Myself and my partner recently bought our first home, a brand spanking new build – some may tut (and even give us the odd eye-roll like I used to do) for buying a “characterless” property, but it’s changed our lives and now I get it.

People buying properties built by developers across the country are also often slammed for contributing to the “pop-up toy towns ruining our green spaces”, as I have read many times on social media.

But although building companies creating new estates in our towns and cities are sometimes slated for their designs and treatment of customers, our experience couldn’t have been better – it wasn’t a horror story and it’s changed our lives.

Is buying a new build a good idea?

I felt very lucky choosing my own kitchen and bathroom tilesI felt very lucky choosing my own kitchen and bathroom tiles (Image: Newsquest)

For the last four years we had been renting a house that to put it frankly, needs knocking down and rebuilding.

It will forever hold a special place in our hearts as it became our first “proper” home after being together for eight years – it’s where a lot of “firsts” happened, as we got a dog, got engaged, bought our first sofa (real adulting), the list goes on.

However, it’s an old soul and the more mould that grew, the more it rotted (and the more slugs moved in).

Over the last year and a half we had been looking for another property to rent as we were nowhere near ready for the commitment of a mortgage, no matter how much we wanted our own house to fulfill my Pinterest dreams.

Yet the rental prices where we live (and no doubt where you are too) just kept on climbing for houses that weren’t even in good condition.

Most expensive UK cities to buy a house in

So, we gave up and got in touch with a mortgage advisor to look at our financial situation. It turned out that a mortgage we could afford would work out a staggering amount cheaper than the average rental cost per month.

Then one late evening during my daily Rightmove scroll, I came across some new houses that had been put up for sale in the exact area we wanted to move to by a developer.

Having never heard of this company (nor ever considered a new build until this point), I went and did a deep dive online, along with looking into other developers across the UK.

What are the pros of new builds?

I first noticed how much help they offered potential buyers across the board, from incentives such as integrated appliances in the kitchen (including a dishwasher), flooring, deposit contributions and part exchange options.

After arranging the first meeting, we went along to the development and from the moment we arrived, it just felt right, which was cemented even further once we viewed the house.

@calahomesuk Why buy new? 🏡 Whether you are a first-time buyer, downsizer, investor or a family looking for some extra space to grow, the benefits of buying a new build home are extensive. From the ability to put your own stamp on the property with your bespoke design choices, to greater energy efficiency and carefully selected locations, there is a wide range of reasons to consider buying a new build property 😍 View our range of homes via the link in our bio. Let us know what you think 👇🏼 #newbuildhomes #homesinuk #luxuryhomes #homedecor #interior #interiordesign #interiordecor #interiors ♬ FEEL THE GROOVE - Queens Road, Fabian Graetz

From the well-maintained houses from the older development phase to the calm residential atmosphere, the positives were endless.

We then began our mortgage application which was far from an easy ride (like most), but I can now look back and say it was more than worth all the stress and tears.

A huge perk to buying a new build is being able to customise almost every inch of your home depending on what stage the build is at when reserving.

For us, we were able to choose our dream kitchen and bathroom tiles to add a personalised touch – even better, it was all going to be done for us.

This was music to our ears as among the chaos of moving, along with all the admin that comes with it, the last thing we wanted was to get the keys and have to cosmetically alter the house.

Any kind of renovation was also a factor that would be difficult to fit into our lifestyle for now.

Additionally, for those who have been looking into buying new builds, you may have seen endless groups on social media having issues with “snags” in their new homes.

Tips for first-time buyers

This can be from minor paintwork needing touch-ups to broken appliances, problems with inner pipes and wires and more.

But for us, we couldn’t have had a smaller (and minor) list, all of which were fixed in record time as soon as they were raised.

We have been in our new home a while now and our developer has been there every step of the way and continues to do so, no matter what questions or concerns we have.

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I know everyone’s situation is different, depending on where they are in the UK, their site, and developer, but after reading so many dreadful stories before we began our journey, I was petrified.

Yet it really isn’t like that for everyone. If you have been wanting to move house, there’s no harm checking out any new build sites near you, as you could find your dream home and never look back.

Not to mention, a developer might be able to offer the help you didn’t know was out there, no matter what stage you are at in life.