Buying a New Build Home: Why Experience Matters

Buying a new build property from a large developer is a very different experience from buying an existing home from an individual. The process moves faster, the paperwork looks different, and the pressure to keep to the developer's timetable is real.

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If you have bought before, do not assume it will feel familiar.

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Buying something that may not exist yet

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Many new build properties are sold off plan, during construction. In practice that means you may be committing to a purchase having seen only the show home, a site plan and a specification.

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That places a great deal of weight on the contractual documentation, because the documents are what define exactly what you are buying, what the developer has agreed to deliver, and what happens if the build runs late or the finished property differs from what you were shown.

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Developer deadlines

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Developers almost always set a deadline for exchange of contracts, and those deadlines are usually short. The intention is to keep the site moving, but it puts the buyer under pressure at exactly the point when careful review matters most.

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This is where experience makes a practical difference. A solicitor who regularly acts on new build purchases knows how to move quickly without cutting corners, and knows which points genuinely need negotiating.

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It also helps to have acted on the development before. Where we have already handled other purchases at the same site, we come to your transaction already familiar with the developer's documentation, which means less time spent getting up to speed and more time spent on your position specifically.

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Acting only for you

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We are recommended by developers, and that recommendation is worth explaining properly.

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Developers recommend us because we deliver, not because of any financial arrangement. We do not pay referral fees for the work we receive. Whatever the source of the introduction, we act only for you.

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That relationship does have one practical benefit for buyers. Because developers know and trust our work, we are often able to persuade them to agree an extension where there is good reason for one, which can be valuable if a mortgage offer or a chain is holding things up.

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Accreditations

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We are accredited under the Law Society's Conveyancing Quality Scheme and hold Lexcel accreditation for excellence in legal practice management and client care. Both involve independent assessment, and both matter more in new build work than most, given the pace and the volume of documentation involved.

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Before you reserve

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The best time to speak to a solicitor is before you reserve a plot, not after. Early advice means the timetable works around a properly conducted purchase rather than the other way around.

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You can find out more about how our new build team can help at marsons.co.uk/services/conveyancing/new-build-homes.