What are the benefits of buying a new-build home?

26 February – 3 March 2024 is New Homes Week. So we’re shining a spotlight on just some of the benefits you can expect with a move to a new-build home.

Some go without saying: you get to immerse yourself in an untouched space, a home for making memories in that’s only ever been yours. But there are other, less obvious perks, too. New homes come with 10-year structural guarantees, and energy-efficient features that could save you money on bills.

Here are five of the reasons why a new-build might just tick all of the boxes on your home-hunting list.

Energy-saving features

Chances are if you’ve been home-hunting, you’ll be keen to find out the energy-efficiency rating of the homes you find on Rightmove.

New homes can be up to four times more energy-efficient than a home that hasn’t been recently built. This is because they’re often kitted out with the latest energy-saving building materials and smart technology. And many achieve the highest EPC ratings of A or B.

Home-buying schemes

Some new-build homes can be bought through buying schemes. You can read more about current buying schemes here, including criteria you’d need to meet to be eligible for the scheme.

Shared ownership is a scheme offered by some housing providers that allows you to buy a share of a property, and then pay rent on the remaining part. Properties purchased through shared ownership can either be new builds, or resales of existing shared ownership properties.

If you’re buying a new home in Wales, the Help to Buy Wales Equity Loan scheme could allow you to move home with a 5% deposit and a 75% mortgage. You can make up the rest with a 20% equity loan from the government. But you’ll need to complete your home purchase before the scheme ends, in March 2025. The Help to Buy scheme is no longer available in England and Scotland.

In Scotland, the Low-Cost Initiative for First-Time Buyers (LIFT) is a shared-equity scheme. Buyers purchase a percentage of a home (between 60% and 90%, depending on the type of LIFT scheme being used), and the Scottish government holds the remaining share.

Launched by the house-building industry, Deposit Unlock is another scheme for new-build buyers. It’s available to both first-timers and those already on the property ladder, who are able to raise a 5% deposit. The remaining 95% of the purchase price can then be borrowed from selected lenders participating in the scheme.

Design choices

When you buy a home off-plan, you can usually visit a development’s show home to take a look the interior design scheme. And you may have the opportunity to customise your own design by choosing things like flooring, work surfaces and cabinetry. This ensures your home is fitted out according to your exact specifications and taste. Many developers also offer a range of furniture packages to get you started.

No chain

Buying a new-build means you’ll be ‘chain free’, so you’re not waiting for a seller to find another home to move to before you can move in. If you find a new-build home that’s move-in ready, sales progress quickly, so you could be unpacking those boxes before you know it.

No renovations required

There will be no renovation work to carry out in your new home. So you can move in knowing everything is brand new, and many of your fixtures, fittings and structural works will be protected by guarantees.

Take a look at new homes currently for sale

READ MORE: What’s the average UK energy bill and how can I save money?