Top Tips on Landing Your Dream New Build Property

Buying a new build property is exciting: it’s impossible to attend a house viewing and not picture yourself living in a beautifully presented home, knowing that you’ll be the first person to enjoy it (and that you won’t have to do any major repairs or renovations)! If you’re thinking of investing in a new house, here’s what you need to do to ensure you land your dream new build property…

First, decide what your perfect new build property looks like. Is it a 3-bedroom terrace or a 5-bedroom detached? Do you need a big garden or just enough space to hang the washing and throw a BBQ? Coming up with answers to these questions first will help you narrow down your search and allow you to focus on finding the right property for you.

Once you’ve done this, use a property portal to help you find the right new build estate. When you’re house hunting, you might be able to pick more than one location that feels right to buy in. This is absolutely fine (and a good idea if you want to widen your pool of potential houses), but be sure to keep on top of the number of homes that are being built and how many are still available to buy. You can use a portal such as WhatHouse to help you do this, it’s specifically designed to keep house-hunters informed about new homes for sale.

Next, figure out how you’re going to pay for it. When you buy any property, it’s essential to get your financial affairs in order before you put down an offer on a house. Investigate whether or not you qualify for a government Help to Buy equity loan, or see if a shared ownership scheme is right for you – financial incentives are generally more plentiful on new build properties and could mean the difference between a smaller property that feels ‘OK’ and a larger home that feels perfect.

Then, once you’ve chosen your preferred location, consider buying a new build off-plan. Some new builds allow you to design your home before it’s been fully completed, which could be a good idea if you want your home to be personalised to your own taste. You’ll have some say over the way the house is designed and decorated by choosing your own carpets, tiles and fittings, as well as instructing the way in which you want the garden to be landscaped, for example.

Buying off-plan is a great opportunity to consider the environment too, so why not opt for some eco-friendly, sustainable extras? You’ll already have great quality doors and windows in your new build, and your insulation will certainly be up to scratch, but you could do something like having solar panels fitted to the roof or opting for dual-flush toilets to generate energy and conserve water. Be sure to spend some time thinking about how you could tweak your off-plan design to help the planet, getting it all in place before you move in.

Next, ask about the guarantee on your chosen property. Most new homes for sale come with a guarantee that lasts for ten years, so you won’t find yourself having to replace the roof or fix the foundations once you move in. However, this is only the case if the builders and developers are members of the National House Building Council, so check they’re covered and be sure you’re happy with the small print: not having these details checked off could mean you’re jeopardising your vision of your ‘dream’ home.

Finally, once a property is pretty much built to completion, you’ll have the opportunity to ‘snag’. This is where you make a note of any errors you want the property developers to fix, such as a wall that needs another coat of paint or a skirting board that needs an extra top coat. ‘Snagging’ like this means you’ll definitely land your dream new build home, as it means you’ll be moving in with everything finished perfectly and precisely to your taste.