Selling Our First Home..

[abillybob]

Hello All

 

So me and OH have decided it's time to move, we're getting married next month and will eventually look to starting a family although our 2 bedroom property won't cut it anymore unfortunately. Hopefully you guys can shed some light on the situation and help us out with some questions.

 

We're going with a Part-Exchange as the property we like is a new build by a national builder. They are sending 2 local independent estate agents around to get an idea of the value of our property. We purchased it 3 years ago at £170,000 and got our own valuation by PurpleBricks last Friday who valued it at £190,000 - £200,000. Does anyone have experience with Part Exchange and would know a roundabout figure on what we're likely to expect? We're part exchanging as last time our house was on the market it took 3 years to sell and we don't want to be waiting around that long so we don't mind missing out on a couple of grand if it means theirs no chain and no faff etc...

 

In your guys experience should we still be able to get some deals on our new property like money off, carpets included, appliances or stamp duty paid? I know we're not in the "Best position" as they're buying our house from us so we're not paying them off with "Cash" if you like but are we still able to do this as I've read conflicting advice on websites?

 

The new property we're looking at is just being built and I'd like to put Cat6 cabling throughout the property so we have at least 2 ports per room and some proper cabling for 2 Unifi AP's, if we reserve the property and go forward with the purchase do you think they'd let me run the cabling before they plaster the walls? I know this is quite a strange request but whether it's plastered or not I'll want to put some sort of ethernet cabling throughout the house so I'd rather do it before all the walls are put up if possible!

 

Thanks in advance all and any help / advice is welcomed

[Boredguy]

Its unlikely they would let you run cabling prior to completion, so you would have to do it once you move in.

[ICTDirect_Dave]

I think realistically if you want to have cables run before the build is completed, then you're going to have to pay their team to do it at whatever 'special' rate the decide.

In all likelihood having someone not working for the building company doing work on the house before construction is finished would make it impossible to sign off.

[Meldrew]

I haven't any particular experience, but I wouldn't expect them to let you in to do cabling. This would be tricky when it comes to the defects period. You might be able to agree that they put some sort of containment in the walls and a pull through... Don't be afraid to haggle and check absolutely every word of the contract with them to see exactly what you will and won't be getting. Most likely if something isn't mention, you don't get it. Relatives of mine who purchased a new build for example got the front garden landscaped (for lack of a better word), but the back garden basically like a ploughed field.

 

Meldrew.

[3s-gtech]

I'd say there's zero chance they'd let you interfere with second fix in any way. It has to be signed off, and no-one is going to vouch for your work (things like fireproof cabling, fire resistance times where there are holes, earthing patch panels etc etc etc). You'll have to retro fit or commissions them to do it. I would also advise that you temper your expectations from 'a few thousand' for the potential part-ex price of your house. This could really sting - they would only do this if it's worthwhile and that means pricing it so they can sell it quickly, with no work. The margin on new builds isn't enough for them to wipe that profit by trying to sell an unknown house. Edited April 16, 2019 by 3s-gtech

[elsiegee40]

I am another who thinks you have zero chance of cabling before the house is your property. They would have to put you through the site induction, insure you, etc.

[Dos_Box]

I would also ensure you stay on top of the builders should any snags occur. There has been quite a bit of media coverage in the past couple of year about the standard of new build homes:

 

https://www.theguardian.com/money/2018/nov/17/quality-build-homes-charles-church-buyers

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-46302905

 

I'm sure you will be fine, but just don't ignore tiny problems as they may be a sign of something else.

[Achandler]

Also don't buy a new build if you might be moving in a couple of years again as you'll lose money.

 

Seriously though, check every item you will be getting. For example a cooker is a cooker, but they'll give you the cheapest possible.

 

Check any charges (leasehold, communal charges), have the roads been adopted or will they ever be?

Don't use their recommend solicitor, use your own.

[bald_pig]

a) no way they are letting you on to their building site to do work, it's a nightmare of rules, regs, and paperwork.

 

b) isn't this the house that had loads of problems? They will already take a big chunk off for a quick sale, I would expect them to offer less than you paid for it to be honest.

[abillybob]

Well that's annoying! I don't want to pay their silly rates for an extra they don't include and then find out the builders have done it wrong or bent the cables at 90 degrees or something silly like that

 

isn't this the house that had loads of problems? They will already take a big chunk off for a quick sale, I would expect them to offer less than you paid for it to be honest.

 

Not anymore we cleared all the legal stuff in the end and have spent a fortune making sure it passed building regs etc so shouldn't be anymore legal issues anymore!

Edited April 16, 2019 by abillybob

[Sheridan]

We looked at some part-ex deals a few years back and generally speaking they all offered around 25-30% less than the estate agents valuation, which is an amount we couldn't afford to drop.

[Achandler]

Also if you are buying what is essentially an empty chain free home, and you are selling what is a first time buyer home then why not just sell your house?

[foofighterjim]

You probably won't even be able to retrofit any cabling in the walls if the property is leasehold. On the leasehold note make sure to save some money to buy the lease as the building companies are now using this to cash in shortly after completion by selling the lease on, you basically have one shot at getting the lease at a reasonable price and they normally do this when they expect people to have no money.

[Ditto]

Simpler still - if it's not a freehold purchase - look elsewhere.

[elsiegee40]

If it is leasehold, have your own solicitor (not theirs) go through the contract terms and explain them to you.

 

There’s some awful terms in some of them where service charges rapidly become unaffordable, the costs associated with applying to make even minor alterations to the property are astronomical and people have been left well and truly stuck as the freehold is sold on to a third party. The property becomes unsellable by the first purchaser.

 

There was a programme on Radio 4 about it only today. Don’t get caught out.

[rich_tech]

my friend bought a new build and paid for their contractor to run the cables as a part of the work, you will need to ask them if they offer it, not all do.

[dhicks]

The new property we're looking at is just being built and I'd like to put Cat6 cabling throughout the property so we have at least 2 ports per room and some proper cabling for 2 Unifi AP's, if we reserve the property and go forward with the purchase do you think they'd let me run the cabling before they plaster the walls?

 

You could just hire a van for a day or two and turn up on site saying "Hello, I'm here to fit the network cabling..."

[XiJ]

We got a good price for ours. Negotiate hard. Whether it’s more for yours and/or less for the new one. Find out when the builders year end is - more chance if a deal. Also can be good at the start of a new build estate. Top tip our financial advisor fella gave us was get them to gift you 5%. That way it looks like they sold for a high price but you get a discount on the price. Win win.

 

As for cabling, no chance if you doing it. I would approach them / one of the contractors direct.

[XiJ]

Also avoid persimmon.

[abillybob]

Thanks all for your words of wisdom

 

It's a freehold but I'll make sure I double check before we agree to anything! It's with Miller Homes are they any good? I get there will be snagging and carp to deal with as it's a new build... they all seem to have some sort of issue but apparently we're covered for 10 years NHBC and 2 Years with Miller themselves.

 

We have the valuations on our current home on Thursday so frantically cleaning and making it look presentable! Luckily I get on quite well with the electrician at work that also does our network cabling and he's nicely said as an early wedding gift he'll do all the Ethernet cabling for me around the home after it's built

 

The house is big on top, 3 double bedrooms but small on the bottom due to a garage that's attached to the house, lounge is good size but the kitchen/diner is small, more like just a kitchen so we'd need to get a conservatory put on the back in the future for a dining room. I'm going to use this and the fact we're having to get 15% deposit on our mortgage instead of 10% as Nationwide requires it with new builds and the fact a brand new estate is being built in very close proximity to mine in August that we want the house cheaper or get a better deal on our current home.

 

I've also thought about being a bit cheeky but not sure if I'm pushing my luck or how hard I should push? I'm going to ask for the following:

- Carpets and Tiles

- Back Garden Turfed and Slabbed (Front garden already included)

- Stamp Duty Paid for us

- Integrated Appliances to be installed

 

We like the house so obviously don't want them to get annoyed and walk away either if that's even a thing with national builders? Is there anything else I should inquire about that you guys can think of with a new build?

[Ditto]

New builds have a poor reputation at the moment, but they can't all be bad. The recent coverage of leaseholds being sold on has tarnished the building industry. My sister bought a new build a few years ago and she had a few issues, but with (a lot of) determination they got resolved - it included a complete kitchen refit, drainage improvement and new back lawn. It's a big development and all seems OK now. They've recently started to build a new school and the development has a good MUGA style play area in use. The builders here are Taylor Wimpey and Crest Nicholson. I've no direct experience of Miller, but the TrustPilot reviews aren't great. I've not checked other TrustPilot reviews for other builders, but it might bring some balance. If you can, do negotiate hard. Also, if there are recently completed new builds, speak to the occupants - that's probably the best way to got a really good idea of what sort of deal you can get and what issues you are likely hit and how well they have been handled. I hope it all turns out well and congratulations to you both - have a great wedding day and beyond!

[foofighterjim]

lounge is good size but the kitchen/diner is small, more like just a kitchen so we'd need to get a conservatory put on the back in the future for a dining room.

 

If I were in your shoes I'd already be questioning if the house was right to buy in the first place. If you know you'll want to add a conservatory you'd better check with the builder where the drains are run and if they are where you expect to put a conservatory how deep they are. If it is in the wrong place (for you) it may limit the type or size of conservatory or add a eye watering amount to the bill.

[Achandler]

I wouldn't get their integrated appliances, they'll charge loads for cheap appliances, save up and get your own.

 

I am in agreement with the above though, buying an old house and thinking, I can extend this later if needed is one thing. Buying a new build that is already the wrong size seems crazy.

[abillybob]

It's been difficult to find a house that will tick all the boxes and we have a lot of boxes to tick. There's alway a compromise but apart from the dining room there isn't much else we can fault with the house so we think it's a good buy. I will enquire about the drainage and the conservatory, thanks for this although if worst came to worst the garage is on the left of it and it's fairly large so we could knock through and take some of the garage as our dining room.

 

We won't be paying for the appliances it's only if they include them for free with the house purchase if not we'll buy our own

Edited April 17, 2019 by abillybob

[ICTDirect_Dave]

Is this a townhouse spread over three floors or a more traditional shape? I'm just curious really. But you should post the sales brochure here for us

 

Might also be worth sharing your specific requirements.