the poor souls who have no option but to buy them. I return to my own home that was only built 25 years ago and quickly go off the idea of another new build, 25 years on you would have thought new builds would be better than my current house, sadly they are much worse.

[@brettharter143]

1930-50s were the best built

[@Richardincancale]

The Leasehold versus Freehold issue is a big deal. I read that most new houses these days are on a leasehold basis - you’re buying something that essentially you’ll never own - and have to pay ground rent for nothing. I’ve known people in London on a 99 year leasehold - by the time the first couple of ‘owners’ have been through it they can become unsellable with only half the lifespan left in it.

[@abcxyz3028]

I wasn't aware UK also have a 99yr lease. Are those flats or houses? I only know of Singspore where the govt subsidised houses, HDB, are on a 99 year lease. From what my Sg friend said is that the new builds are slightly smaller and overlook other houses. They even have strict rules and restrictions for a single person ownership. They're expensive too!

[@cardinalb]

You say UK but not really something that happens in Scotland.

[@u2kjib4cjkqn]

I thought leasing is been done away with in the uk.

[@AndrewDCDrummond]

Local shops for local people ??

[@Richardincancale]

@@cardinalb True - I recall paying Feu-duty in Glasgow in the 1980s, but it was only a few pounds per year and got abolished I think?

[@dan44zzt231]

Brilliant video 👍 a deep dive on Great Park would be good, I did a load of the road, drainage and substructure designs for a few of the earlier cells when I was an apprentice. It seemed almost futuristic at the time, and some of the early phases genuinely has nice architecture and street scapes, although the reality is a bit different. The newer normal house builder stuff is awful.

[@1powercom]

i have to agree some of the first stuff nearest Kingston park (cell G I think )has some of the nicest homes and street I have ever seen , always reminds me of dutch streets for some reason, additional parking in the centre of the street and houses with good drives and garages and so on looks great even today it must be 20 years old now at least. The later stuff seems standard new build fair cramped streets lack of space cars parked on paths etc not fan at all

[@stevenhull5025]

A 19th century mid terrace with a decent rear garden in a neighbourhood where neighbours actually talk with each other is my ideal home. A home which oozes character, solidly made and rooms you can swing 30 cats in let alone only one. My son just sold his "modern" home built 20 odd years ago. A 4 bed 2 bath semi detached with downstairs toilet and shower, conservatory, utility etc. Sounds great you would think, even the outside looks pretty decent. Looks can be deceiving however. Plaster boarded internal walls, flimsy internal doors, cheap looking sanitary fittings, a kitchen no larger than my dog's kennel and free entertainment courtesy of the neighbours TV. To me modern estates lack that community vibe. I would be surprised if today's 'modern" homes are still standing in 300 years time. I know with 100% certainty my 125 year old victorian build will be.

[@thenullco]

Really good summary. We got off quite lightly with a few windows needing adjusting, shower screen resealing and radiator joints tightening. Speaking to others and getting a feel for the wider industry, it does seem that the larger developers just lose all quality control. Not to mention hiring questionable contractors and offering terrible customer service. We went with a relatively small builder and they could not have been more responsive and professional throughout the purchase and the snagging. Almost two years in now and no lasting issues. That said, I've seen and heard the horror stories in nearby developments from the bigger outfits.

[@thomaslgrice]

In the U.S. snagging is called a "punch list" or simply punch, though current day terminology also includes "blue tape inspection" due to the practice of inspectors using blue painters' tape to physically indicate faults. In commercial construction we used a variety of colored signal dots to indicate which subcontractor would be held responsible i.e. green for painting, red for electrical, blue for plumbing, yellow for carpentry, etc. Nice video, well said and quality production, though I'm only 7 minutes in (what is that in metric?).

[@andrewkingdon2000]

I bought a new build (off plan) on a smaller development on an old brown field site inside a nice town, when I'd recently got divorced and it served its purpose. I probably paid 5 to 10% over the equivalent older properties that would have needed some work but it was a turnkey solution, clean canvas, new start solution to a problem. The builder even stated that the majority of buyers were either first timers or restarters (like me). So from that perspective I can see the purpose of new builds. I made a good profit as I looked after the property and when I sold it 5 years later, for example, the carpet was so good people asked if it was new. So it still had that new build feel to it. So maybe I was simply lucky, I probably didn't over pay and I bought in a smaller development with amenities already locally available. I think the moral of the story is don't over reply on the developer. Large developments are obviously more complicated to project manage and that means errors and delays occur such as employing less competent and failing to to manage the trades.

[@qloudz]

Fantastic video. I'm looking at buying a house (in Newcastle) so this brought so many insights into new/older builds. Thanks very much.

[@Sean_S1000]

When we were looking for our first home we brought a 2002 home fairly well built, we looked at the new estate which the houses weren't built yet where 80k more expensive, smaller houses and garden. Probably not the same everywhere but new builds are not worth it as that price difference.

[@sergiofernandez3725]

Good video Andy well balanced arguments on the new builds Vs older properties. Orlando Murphy and his team at New Build Inspection are great. I recommend them to everyone buying a new property. As for the electrics they should be reported to the CPS (Competent Person Scheme) like Napit or NICEIC. People who are prudent could get an EICR for about £200 to £400 depending on size and it should take about 3 to 5 hours if done properly.

[@ghosttownlives]

17:22 worth noting the houses with the mould issue have incorrect guttering installed or *no* guttering where its needed most. ive had white render for around a decade without issue as do millions of homes up and down the country. mine is a textured finish which allows water to bead. with smooth versions the water just streaks along the surface many will specify smooth render as it seems counter intuitive to specify a rough cast texture. its just one of those things that you dont find out until you find out

[@MorDreadful]

We have been in our house for 5 months. The build was complete in 1901. Older houses took much longert to build and didn't have the settling isssue. We have had wall-ties done as they were needed. A total rewire as thwe wireing was well over 20 years old. We still have more to do, old plaster to remove and redo. Would I have an older house compared to a newer one? yes, as this house structurally is sound. If I want a new build? I would have my own design and build over 4-5 years to help it settle while building. 6 months is not good. Taking longer, the house settles as the walls and roof get put on and the weight being added to the foundations. It also allows for rectifying issues better. New builds? I would expect issues over the years to creep in more often. Older properties can be renovated and remodelled, there is a hidden bonus normally to. IF your wiring is good, great, if not get it done. Do any roofing and wall-ties. Internal things like rep;lastering can be done over time and take time on. It can be frustratijng but can also be good. Rent Charge is an issue on older freehold but this can be redeemed. Older houses are usually better structurally for various reasons, they have character, but you do need to check them out with a RICS Level 3 survey which is for anything over 50Years old. Biggest thing of all. GET YOUR SURVEYS and do NOT rely on "surveys" which are not and are just a valuation of the property IF THERE IS NOTHING WRONG. I would likely be cheeky and use the snagging report to reduce the cost rather than get them fixed, byt then an old house is the better option anyway. We could have got a house up to 160k, we went for just below half that why? as a buffer for inflation, interest rates etc. MOST people think, I can afford a mortgage repayment of 800ppm, I'll take this house as it's 750ppm. Inflation goes up with interest rates and bam, they can't afford it. I would also think about this. When you buy a house with a fixed rate for 5 years, 6 months before you can renew that period withou t remortgaging so long as it is with the same lender. Our mortgage broker told us this hidden gem if inflation goes up and interest rates.so........you do have to watch this though. I would rather buy and older house than 1901 and have stone walls to be honest.

[@harrylee4895]

We use metal boxes for the electrics because they make a better finish, there’s also no issue with using plasterbourd screws to fix them in, what difference does it make? Dry lining boxes are bad practice especially on sockets as they can be pulled out over time and they can make a poor finish on flat plate accessories if you changed them in the future due to the small lip they have., some house builders specifically spec metal boxes to be used too. What the sparks should’ve done is use proper wood noggins to fix them in or use metal straps which I use personally as their secure, the state of the consumer unit is worrying absolute mess I’m definitely with you on that front, the trouble with site sparks is most of them are on poor prices so they have to rush but that is no excuse for that poor workmanship in the consumer unit. Tests are also carried out before they are installed into the breakers called dead tests so ring continuity, insulation resistance and r1+r2 which confirms polarity and continuity of earth (cpc) but that is no excuse to why the cables where incorrectly installed as they should’ve tug tested them, used a torque screwdriver to check tightness of connections, I would suspect an impact driver was used on your consumer unit which is terrible workmanship.

[@DP-gg7rd]

Yep metal back boxes totally normal, just need to be done right.

[@Tom-Lahaye]

It blows my mind that the electrics had been signed off in your new build. Even as a DIY electrician I can do a better job, when I make connections I take time to look and feel that the wires are actually in the proper position and fixed. In the time constrained industry they obviously don't take time to check these, and even take shortcuts by using improper materials. As you say you mostly know what you get in an old house, but not everything. Some things I found during my current renovation I luckily was able to correct myself, like improper foundations on an extension, but such things can get very costly if you have to hire a professional to do it. It would also not show up at a survey unless there is a lot of cracking in the walls. Mostly there will be no warranty on such issues unless you have proof that the previous owner knew of these issues, and that proof is very difficult to get. So there is a certain risk on buying an older property, but in general they were better built and lots of issues have to do with later extensions and renovations often done as DIY jobs and even without planning permission where it should have. I guess that half of the add ons in older neighbourhoods should have to come down if all non permitted structures had to be demolished.

[@50bft]

Well produced and presented video.A very informative eye opener!

[@RB-lt8kt]

New show homes look nice until you really "look" and notice badly rushed woodwork, plastering, tiling and painting. Most contractors are paid badly by house builders so what do you expect from them ? Those electrics are a mess but metal back boxes commonly used because they are cheap. All wiring should be inspected after installation and tested. A re test is advised and I have seen cooker isolation sockets burn due to arching as well as a new kitchen running a dish washer, heated kitchen tap and washing machine off a spur that wasn't fused. I am a qualified engineer but I don't do my own electrics as I don't know the latest regs. Gas and electricity can kill so leave it alone. I know of a graphic designer installing an electric shower using a 32 amp supply. Councils use council tax to pay for their bonuses, high wages, extra office staff and nice roads around the main council building. If the council does spend thousands it gets from working people then it shows they are obviously over charging us so waste money on renovating council houses that don't need it. The people who pay the highest tax get the worst services.

[@NorthernMonkeeUK]

Shame Sage moved out of the space ship. Used to love visiting there and nosing around, some areas inside were quite spectacular, but then other areas were a little less nice (and the building did have some quite significant issues) - but all the people were really nice.

[@azog23]

I live in Ireland and all of the issues you mention look familiar. We looked at a new build but the estate was being built with a train station in one corner. All of the shops had been built next to the train station. So if you hadn't bought one of the early houses you'd be walking miles to get to what shops there were. On top of that people were selling houses for less than the newest built houses were selling for, so maybe the value had dropped?

[@neelamharia4225]

Enjoyed this video very much. Yes you are right, a properly test electrical system would have shown these faults. Keep the videos coming

[@birdsaloud7590]

Your garden looks so much nicer and more characterful than in a new property.

[@JP-ln4ue]

Superbly informative. My new-build has been ok, but it took ten years to see the market value rise.

[@JosephByrne]

Fantastically objective video. I'm on a similar estate in the South and we have some similar issues to those you described. The unfinished roads are grating on me too. We do have a great community though.

[@Thepourdeuxchanson]

When we sold our house the buyer had their own building inspector come to crawl all over to certify it. Couple of small issues we didn't even know about because the code had changed in the past couple of years, all else just fine. Point is - the prospective buyer hired their own home inspector, who would have advised them about the probable cost to fix any faults, and buyer's mortgage lender would have insisted on a commensurate price reduction. Never let the builder or seller try to tell you it isn't worth getting your own independent inspector in prior to buying.

[@jamesmc1272]

Hi, Metal back boxes are the best method for house wiring, plastic are only used for additions where fitting a timber noggin is impractical. Elec contractor 45 years exp

[@SBBUK]

To add to this my understanding is that the metal boxes are used because they can be mounted at first fix, sealed with tape, then the plasterer can just cut around them. Then spark can come back at 2nd fix and just put the accessory on. Easier switching between trades on site. If you use plastic boxes that "clip" into the plasterboard (which you'd use when fitting a socket after the fact) then the spark would have to come back to pull the wire in, maybe cut in the box, etc. So I can see the logic behind that. Obviously the correct screws should be used though!!

[@Wiltshire-observer]

I’ve had two new builds over the last 35 years, they were not ‘that bad’, for snags. Both returned a profit for me, but were located in the South West of England. The first new build returns a 50% profit in the space of 5 years. The second new build not so good, about 15% after 7 years. The snags on the second one (a 4 bed townhouse) were notable, because the flat roof design at the back of the house leaked excessively during North Westerly gales !. It took the builder 3 years to solve it.

[@hutchinson69]

The Sage building needs a LOT of work to be modernised. Many of the central building systems (HV power/heating/lighting etc.) are antiquated by todays standards and required major investment (plus all of the associated disruption) to be brought up to standard during the proposed refurb when Sage globally rolled out a new design for it's corporate offices. At this point the North Park building was an outlier in that it was the only building wholly owned rather than leased. For accounting purposes the fixed costs of leasing were more attractive than sinking tens of millions of pounds into a site refurb, so a decision was made to move and sell. Broadly, the company were happy there and the staff were well used to a lack of facilities on Great Park. (These views are my own and not necessarily those of my employer!) 🙂

[@stefanszakal87]

Same problems with new builds everywhere . I live in Romania and finding a good house to buy is a full time job . Old houses need renovations which usually cost more than building from scratch (you pay also the cost of demolishing or disassembling and getting rid off all the rubbish… which is not cheap ) . The new builds themselves are very low quality materials (and workers), unless you did the project yourself and monitored the entire build to make sure everything was done properly… but that’s a full time job and will cost you even more … the new builds done the other way , cut a lot of corners , they probably spend more of the budget in the shinny , visible part of the build , but questionable foundation and structure. Another big problem is parking spaces and infrastructure: you got to buy your new house and the area looks lovely , because not everyone moved in yet ! but in 2 years time, when all got sold eventually , you will hate living there . Best is to buy a house which is 10 years old , where most problems are visible and you can easily spot them . Will require a bit of refurbishment to make it brand new , but you also buy the property at a discounted price (compare to a new build )

[@neutralcorner5950]

Lots of good points raised, see re New build prices, they say builders premium is 10% upwards. It is wrong, it’s almost like buying a brand new car. It is wrong but unfortunately it’s the reality. Like you say lenders turning a blind eye, that is until people default on payments.

[@gdpaintingdecorating5704]

The thing you don’t mention when comparing the cost of new vs old houses is the location. Older houses are generally closer to the main town and cost more in comparison because of that. New builds are generally built in a stripped out field way out of town meaning if you don’t drive you’re usually stuck. As someone who owns an older property close to the town the convenience for me is well worth it.

[@richardslater677]

Very interesting and informative thank you. I was astonished at the house prices and council tax. I live in the south, in Croydon, not central London and not the most salubrious place in the world. Down here in the south where we’re all supposed to live like lords, I live in a 1930s built 3 bedroom semi in a residential area. The market price for this house, an average house, is £650,000. The band E council tax is £350pm. Salaries are not that different, especially in the public sector (we get outer London weighting which adds a little bit). A pint is £6.50. (Except Spoons). A five bedroom detached house for £275,000 is utterly unbelievable. You cannot get a two bedroom flat for that in the “working man” part of the south.

[@JH-hd6ux]

The negative equity on a big development like Great Park is not really surprising though if you think about it. In the UK, the thing that has by far the biggest impact on the cost of a house is the area that it is in. You can have almost identical houses separated by only half a mile with one selling for double the other just because it is on a "better" street or closer to a good school. Over time areas and streets get established as expensive or cheap and then the relative house values are pretty much locked in, so if someone builds a new house in that area, the house price is fairly easy to estimate based on neighbouring properties. The problem for Great Park was that they built a whole bunch of new houses at very high density in what was, only a few years ago green belt fields on a flood plane at the end of the airport runway with no infrastructure, amenities, transport or established schools. So how do you establish if the homes should be priced as if they were in an expensive area or a cheap area whenthe area is new and has no established value? Of course the developers just try their luck, sell the dream and slap a price on as if it was an established expensive area and hope there are enough desperate and gullible people to take out mortgages they can't afford to pay the inflated price. There is a chance it could go either way; if enough people pay the high price and don't try to resell too quickly, then the confidence trick is successful, and the area becomes established as expensive. However if they get too greedy and build too many, or charge too much then they end up with estates which are unfinished and have to sell off remaining already built units at lower prices establishing it as lower priced area. The people who bought in early are then screwed. Now that everyone can easily see sold prices on rightmove/zoopla/land registry, a house valuation is basically just what the last similar house on the street sold for, so there is nowhere to hide once one house gets sold for a knock down price for a desperate sale, the house prices of the whole street take a dive. The real problem will come soon when a load of those houses have to remortgage at the higher interest rates and their owners realise they can't actually afford to keep them and can't sell them at what they bought them for and have a choice between repossession or sell at big reduction from what they paid, the value of the estate will crash to more like Kingston Park or Fawdon prices, not the Gosforth or Jesmond prices that their occupants dreamed of.

[@marissakeynes2532]

100% agree with u. I've screenshot ur comment to show to my kids.

[@ClarkOVision]

Another excellent video Andy. Love your channel. The electrical issues are just beyond belief. How can those be passed as safe/correct? Crazy world we live in. Take care.

[@BrittleScarMusic]

I actually got a reasonable middle-aged property (around 50 years), it's not massive but it's gorgeous, bit of work needs done, bit of upgrading and TLC and still ending up cheaper than what I would've needed to pay for a new build. I went to see a few new builds... rabbit hutch rooms, extorionate service charge and honestly just horrible. Much happier with my current project. It'll be worth it once done. Though has a few little quirks.

[@nytracus9680]

In the southeast, the main issue i see with new build developments is they're all next to motorways or something else undesirable. Nothing you do will change the location so its a hard no from me. If someone does happen to build a few new builds in a decent location with good sized rooms and gardens you just know they are going to put a 7 figure price tag on it.

[@farukm7627]

Thanks for a thoroughly comprehensive look at the pros and cons of new builds. I wouldn't touch one less than several years old. And with eyes wide open. Due diligence.

[@geoffreycoan]

My first property was a new build flat. For such a small space it had more than its fair share of snags and I said I’d never buy a new build again. Sold it 8 years later with massive negative equity that I had to pay off out of savings that I’d fortunately accumulated. One thing that I’d disagree with in your video is the relative size of new build vs older house. My son just bought a house, a 1920’s ex-council house and he’s got far more house for his money than he would have from a new build or a 5 or 10 year old house - they’re tiny round here

[@markdyballuk]

i'd never buy a new build, the quality is shocking. indeed the quality of older houses can be poor but you go into them expecting to fix things, to have to do the same with a new build is terrible.

[@christinedavis5813]

They brought me to my knees the New builds are tatty and are the slums of the future if they are still standing

[@craigwelsh]

Its one thing to gamble on a new build in an established town/city location, its quite another when its a development like that great park one where its building a new town with the promise of necessary amenities coming later! My parents got stung with a ne build estate to the west of Cardiff in the '80s. Large council estate next to the development soon after. House prices plummetted.. We went for a 60s build in Australian style with car port and large garden. Converted the garage and now have a 5 bed, well insulated, new electrics and heating and still council band c. As its a mature area the schools etc are well established and theres no where to build many more houses nearby. Though a developer did buy a property on the street with a detached double garage and manage to replace that with a 3 bed detached!