We love our new build! Not sure why people are so against them. We moved in 3 years ago, everything was completely fresh, clean, new! Nothing needed doing, just decorating which wasn’t urgent. We have had no issues at all and love it. Fair enough they aren’t for everyone but not everyone is in a position to renovate and live with the chaos, especially with young kids 😅. Also love your videos, you are doing amazing xx
I have been in my new build now for 6months and I love my house, we have a corner plot and a very private south facing garden. The rooms are not the biggest for it’s our first home and we are a family of 3 so it is perfect for us. When our family grows and gets bigger we will be buying a bigger new build house again. I’m not a diy person at all and I like everything looking new and fresh.
My family moved to a delighted new build, two bed detached house two years ago; however, after visiting some friends’ houses, which are all old houses dated back to 1930s, I had different plans from you😅 We plan to buy an old house for our growing family in next couple of years! The reason is that we felt like old houses normally have a big garden which has lots of potentials to be changed/upgraded, and apart from that, the height between ceilings and floors are normally higher than the new builds. If these two factors matters for you, when you look for your new build, you may take these into consideration❤
Oh my god I totally agree about finding mum friends! My daughter is 2 now and I still don’t really have a mum circle at all. Also live in a 1930s house and the maintenance is just a lot! It’s never ending! I’m also super tempted by a new build! I never thought I would be but the thought of low maintenance sounds bliss!
Hi Shan, we are really happy with our new build! Everything is brand new and in perfect working order. Contrary to what many believe, the build quality is great and we have a large south facing garden. Any issues we have had have been sorted out straight away by the developers (for the first couple of years everything is under guarantee!). The last thing you wanna be doing with kids is having to maintain/renovate an older house (as I'm sure you're aware of after your renovation lol). So it's been perfect for us with 3 young kids to have a new build. Do your research and do what's best for you :) xxx
Completely agree about it being tricky to find mum friends. Perhaps we could set up a group chat/Facebook group where people can find people close by to them or maybe arrange a big meet up? Wonder if anyone would be interested in that? X
Hi Shan, I also live with no parking and have two kids to take to where we park about 5 minutes walk (it takes 15 minutes for the kids!) and the struggle is real! There is a massive new build development near me and a driveway and garage are a must when we buy! Love you videos ❤
You’re a wonderful mum Shan. My boys are 14 and 16 now but I remember these days like they were yesterday. I love how you’ve asked the HV for advice and are doing everything you can to support George. You’re inspirational xxx
Lived in my new build for 4 and half years. Never had any issues thankfully we had a leak in our shower the day we moved in and they came the same day to fix it and never had an issue since. Would live in another one
Love my new build we chose it becaue it had the layout we were looking for without having to do the work ourselves.. we have a Redrow so high rolltop ceilings, high skirting, pretty look from the outside, drive to fit 3-4 cars, garden not overlooked. We paid for a professional snagger when we moved who picked up loads of cosmetics snags nothing structural though which were all fixed - my partner was skeptical about moving to a new build but we have a toddler and no time to do the work in a doer upper so this was the sensible choice
We love our new build never had any issues! A great option with new build as well is the part exchange, we did that as I didnt want the stress of a chain so thats worth looking at xx
I really enjoyed this blog! I have a newly turned 3 year old and he was always such a lovely, well behaved little boy, but now he is literally the devil child and really likes to test me. It must be 3 year olds??? I love watching your content as it’s so believable, real and honest. It also doesn’t make me feel like a crap mum like a lot of the other channels can do unintentionally! You’re doing a great job and definitely stealing all of your coping mechanisms that you use with George for our little one. Keep going Shan, it is true what they say, it’s all just a phase! 🥰🫶🏻
Hey, we bought a new build 8 years ago now and I was the same, thought they were so bland and empty of character. Fast forward 8 years and I adore it, we have decorated and done quite a lot to it now and it has scope for a garage conversion or loft conversion, or a garden extension. Our driveway can hold 6 cars (we are very lucky!) and it’s a lovely area, I feel genuinely lucky to live here. We used the Help to Buy scheme and are in Scotland so can probably get a lite more house for our money, I would imagine where you are is way more expensive. But we have never had any issues with quality of building, sizes, storage etc. Absolutely love our house! Also, my son sounds a lot like George behaviour wise, just a year younger (he is 3 in September). You have so much patience with George, amazing mum! Please do keep sharing and I hope you do go for a new build, my sister in law has just bought one with a different builder and 3 siblings between myself and husband all have new builds, all love them 😊 Ceri x
90% of my friends live in new builds and a fraction of them still love them. They’re about 3 years old. A handful have moved to older properties too. We live in a 200 year old limestone house. It’s a full renovation so not for the faint hearted but we’re on our way to it being exactly what I’ve always wanted (think English cottage fairytale vibes). However it’s really, really not for the faint hearted. We’re doing it all ourselves and we’re 3 years in with no kitchen, living room or living space. But to buy it ‘finished’ it’s double the price if not more which isn’t achievable for us 😅
Our house is 11 years old, we are the 2nd owners. We have a Barratt Homes Cambridge - 4 bed, double garage, drive with 2 spaces and big garden, storage wise we have a cupboard in the hallway, under the stairs & over the stairs. We have put character in & our own stamp on. I love it & wouldn’t change it. Especially with 2 young child (1 and 3), low maintenance, renovating just isn’t practical with kids. Xx
Here in Poland there are classes for children aged 4+ which are called TUS which in English means social skills training. They teach children how to manage their emotions and function in a group. The classes are especially designed for children with behavioral problems (whether its misbehaving or shyness, etc) Maybe there is something similar in England. It’s worth checking ❤
You’re such a good mum you know! Can tell how much you just always try your best for your kids it’s lovely! Also I know exactly what you mean about loneliness on maternity leave it was never what I expected also wish we could be mum friends so bad😂❤
We didn’t want a new build but the amount we could get for a mortgage was not enough for houses in the surrounding areas. We looked at 3 different new build estates surrounding us (never thinking we could afford one). We fell in love with one estate although we have had to go on shared ownership we love our 3 bedroom house. I would say make sure you really look around the estates what is around them facilities etc. just note most have a ground rent charge.
I absolutely love my new build… yes they have quality issues and snagging can take a while to sort out but everything is fresh and new (and very well insulated!!) and you have so many different developers to choose from which differ massively. I’m on a new build estate with only 100 houses as it’s in a village so there’s a bit more space than on some developments and we’ve got a corner plot with a really nice size garden for a new build. Nice new builds do exist I promise! You also can have a nice community feel too as you’re all new neighbours and you’ll get a lot of young families with kids. Put aside some money to landscape the garden though as you’ll often get the tiniest little patio which is not ideal for kids and scooters/bikes 😂 shopping for a new build is also so much fun- I’m excited for you! Oh also you can get these tiny little private developments of like 4 houses which are often built to a much higher standard so depending on your budget they are a great option. Happy hunting! X
We moved into our new build during covid. We loved picking every little detail and have made friends with loads of people on the estate so ideal for making friends. They're nice and warm most of the year but that's a negative in the summer; our upstairs has reached 30 degrees this week which is a nightmare for toddler sleep! Still love it though and feel very lucky even after several years living here :) we have a Taylor Wimpey Eynsham and it's pretty spacious x
I'm in the same boat with the maternity leave feeling rather lonely. My boyfriend and I were long distance and then when I fell pregnant I ended up moving from England to Scotland, since I was working from home and my job is moveable. However because I moved over 6 hours away from everyone I know, including family, it's been tough and very lonely. My boyfriend also works 14 hour night shifts 4on/4off so he's either working or sleeping during the day. I'm 7 months PP but other than a few baby groups a couple times a week, I pretty much just am housebound with baby.
I agree with the friends because I find you tend to bond better with mums who mum similar to you. And I agree with the parking lol I have 4 kids and we can't get near the house. I've worked it out but ye it drives me mad. It does get easier as rhey get older though xx
New builds have two allocated parking spaces they HAVE TO! Just saying 😂 We are in a new build but it was made specifically for us as my eldest daughter has disabilities so it needed specific things like a downstairs wet room.
I live in a new build, first time buyers in 2018. Our house was build by Kier and overall very positive experience. Negatives: We were told a June move in date but this changed to September (not massive but we were somewhat lied to about the build plan on deciding which plot to go for/ would have helped to have known the reality at the time of choosing). Garden is basically just rubble covered with grass- on doing some landscaping it became very evident it had all just been covered up so that caused a lot more work. Trying to order things to your new house can be tricky as it doesn’t exist on the land registrar and gazetteer to begin with- had an issue with our dishwasher from curry’s as our house number didn’t exist so we had to choose a neighbours house and then a few days before delivery call them to confirm the actual house number. Have to play an external company for land management of the estate- if I had known about this and the actual cost I would have really contemplated if it was the right way to go. We have to pay an extortionate amount of money each quarter of the year to a horrendous company to weed and mow the communal areas once in a blue moon and they do a terrible job. Plus if you miss a payment by accident the fees are insane. And we have to still pay council tax 😒 Positives: got to pick all of our carpets/kitchen cupboards/flooring etc to make it ours. We also were able to ask them to move plug sockets to where we wanted them to be rather than their initial plan. Option of upgrading bits here as well if you want. If you move in whilst the estate is still being built any issues that pop up with snagging or things breaking the team were so quick to come over and fix them. Able to pick which plot/house you want. Fresh building and everything brand new when you move in. Reallt decent size rooms compared to a lot of other houses. We have a double driveway and our road is a cup-de-sac and we are at the end so no one comes past our house. Great community spirit- everyone was new and everyone wanted to be really friendly - street parties and Christmas light events were great! Furniture packages - we got so much furniture given to us as an incentive for buying the new build before it was built. Anything we didn’t want we sold! We would definitely consider a new build again in the future when we come to move even despite the negatives that we have faced.
I think you are thinking way too limited about this. There's a middle ground between a fixer upper and a new build. There are SO many houses that are 10-20 years old that are ready to move in and you only need to redecorate if you don't like the colours! But they don't come with the new build markup. New builds are really expensive. So I would say don't just focus on newbuilts, expand your search.
Also there's a middle ground between doing it all by yourself and buying new. For example you can buy a house that's 15 years old, get painters and decorators in to paint it for you, maybe even get a new kitchen from professionals and it might be cheaper than paying for a new build, especially considering you can't choose certain design aspects in all new builds.
New builds were a huge no for us. We started the process of buying one before we found out a lot of them have an estate charge which they can change the figure of to whatever they like each year and if you don't pay it they can repossess your house, which a lot of banks don't like as the banks want to be the only ones to have that power, so it's really difficult to get a mortgage on new builds. Also having to pay the estate charge is like having to pay extra council tax as a lot of these estates the councils don't pay for but you still also have to pay the same amount of council tax, which is annoying as they aren't the ones collecting your bins etc. The biggest red flag for us though was they had the power to randomly change the freehold to a leasehold! It's unlikely they would do it but the fact that it's written into a lot of contracts and people don't even know is terrible. No judgement for people who do get a new build but I think it's best to know what you're really getting into as a lot of people don't know.
This is interesting about being able to switch from a freehold to a leasehold, is this a flat thing or certain developers? Mine is a freeshold and my service charge which hasn’t started yet, will be roughly £8 a month and it can only go up a certain percentage each year.
This was a house not a flat, which is what made us so confused as to why it could be changed to a leasehold. I don't think they would ever change it to a leasehold as there would be a lot of upset but just them having the power to do so was a red flag for us. I also think it probably depends on the development company, all the ones around us were Persimmons.
@@bekifulton3442 They have the right to change from Freehold or Leasehold? Wow I've never heard of that before! Did they forget to mention that in the contract / did you find out later? That sucks!! Do you know if this kind of "right" is for "New Builds" only, or do normal Freehold houses might be subject to this also?
@@katepanpaya415 so we only found this out right when we came to nearly the end of the buying process. Nobody told us about this before that and it was hidden in contracts, it was only flagged to us because our bank didn't like that. Which in hindsight we're really thankful for because we then pulled out of the purchase immediately after finding that out. I think it's only a new build thing because you're buying from the developers and older houses you're not still paying anything to developers. I don't know whether this is in all new builds contracts but it was in the one we were looking at and put us off enough to not look at any other new builds.
How do you and Ash cope with all the parental stress? Does it bring tension to your relationship? I find that quite tricky to manage on top of the parenting element.
I think it all depends on location and not house plus what you can afford! Moving costs are sooo expensive especially your area! We have a Victorian terrace 30 mins from centre which is ideal for our work, schools, location etc. you can make any house a home. A modern house is lovely but not always have the space. But have less maintenance but if you don’t mind character, then go for it. Did you not use nct we did with our first and made lovely mates. The real Friendships is when they start school and they make good ones and you hang out with them? We have a WhatsApp groups of Nursry and school which help, but I think it depends on where you live - city life is different than a village life. O know mates that don’t have friendships like we have met in the city and don’t talk to anyone on school run! Xx
New builds are not for me, they dont suit my style at all i love vintage and old really. I can live with annoyances of our house because we have a huge garden, around nature on a quite road. That being said i appreciated the ammenties new builds provie ie utility room, a drive, bathrooms on every level. But also the floor plans can be a bit odd and can have a lot of snagging problems
Shan I’ve been thinking of you and your challenges with George especially that you expressed in a recent vlog and although it might outline some more extreme behaviours than he experiences (you know your life best) I would really recommend the book: The Explosive Child by Ross Greene. Big love! 💞
I live in a new build, and while the development is really lovely and our house is nice to look at, two parking spaces etc…I wouldn’t buy a new build again unless I had to. They’re not solidly build, they have constant problems etc. All my friends have had similar issues with new builds, and my partners uncle is a builder and he said there’s so many issues with new builds. So if you have a choice, I’d say don’t get a new build! X
Issues we’ve had - they use very cheap materials, so we’ve had bathroom leaks right through to the ceiling underneath, the doors are cheap so the door handles keep falling off, the skirting boards have chipped easily, we’ve had damp in numerous rooms where the insulation hasn’t been done properly, some of the walls are cheap plasterboard so it’s impossible to hang heavy things without risk of them falling (we’ve had our curtain rail just fall down), and more. My partners uncle said one huge issue is something to do with the metal doorframes they use behind the walls, apparently they only last 10-15 years and then you’ll need to replace them and it’s a HUGE and costly job. Basically, they tend to be built on the cheap. So they look SO impressive and they’re great for a few years, then you start getting all the issues x
@@lizfield6486kids need stability and routine, not to be moving house every two years because their mum has house envy and is never happy with what she's got.
@@AnaLucia-hg4zqI moved every couple of years my entire childhood as my dad was military. It was fine, but I don’t have any childhood friends like my adult friends still have. I didn’t really have the opportunity to build long lasting relationships. So I do get this but I feel that Shan is talking about how impractical the parking is, the lack of shops and things going on etc. Maybe uprooting would better the kids lives? I live in a village that has everything going on and it’s revolutionary with a little one ❤
We love our new build! Not sure why people are so against them. We moved in 3 years ago, everything was completely fresh, clean, new! Nothing needed doing, just decorating which wasn’t urgent. We have had no issues at all and love it. Fair enough they aren’t for everyone but not everyone is in a position to renovate and live with the chaos, especially with young kids 😅. Also love your videos, you are doing amazing xx
I have been in my new build now for 6months and I love my house, we have a corner plot and a very private south facing garden.
The rooms are not the biggest for it’s our first home and we are a family of 3 so it is perfect for us. When our family grows and gets bigger we will be buying a bigger new build house again. I’m not a diy person at all and I like everything looking new and fresh.
My family moved to a delighted new build, two bed detached house two years ago; however, after visiting some friends’ houses, which are all old houses dated back to 1930s, I had different plans from you😅 We plan to buy an old house for our growing family in next couple of years! The reason is that we felt like old houses normally have a big garden which has lots of potentials to be changed/upgraded, and apart from that, the height between ceilings and floors are normally higher than the new builds. If these two factors matters for you, when you look for your new build, you may take these into consideration❤
Oh my god I totally agree about finding mum friends! My daughter is 2 now and I still don’t really have a mum circle at all.
Also live in a 1930s house and the maintenance is just a lot! It’s never ending! I’m also super tempted by a new build! I never thought I would be but the thought of low maintenance sounds bliss!
Hi Shan, we are really happy with our new build! Everything is brand new and in perfect working order. Contrary to what many believe, the build quality is great and we have a large south facing garden. Any issues we have had have been sorted out straight away by the developers (for the first couple of years everything is under guarantee!). The last thing you wanna be doing with kids is having to maintain/renovate an older house (as I'm sure you're aware of after your renovation lol). So it's been perfect for us with 3 young kids to have a new build. Do your research and do what's best for you :) xxx
Completely agree about it being tricky to find mum friends. Perhaps we could set up a group chat/Facebook group where people can find people close by to them or maybe arrange a big meet up? Wonder if anyone would be interested in that? X
There’s an app called peanut that does exactly that
Can I join 😭 😂
Hi Shan, I also live with no parking and have two kids to take to where we park about 5 minutes walk (it takes 15 minutes for the kids!) and the struggle is real! There is a massive new build development near me and a driveway and garage are a must when we buy! Love you videos ❤
You’re a wonderful mum Shan. My boys are 14 and 16 now but I remember these days like they were yesterday. I love how you’ve asked the HV for advice and are doing everything you can to support George. You’re inspirational xxx
Lived in my new build for 4 and half years. Never had any issues thankfully we had a leak in our shower the day we moved in and they came the same day to fix it and never had an issue since. Would live in another one
Love my new build we chose it becaue it had the layout we were looking for without having to do the work ourselves.. we have a Redrow so high rolltop ceilings, high skirting, pretty look from the outside, drive to fit 3-4 cars, garden not overlooked. We paid for a professional snagger when we moved who picked up loads of cosmetics snags nothing structural though which were all fixed - my partner was skeptical about moving to a new build but we have a toddler and no time to do the work in a doer upper so this was the sensible choice
We love our new build never had any issues! A great option with new build as well is the part exchange, we did that as I didnt want the stress of a chain so thats worth looking at xx
I really enjoyed this blog! I have a newly turned 3 year old and he was always such a lovely, well behaved little boy, but now he is literally the devil child and really likes to test me. It must be 3 year olds??? I love watching your content as it’s so believable, real and honest. It also doesn’t make me feel like a crap mum like a lot of the other channels can do unintentionally! You’re doing a great job and definitely stealing all of your coping mechanisms that you use with George for our little one. Keep going Shan, it is true what they say, it’s all just a phase! 🥰🫶🏻
Hey, we bought a new build 8 years ago now and I was the same, thought they were so bland and empty of character. Fast forward 8 years and I adore it, we have decorated and done quite a lot to it now and it has scope for a garage conversion or loft conversion, or a garden extension. Our driveway can hold 6 cars (we are very lucky!) and it’s a lovely area, I feel genuinely lucky to live here. We used the Help to Buy scheme and are in Scotland so can probably get a lite more house for our money, I would imagine where you are is way more expensive. But we have never had any issues with quality of building, sizes, storage etc. Absolutely love our house!
Also, my son sounds a lot like George behaviour wise, just a year younger (he is 3 in September). You have so much patience with George, amazing mum!
Please do keep sharing and I hope you do go for a new build, my sister in law has just bought one with a different builder and 3 siblings between myself and husband all have new builds, all love them 😊
Ceri x
90% of my friends live in new builds and a fraction of them still love them. They’re about 3 years old. A handful have moved to older properties too.
We live in a 200 year old limestone house. It’s a full renovation so not for the faint hearted but we’re on our way to it being exactly what I’ve always wanted (think English cottage fairytale vibes).
However it’s really, really not for the faint hearted.
We’re doing it all ourselves and we’re 3 years in with no kitchen, living room or living space. But to buy it ‘finished’ it’s double the price if not more which isn’t achievable for us 😅
Our house is 11 years old, we are the 2nd owners. We have a Barratt Homes Cambridge - 4 bed, double garage, drive with 2 spaces and big garden, storage wise we have a cupboard in the hallway, under the stairs & over the stairs. We have put character in & our own stamp on. I love it & wouldn’t change it. Especially with 2 young child (1 and 3), low maintenance, renovating just isn’t practical with kids. Xx
Here in Poland there are classes for children aged 4+ which are called TUS which in English means social skills training. They teach children how to manage their emotions and function in a group. The classes are especially designed for children with behavioral problems (whether its misbehaving or shyness, etc) Maybe there is something similar in England. It’s worth checking ❤
I love new builds :) Highly reccomend!
You’re such a good mum you know! Can tell how much you just always try your best for your kids it’s lovely! Also I know exactly what you mean about loneliness on maternity leave it was never what I expected also wish we could be mum friends so bad😂❤
We didn’t want a new build but the amount we could get for a mortgage was not enough for houses in the surrounding areas. We looked at 3 different new build estates surrounding us (never thinking we could afford one). We fell in love with one estate although we have had to go on shared ownership we love our 3 bedroom house. I would say make sure you really look around the estates what is around them facilities etc. just note most have a ground rent charge.
I absolutely love my new build… yes they have quality issues and snagging can take a while to sort out but everything is fresh and new (and very well insulated!!) and you have so many different developers to choose from which differ massively. I’m on a new build estate with only 100 houses as it’s in a village so there’s a bit more space than on some developments and we’ve got a corner plot with a really nice size garden for a new build. Nice new builds do exist I promise! You also can have a nice community feel too as you’re all new neighbours and you’ll get a lot of young families with kids. Put aside some money to landscape the garden though as you’ll often get the tiniest little patio which is not ideal for kids and scooters/bikes 😂 shopping for a new build is also so much fun- I’m excited for you! Oh also you can get these tiny little private developments of like 4 houses which are often built to a much higher standard so depending on your budget they are a great option. Happy hunting! X
We moved into our new build during covid. We loved picking every little detail and have made friends with loads of people on the estate so ideal for making friends. They're nice and warm most of the year but that's a negative in the summer; our upstairs has reached 30 degrees this week which is a nightmare for toddler sleep! Still love it though and feel very lucky even after several years living here :) we have a Taylor Wimpey Eynsham and it's pretty spacious x
I bought an old build but I have added over 100k to the value, if there was a new build estate in my area I would have jumped at the chance xx
Your hair looks lovely it really suits you x
I'm in the same boat with the maternity leave feeling rather lonely. My boyfriend and I were long distance and then when I fell pregnant I ended up moving from England to Scotland, since I was working from home and my job is moveable. However because I moved over 6 hours away from everyone I know, including family, it's been tough and very lonely. My boyfriend also works 14 hour night shifts 4on/4off so he's either working or sleeping during the day. I'm 7 months PP but other than a few baby groups a couple times a week, I pretty much just am housebound with baby.
New build show houses look gorgeous because no one is living there, no mess 😂
I agree with the friends because I find you tend to bond better with mums who mum similar to you. And I agree with the parking lol I have 4 kids and we can't get near the house. I've worked it out but ye it drives me mad. It does get easier as rhey get older though xx
The same with the whole making mum friends 😂 omg I literally got stripped of all social skills the second Rosie was born 😂
New builds have two allocated parking spaces they HAVE TO! Just saying 😂
We are in a new build but it was made specifically for us as my eldest daughter has disabilities so it needed specific things like a downstairs wet room.
I live in a new build, first time buyers in 2018. Our house was build by Kier and overall very positive experience.
Negatives:
We were told a June move in date but this changed to September (not massive but we were somewhat lied to about the build plan on deciding which plot to go for/ would have helped to have known the reality at the time of choosing).
Garden is basically just rubble covered with grass- on doing some landscaping it became very evident it had all just been covered up so that caused a lot more work.
Trying to order things to your new house can be tricky as it doesn’t exist on the land registrar and gazetteer to begin with- had an issue with our dishwasher from curry’s as our house number didn’t exist so we had to choose a neighbours house and then a few days before delivery call them to confirm the actual house number.
Have to play an external company for land management of the estate- if I had known about this and the actual cost I would have really contemplated if it was the right way to go. We have to pay an extortionate amount of money each quarter of the year to a horrendous company to weed and mow the communal areas once in a blue moon and they do a terrible job. Plus if you miss a payment by accident the fees are insane. And we have to still pay council tax 😒
Positives: got to pick all of our carpets/kitchen cupboards/flooring etc to make it ours. We also were able to ask them to move plug sockets to where we wanted them to be rather than their initial plan. Option of upgrading bits here as well if you want.
If you move in whilst the estate is still being built any issues that pop up with snagging or things breaking the team were so quick to come over and fix them.
Able to pick which plot/house you want.
Fresh building and everything brand new when you move in.
Reallt decent size rooms compared to a lot of other houses.
We have a double driveway and our road is a cup-de-sac and we are at the end so no one comes past our house.
Great community spirit- everyone was new and everyone wanted to be really friendly - street parties and Christmas light events were great!
Furniture packages - we got so much furniture given to us as an incentive for buying the new build before it was built. Anything we didn’t want we sold!
We would definitely consider a new build again in the future when we come to move even despite the negatives that we have faced.
I think you are thinking way too limited about this. There's a middle ground between a fixer upper and a new build. There are SO many houses that are 10-20 years old that are ready to move in and you only need to redecorate if you don't like the colours! But they don't come with the new build markup. New builds are really expensive. So I would say don't just focus on newbuilts, expand your search.
Also there's a middle ground between doing it all by yourself and buying new. For example you can buy a house that's 15 years old, get painters and decorators in to paint it for you, maybe even get a new kitchen from professionals and it might be cheaper than paying for a new build, especially considering you can't choose certain design aspects in all new builds.
New builds were a huge no for us.
We started the process of buying one before we found out a lot of them have an estate charge which they can change the figure of to whatever they like each year and if you don't pay it they can repossess your house, which a lot of banks don't like as the banks want to be the only ones to have that power, so it's really difficult to get a mortgage on new builds.
Also having to pay the estate charge is like having to pay extra council tax as a lot of these estates the councils don't pay for but you still also have to pay the same amount of council tax, which is annoying as they aren't the ones collecting your bins etc.
The biggest red flag for us though was they had the power to randomly change the freehold to a leasehold! It's unlikely they would do it but the fact that it's written into a lot of contracts and people don't even know is terrible.
No judgement for people who do get a new build but I think it's best to know what you're really getting into as a lot of people don't know.
This is interesting about being able to switch from a freehold to a leasehold, is this a flat thing or certain developers?
Mine is a freeshold and my service charge which hasn’t started yet, will be roughly £8 a month and it can only go up a certain percentage each year.
This was a house not a flat, which is what made us so confused as to why it could be changed to a leasehold. I don't think they would ever change it to a leasehold as there would be a lot of upset but just them having the power to do so was a red flag for us. I also think it probably depends on the development company, all the ones around us were Persimmons.
@@bekifulton3442 They have the right to change from Freehold or Leasehold? Wow I've never heard of that before! Did they forget to mention that in the contract / did you find out later? That sucks!! Do you know if this kind of "right" is for "New Builds" only, or do normal Freehold houses might be subject to this also?
@@katepanpaya415 so we only found this out right when we came to nearly the end of the buying process. Nobody told us about this before that and it was hidden in contracts, it was only flagged to us because our bank didn't like that. Which in hindsight we're really thankful for because we then pulled out of the purchase immediately after finding that out. I think it's only a new build thing because you're buying from the developers and older houses you're not still paying anything to developers. I don't know whether this is in all new builds contracts but it was in the one we were looking at and put us off enough to not look at any other new builds.
Hair routine please Shan! 🙏 x
Love this girl! Need to catch up soon ❤❤
How do you and Ash cope with all the parental stress? Does it bring tension to your relationship? I find that quite tricky to manage on top of the parenting element.
I think it all depends on location and not house plus what you can afford! Moving costs are sooo expensive especially your area! We have a Victorian terrace 30 mins from centre which is ideal for our work, schools, location etc. you can make any house a home. A modern house is lovely but not always have the space. But have less maintenance but if you don’t mind character, then go for it.
Did you not use nct we did with our first and made lovely mates. The real Friendships is when they start school and they make good ones and you hang out with them? We have a WhatsApp groups of Nursry and school which help, but I think it depends on where you live - city life is different than a village life. O know mates that don’t have friendships like we have met in the city and don’t talk to anyone on school run! Xx
New builds are not for me, they dont suit my style at all i love vintage and old really. I can live with annoyances of our house because we have a huge garden, around nature on a quite road. That being said i appreciated the ammenties new builds provie ie utility room, a drive, bathrooms on every level. But also the floor plans can be a bit odd and can have a lot of snagging problems
Shan I’ve been thinking of you and your challenges with George especially that you expressed in a recent vlog and although it might outline some more extreme behaviours than he experiences (you know your life best) I would really recommend the book: The Explosive Child by Ross Greene. Big love! 💞
I live in a new build, and while the development is really lovely and our house is nice to look at, two parking spaces etc…I wouldn’t buy a new build again unless I had to. They’re not solidly build, they have constant problems etc. All my friends have had similar issues with new builds, and my partners uncle is a builder and he said there’s so many issues with new builds. So if you have a choice, I’d say don’t get a new build! X
Issues we’ve had - they use very cheap materials, so we’ve had bathroom leaks right through to the ceiling underneath, the doors are cheap so the door handles keep falling off, the skirting boards have chipped easily, we’ve had damp in numerous rooms where the insulation hasn’t been done properly, some of the walls are cheap plasterboard so it’s impossible to hang heavy things without risk of them falling (we’ve had our curtain rail just fall down), and more. My partners uncle said one huge issue is something to do with the metal doorframes they use behind the walls, apparently they only last 10-15 years and then you’ll need to replace them and it’s a HUGE and costly job.
Basically, they tend to be built on the cheap. So they look SO impressive and they’re great for a few years, then you start getting all the issues x
Standards are so low. They throw them up so quickly it’s concerning. Our 200 year old house is solid, wonky, but solid 😂
Will you be considering a new build where you are currently living, or uprooting George agsin and sticking him in yet another nursery?
Don’t you think that’s up to them? Kids adjust!
@@lizfield6486kids need stability and routine, not to be moving house every two years because their mum has house envy and is never happy with what she's got.
@@AnaLucia-hg4zqI moved every couple of years my entire childhood as my dad was military. It was fine, but I don’t have any childhood friends like my adult friends still have. I didn’t really have the opportunity to build long lasting relationships. So I do get this but I feel that Shan is talking about how impractical the parking is, the lack of shops and things going on etc. Maybe uprooting would better the kids lives? I live in a village that has everything going on and it’s revolutionary with a little one ❤
Ok, where do you get all your jeans from??? 🤔
We’ve been getting “silly bum bum head” also not ideal 🙃🤣
Poo and wee and bum are words of the month here 🥲🤣
@@HomeWithShanSame in our household! 😂😂
Where are your ripped jeans from I love them!
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Is anyone else having trouble with sound other videos work but not this one