5 New Build tips | What I wish I had known

After quickly growing out of our first home (a rented two up two down), my partner and I decided to embark on our new build adventure in early 2016. For months we looked at older properties, some of which needed a lot of renovation (hats off to those that do so, you are awesome) and others which were perfect but sadly totally out of reach. So a shiny new build without all the extra work appealed to us both. After driving past our development site one evening whilst on our way to yoga we both new it was somewhere we would both love to live (he's used to the town & I the country, so its a perfect inbetween). You could probably say that the whole thing was a bit of a whirlwind romance.. we viewed the plot in May, had our mortgage approved in the June, exchanged at the end of August and completed on the 16th Sept.

the whole house buying process is still pretty alien to me, but here are just a few tips that I wish someone had told me at the beginning (aside from aftercare our experience was pretty positive).

The all important show home

Aside from being totally pinterest-worthy, viewing the show home will not only give you a sneak peek at the finished product (not to mention endless decor ideas), but will also show you the standard of finish to expect from your own plot. 

Read between the lines

Whilst looking for artist plans of our now property, I stumbled across a blog on the development website, which stated that all NHS workers would be given an incentive (this included free white goods such as the fridge/freezer & £1000 towards legal fees). When I brought this up during our first site visit the sales advisor denied all knowledge, until my other half showed him said blog page. As a result they were obliged to honour what was stated on the site. 

Following on from this always keep an eye out on Facebook/Twitter/Instagram for any potential incentives (for example possible fees paid/free extras on show home release day). 

Look at every plot 

As fabulous as a property looks on plan, it may not be all you dreamed of in person. When we initially went to view our potential home, I had my heart set on the plot next door, what can I say the artists impressions had sold it to me. However, what we hadn't anticipated was that the house itself was a mirror image of what we had expected. Needless to say when we walked through the temporary door I was left feeling deflated. Luckily when we stepped into our plot, hearts skipped a beat and we knew it was the one. 

Push Push Push

In the end you will feel like a broken record, but it is so important to keep pushing solicitors/legal advisors/sales team. Push the sales team to let you see the property (aside for the daily late night stalks we would try to view the house every three weeks or so), push the site manager for that all important completion date and most importantly push the solicitor in regards to exchange dates etc (If we hadn't have done this I think we would still be looking to exchange to this day). 

Enjoy every minute

Purchasing a home is full of so much uncertainty. Will your mortgage application be approved, have you got enough for fees & im sure for some there is the worry of a buyer falling through, but make the most of everything. I properly started my Insta page the week before we got the keys. Looking back I wish I had documented every moment from reservation to completion.

Have you purchased a new build? If so what are you tips and tricks?