Dave-G Posted July 17, 2020 Report Share Posted July 17, 2020 (edited) Our youngest has changed his job and relocating to Middlesborough from Guildford. He's about to buy instead of rent and being up north it massively more affordable. He's a first time buyer itching to get on the property ladder and using the help to buy scheme so has to use that for a new build - which we know may be slightly overpriced because of firms exploiting the scheme. Anyway - apart from that does anyone have any input about the quality of Taylor Wimpy new builds please? His new boss says the area the house he's interested in is in a better part of Middlesbro and unlikely to have many 'affordable housing' plots there. Edited July 17, 2020 by Dave-G Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
figgy Posted July 17, 2020 Report Share Posted July 17, 2020 Where in Middlesbrough, quite close to where I live. Boro has good, very very good and also bad areas. Bit of a change from Guildford, climate wise. He will enjoy being on the edge of the Yorkshire dales and not far from the Lake district or Scotland. I think all the new build houses by the big names are cack. So long as he don't mind snagging the house after he moves in should be ok. As for build companies, I think it's more down to the site manager the squads they have subbing and what they let them get away with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
team tractor Posted July 17, 2020 Report Share Posted July 17, 2020 All houses are only as good as the weakest link. ive been impressed by David Wilson homes but the others I just think it’s built to a price. The brickwork and render on some houses is a joke . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scully Posted July 17, 2020 Report Share Posted July 17, 2020 Built to a price, but then most are. I’ve experienced some horrific build quality in my life, but can’t say I know much if anything about Taylor Wimpy. Just have a good check about whilst the warranty lasts as everything, slates/tiles , fittings such as windows ( whether wood or UPVC ) will possibly be the cheapest within spec’ / reg’s. There again, they may have a glowing reputation. 🙂 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
enfieldspares Posted July 17, 2020 Report Share Posted July 17, 2020 (edited) Be careful of hidden annual charges for grass cutting and any restrictive covenants on, say, numbers of vehicles parked at the property or in front of the property. Also drive and have a look at the place not just during daylight hours but also at weekends and evenings after 8.00pm to see if it's used as a local racetrack. Ditto do a search for crime using the postcode. And of course if he shoots where he can fix any gun cabinet! Edited July 17, 2020 by enfieldspares Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave-G Posted July 17, 2020 Author Report Share Posted July 17, 2020 Thanks chaps, Elderwood Park, Hemlington is the patch - seems to have good writeups - he was partially guided by his new team leader who lives nearby. The gaming industry is quite fast moving so who knows whats in the pipeline for an audio designer who's started getting his name in the credits. Dunno what the new place is called but he's just left Supermassive games for somewhere that has better prospects - and a guaranteed minimum 10% annual pay rise. He wants to get into target shooting eventually and maybe pest control later but that's a back boiler thing at this time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Heron Posted July 17, 2020 Report Share Posted July 17, 2020 Make sure that he owns the freehold Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daisyrob1 Posted July 17, 2020 Report Share Posted July 17, 2020 3 hours ago, Dave-G said: Our youngest has changed his job and relocating to Middlesborough from Guildford. He's about to buy instead of rent and being up north it massively more affordable. He's a first time buyer itching to get on the property ladder and using the help to buy scheme so has to use that for a new build - which we know may be slightly overpriced because of firms exploiting the scheme. Anyway - apart from that does anyone have any input about the quality of Taylor Wimpy new builds please? His new boss says the area the house he's interested in is in a better part of Middlesbro and unlikely to have many 'affordable housing' plots there. Could be a lot worse and be lookin at a persimmon home!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord v Posted July 17, 2020 Report Share Posted July 17, 2020 I have done lots of work with TW. The general rules of new build apply: 1) Quality is very dependent on how good the site manager is. Has way more impact than the name of the company on the door. Meet the bloke. Google his name - NHBC/LABC awards don't mean everything but if the chap has a raft of them behind him he probably cares enough about his job to do a good one. (although if he has none it doesn't mean he is bad). 2) snag, snag and snag again. There are companies that will professionally do this for you for a nominal fee (a few £100). Actually worth it generally. 3) if buying off plan make sure you review the plans properly. Look at adjacent properties and how they impact yours. 4) timber frame is nowhere near as bad as it used to be 5)note when extras have to be requested by and get them in at least a week before the due date. Sales will try and squeeze things in resulting in rushed finishes and poor quality. 6)management fees - get it in writing plus the increases. Also worth checking there is a 'residents formation' clause, that where the residents can set up their own manco and control the costs that way. 7)see if there is a near finished plot of the house type to look at and ask nicely to see it. It will be way more helpful than looking at just a slab or 'your' house. TW - honestly, a pretty middle of the road cookie cutter builder. There are better, there are certainly worse. They are a 'volume' housebuilder - they use their purchasing power to get good deals on their fixtures and fittings, however because of the amount they need to purchase these are rarely top quality items that are produced in smaller quantities. As to affordable housing - check the site. The % is a policy/planning requirement. Just because its in a 'nice' part of town doesn't mean there will be less affordable - it will always be the minimum they can get away with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Okrang Posted July 17, 2020 Report Share Posted July 17, 2020 (edited) Hi Dave G, I live in a Taylor Wimpy built house and generally speaking I think it is pretty well built. The brickwork and first-fix joinery is excellent, electrics are fine (but they are heavily regulated anyway!) plastering and finishing is also very good. My only gripe is the quality of the second-fix joinery, but then again I'm a carpenter, so I'm probably being picky! I think Team-Tractor's observation about 'the weakest link' is very true, also, it very much depends on the ability of the Site Agent to ensure quality - each different development by the same National Housebuilder will be slightly different, regardless of company standards. It's all about supervision and enforcement. Have a lovely weekend! John. Edited July 17, 2020 by Okrang Typo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lloyd90 Posted July 17, 2020 Report Share Posted July 17, 2020 I once spoke with two people who were in charge of selling these new build homes. As they require a much smaller deposit and you can do the government equity bit allowing you to buy a better/larger home than you'd be able to otherwise it generally seemed like a good step to get onto the ladder. They said you should never stay past the first couple years. I think you get that 20% equity interest free for 5 years. Make sure you sell up before the 5 years are up, pay back the Government and take what equity you have left (hopefully a nice chunk for a non new-build or something a bit nicer than you just had) and use that money as a deposit for the next house. This time you own 100% of the house instead of 80% so are then in a much better position. Best of luck to your lad Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cosmicblue Posted July 17, 2020 Report Share Posted July 17, 2020 I reckon you'd have to be pretty brave to buy a house at the moment as the world is falling head-long into a deep recession caused by a something that has no cure, 10s of thousands of people have lost their jobs already and the real job loss potential is being masked as many are still furloughed. We have no recent precedent for this other than a lot (and I mean a lot ) of houses are being put on the market every day as people have lost jobs/income and can no longer afford the mortgage payments. Right now supply exceeds demand and that means prices will fall. Just take a look on Rightmove - search for property within 5 miles of your postcode that have been put on the market in the last 3 days, here where I live in Warwick for example it's 81 houses ranging from £1.5m down to around £100k . The Chancellor of the Exchequer has knocked stamp duty on the head for 6 months however millions of people are wondering if they will have a job by Christmas. This isn't a good time to shackle oneself to a mortgage, the lenders are ultra cautious and seeking minimum 20% deposits because they can see a real risk of negative equity (being owed more than the property is worth) and want a healthy financial buffer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lloyd90 Posted July 17, 2020 Report Share Posted July 17, 2020 8 minutes ago, Cosmicblue said: I reckon you'd have to be pretty brave to buy a house at the moment as the world is falling head-long into a deep recession caused by a something that has no cure, 10s of thousands of people have lost their jobs already and the real job loss potential is being masked as many are still furloughed. We have no recent precedent for this other than a lot (and I mean a lot ) of houses are being put on the market every day as people have lost jobs/income and can no longer afford the mortgage payments. Right now supply exceeds demand and that means prices will fall. Just take a look on Rightmove - search for property within 5 miles of your postcode that have been put on the market in the last 3 days, here where I live in Warwick for example it's 81 houses ranging from £1.5m down to around £100k . The Chancellor of the Exchequer has knocked stamp duty on the head for 6 months however millions of people are wondering if they will have a job by Christmas. This isn't a good time to shackle oneself to a mortgage, the lenders are ultra cautious and seeking minimum 20% deposits because they can see a real risk of negative equity (being owed more than the property is worth) and want a healthy financial buffer. Go on the house buying section of Money Saving Expert Forum. There are a number of people who get regularly slated as they have been renting for the past 10-20 years whilst shouting that the market is about to crash. One of them was embarrassed when someone posted that if he bought when he started raving he would have made about £300,000 in equity, as opposed to renting for many years whilst shouting about how the housing crash was coming any minute. If his lads buys now and is in secure employment, then as long as he doesn’t sell if there is a downtown (eg he waits it out) then the prices will go back up. That’s even if there is a big fall to begin with. If we get to the point that it’s so bad that the market crashes hard then it’s not worth worrying about anyway as we will all be screwed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave-G Posted July 18, 2020 Author Report Share Posted July 18, 2020 Thank you all so much for your input, I think this is a public access forum so I'll send him a link to the thread, his job prospects are looking superb at the moment. He currently intends to either sell or remortgage after his five years are up. lt represents a massive saving over what he currently pays sharing 33% of a house rent in Guildford, and he can possibly rent out the top floor of the three story 3 bed house he's investing in as a single person. The timing coincides with other aspects that work out very well for him. I've just checked what zoopla reckon has happened with our house price over the last 3 months, The regular rise has slowed to 0.75% from 3.2% 6 months ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sam triple Posted July 18, 2020 Report Share Posted July 18, 2020 Check what you are getting in the price of the house I’ve heard things you’d expect to be included aren’t and are charged as extras ,like fitted kitchen even garden being turfed if you’ve got a bit of turf added to a 25 year mortgage that makes for one expensive bit of grass Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diver One Posted July 18, 2020 Report Share Posted July 18, 2020 There are a couple of new estates near me where you are not allowed to have a sign written vehicle, along with loads of caveats about changing things even the colour of your front door just saying Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
team tractor Posted July 18, 2020 Report Share Posted July 18, 2020 My mate moved on a tw site locally and he pays £160 a year grounds keep towards lighting and grass cutting . I read a horror story of builders selling the ground lease and it going up a percentage each year . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Newbie to this Posted July 18, 2020 Report Share Posted July 18, 2020 1 hour ago, Diver One said: There are a couple of new estates near me where you are not allowed to have a sign written vehicle Is that not discrimination Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diver One Posted July 18, 2020 Report Share Posted July 18, 2020 1 hour ago, Newbie to this said: Is that not discrimination I would have thought so no caravans no camper van things no TV aerials.....just one communal aerial......that lasted about a week also thousands of pounds a year "maintenance cost" as it is built on really bad land that has a lot of field run off on it. So the builders put in a few water features. It may look nice BUT it is basically a holding area for the surface water which then gets pumped away😂 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oowee Posted July 18, 2020 Report Share Posted July 18, 2020 1 hour ago, Diver One said: also thousands of pounds a year "maintenance cost" as it is built on really bad land that has a lot of field run off on it. So the builders put in a few water features. It may look nice BUT it is basically a holding area for the surface water which then gets pumped away😂 ? Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (Sud's) is the norm now to control run off. Nothing wrong with that. Not seen any with a pumping system for surface water except in an underpass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
figgy Posted July 18, 2020 Report Share Posted July 18, 2020 Hemlington isn't one of the nicer parts of Middlesbrough. Quite a few new estates on the outskirts are ok towards stokesly and great ayton. Marton or Nunthorp are nice areas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hammertime Posted July 18, 2020 Report Share Posted July 18, 2020 I would agree with cosmicblue l would be very vary if buying a house at the present time, l would advise him to rent for 6 to 12 months and then buy. when the furlough scheme has ended there will be a substantial increase in unemployment and subsequently repossessions of houses,then you will see how the property market responds.I could see house prices dropping by quite a lot.Your son is in a very good position I would just be patient for the time being Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stuartyboy Posted July 18, 2020 Report Share Posted July 18, 2020 Another consideration is that houses with gardens and easy access to parks or countryside are going to be very attractive. After the lockdown, no one wants to risk living in a flat with no garden or access to the outdoors in case a lockdown is ever enforced again and they are trapped in a flat, especially with young kids. I think the housing market will slump to an extent, especially flats, for the reason I said above, but demand outstrips supply overall and it’s luxury items (expensive cars, boats, boys toys etc) that always go first before bricks and mortar. Obviously there will be unfortunate folk who lose houses due to losing jobs but since 2008, banks have been much stricter with lending so hopefully not too many people have taken on mortgages and houses without having a financial plan B in case of job loss. Realistically, no one can accurately tell what the market will do but most are confident that properties will pick up after any slump and continue to increase in value. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billytheghillie Posted July 18, 2020 Report Share Posted July 18, 2020 Few years back i used to deliver the wooden frame kit to these sites. many times the wrong size of paslode nail was sent, i.e. 4 in instead of 6, the joiners just said **** it, its not my house and used the smaller nails. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
London Best Posted July 19, 2020 Report Share Posted July 19, 2020 10 hours ago, billytheghillie said: Few years back i used to deliver the wooden frame kit to these sites. many times the wrong size of paslode nail was sent, i.e. 4 in instead of 6, the joiners just said **** it, its not my house and used the smaller nails. Welcome to the construction industry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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