Discover the benefits of buying a blank canvas

From being kinder to the environment to complete peace of mind, there are lots of reasons for buying a new build over investing your time and money in renovating an older, or your existing home.

New home, fresh start

At the risk of leading in by stating the obvious, a newly built home is new. Outside and in. Fixtures, fittings, appliances – everything is fresh and sparkling. You do not need to live with someone else’s décor because you will be the first owner. No lingering quirks, damage or smells (yikes!) from previous owners, because a new build is all new and all yours.

Shorter chain

Because you are the first owner, you are not waiting for anyone to move out. This reduces or eliminates the house buying chain, and anyone who has been in a chain before understands how stressful they can be. As soon as your new home is complete, you are good to go.

Savings in the long run

This one may seem counter intuitive at first, because obviously buying a new home is a significant purchase! However, think about the cost of renovating an older property, of putting in a new kitchen, converting the loft, replacing the windows…older properties often have a certain charm, but period properties in particular can become money pits. DIY is expensive and can be doubly so if you end up having to correct mistakes. A new build home needs none of that because all the hard work has already been done.

Save valuable time

There is a difference between spending the odd day decorating versus having to spend every weekend and spare bit of time working on DIY projects that you never seem to finish! The problem is that in an older house, one job often leads to another. With a new build, because it is going to be a while before you need to worry about any maintenance jobs, you can concentrate on enjoying living in your new home.

Choose new, go green

New homes are built to the latest exacting environmental standards. This makes them kinder to the environment, and also cheaper to run. New homes are typically a lot more energy efficient than older homes and generate up to 60% less carbon dioxide emissions. This can reduce utility bills by around £500 a year. So, as well as doing your bit for the planet, it pays, or rather it saves, to choose new and go green.

Make it yours

If you buy early enough, you may get to have a say in the design or layout of the home you have chosen. At the very least, you will be able to choose certain finishes and fixtures, such as flooring and interior design. The great thing about choosing your own finishing touches is that you are paying for exactly what you want instead of what someone else thinks looks good. New developments have show homes too, of course, which are a great source of inspiration.

Warranties for peace of mind

There are no warranties with older homes, so if something breaks, fails or goes wrong, you are on your own, or at least at the mercy of your home insurer. With a new build you not only have the knowledge that it is unlikely anything will fall apart because the house is new, but you also have a ten year Buildmark warranty from NHBC or similar. Allison Homes also provide a two year warranty for additional peace of mind.

Incentives and buying options

It is worth keeping an eye out for buying incentives and offers which can save you extra money if you are looking to buy a home on a new development. There are also a number of buying options for the purchase of new build homes designed to help house hunters secure their dream home. At Allison Homes these include Assisted Sale, Part Exchange and Home Reach, in addition to the Government-backed Help to Buy and Forces Help to Buy schemes.

For more information on buying options click here or inspiration for buying a new build click here.