First Time Buyers series! New Build Vs Old Houses (Pre-Existing) UK. PROS & CONS? Lara Joanna Jarvis

What's better - new builds or old homes? What are the pro's and con's of each?! You asked for this video so here it is! What would you like to see from me next??

As part of my first time buyers house buying videos I have done lots of research into whether new builds or old, pre-existing, homes were better and I am sharing the pros and cons of both - what do you think??

Get involved in the comments and let us know your experience if you have any of buying a new build home or an old pre owned home! Which would you recomment?

You may like the rest of my no buy year series, which would can watch here, plus budgeting tips and money saving ideas -

And our house buying series here -

Thanks for supporting me and being a part of this amazing community, it would mean the world to me if you would like to subscribe to see more from me, I appreciate every single one of you!

Lots of love, Lara x

NB : The links above could be affiliate links, which means if I have inspired you to make a purchase and you choose to buy something through one of these links, I may receive a small commission on the sale, as a way of thanks. It makes no difference to you as a buyer or the cost you pay, but I may receive a small compensation from the brand via rewardStyle or Amazon etc.

[madisonrose]

All your points were totally right! We live in a new build area and been here 2 years and we really notice how it feels like everyone is on top of each other and feels very compact with little privacy. I think you're making the right decision going for an older property 😊xx

[neyshaortega]

we bought a 1950s house on half an acre of land and I LOVE the charm of the house and I love that I always have a project to work on. We are a young married couple with no kids so it's easier to tackle projects without kids. I can't imagine how hard it must be to do all home renvonation with children. everyday I wake up and say how much I love our house but I'd be lying if all the projects dont cost $ and there's always something that needs work. But we save lots of $$$ buying older than new. we could never afford our neighborhood without buying a fixer upper

[samm]

I’m currently in a new build and it was the right choice to get on the market but I can’t wait to move into an older house! My main tip is to look out for hidden extra costs for example maintenance!

[familylifewithfourrescuedogs]

I've owned three houses and all have been new builds. I've been in my current house for over 20 years. I love new houses and have never had any problems 💕

[hannahfold]

I've lived in 3 victorian houses and never had any structural problems or anything worse than a bit of damp. It's personal preference but I think they have more charm and character

[sarahnurse]

We have a very old home, it looked ok when we bought it, but it had hidden faults we had to fix at big expense. However I love my neighbourhood and my qwerky, not another one like it home and would never swap it for a new build where you can barely tell them apart. Great well thought out vid.

[achard]

New here - Love your series! We are also FTB looking for our first home. We were in the process of purchasing a New Build before the pandemic but we decided against it due to the crazy amount of restrictions in the title/land deeds! Obviously varies depending on the developer, but something to be wary of. Especially concerning some of the ‘fleecehold’ terms. Good luck on your journey x

[jenniferkay]

such a helpful video, a few notable differences for anyone in Scotland; there is the first home fund which is a government scheme and can be used on older properties too which is amazing! Also, even if you move into an older build, if the boiler were to break the previous owner is liable in the first 5 days I'm sure it is.

[sharone]

I'm on my 4th house now, have never bought a new house but am definitely thinking about for our next move. My current house looked stunning when we viewed it but on the day we moved in the upstairs hall carpet smelt of wee (dog wee I think) straight through to underlay so had to be ripped out instantly. We also had fleas! Always have a contingency fund incase of anything unexpected. Will be looking to move next year and will definitely consider a new build if it's not overlooked. Used to work as an estate agent and lots of sales fell through for loads of reasons, sometimes right at the end of the process because they changed their mind and nothing you can do about it.

[hayleylawrence]

When buying an old house think about the constant costs of upkeep due to age in the structure of the building and although you can happily live with minor issues such as rendering cracks and small tears in the roof lining etc these will show up in a survey and potentially put buyers off even if these things have been factored into the sale price.

[atrixa]

Best of luck with your search! I had an offer accepted on a house today! It's a victorian 2 bedroom property. I'm a first time buyer and this whole process has been interesting, if long (I've been saving for a few years). In my area I have no clue why people want a new build as you can buy an older house for a fraction of the price. I spoke to a friend the other day who had gotten a new build via shared ownership and she has a little bit of buyers remorse. Her main point was everyone is starting out so it's attracted a lot of young families and a lot of noise. Fine if you also have kids, but not if you're a childless couple who like peace and quiet. She had a lot of issues with the garden after she moved in as well. Buying an older house, I was able to vet the streets I was going for very easily as they're all established neighbourhoods.

[hanlauren_b]

Just a little insight, the housing market is actually fantastic right now, especially where we are in the North West (I am an estate agent). Prices are still at the same price, only reductions slightly, houses aren't sticking round for long. Most offers are coming in at asking price! Finally 90% LTV's are coming back available too for FTB's xx

[Livingwithlucy]

Thanks for sharing. I keep changing my mind between new and existing. I just cant make my mind up. Luckily with the market how it is I have time to think on it x

[Immigrantwriter]

we live in an old Victorian house and I absolutely HATE them. Everything smells like damp, like when we travel I can smell it on our things (they came and fixed the damp wall and there is nothing else they can do, but everytime it rains it smells like we are swimming in mould 🤮). Also these houses unless really well renovated just keep falling apart and are so narrow and impractical! And in London they are also small and cramped anyway.

[MusiCoolPiyush]

One key difference that you forgot to mention is new build homes with more than 1 bathrooms while all old properties for some reason had only 1 bathroom.. i have lived in 3 bedroom and 4 bedroom properties in the past with just 1 bathroom.. the concept of having more than one bathroom is still very new in the UK when compared to homes in the US, Australia and even India

[keys]

Swift process occurs too on older build without a chain...

[whatsnextmummy]

Hey Lara, we’re about to start looking at house’s and the only way we can afford to do it is through shared ownership. Can you pick the same things with shared ownership as you can with help to buy? And can you haggle on price? I just assumed because they’re part of a housing association that you wouldn’t be able to ask about how you would like your kitchen, what paint you’d like let alone haggle on price. Can you help this 🤞 first time buyer out. We too are in Hampshire and the housing market is 🙀xx

[tashevans]

Really needed this thanks, saving up for my mortgage first time buyer. Going to get 5 percent but now has kind of mucked up the whole pandemic, might take me awhile to save which is disheartening.

[davidfincham]

I would just like to say that new build warranties don’t cover minor repairs after the first 2 years. So if your plumbing or your roof leaks it’s not covered.

[redarmy]

This 10 year warranty you mention is probably not worth the paper its written on. It is only for major structural defects such as subsidence or the roof falling off etc and even then, as with all insurance policies they will try everything to not pay out or do the work. The warranty you will get is a one year snagging one which will enable you to get any defects rectified within 12 months.