If you’re moving up the property ladder or buying your very first home, we understand it can all feel a little overwhelming. You want a home that suits your current lifestyle, but also one that can grow with you into your future. So, what should you be looking for?
In this helpful guide, we’ll steer you through key points to consider and what to look out for when buying a new build home, to help you make the right decision for you. From location to making those all-important design choices.
Why Are More Buyers Choosing New Build Homes?
More buyers are choosing new builds as they offer a unique combination of modern living, energy efficiency and peace of mind that modern buyers increasingly value. Designed around modern lifestyles, a new build home offers you the opportunity to start with a blank slate, with plenty of room to personalise, minimal maintenance costs and often with warranties included, making a new build an attractive long-term investment.
How Important is Location When Buying a Home?
When beginning your search for a new build home, it’s important to consider location first and foremost. You don’t want to find your dream home, only to realise there are limited transport links, and it could take you three hours to get to work. So, instead, start by checking out transport links, access to schools, green spaces available, and local amenities.
Community Green Spaces
When it comes to green spaces, we don’t underestimate the powerful effect they can have on our daily lives. Access to green spaces can lower stress, boost immune function, and help encourage some gentle exercise keeping us healthy, which is why we carefully plan and create gardens, play parks and areas of public open space for the community to enjoy within all our developments.
Personal Outdoor Space
Having access to an outdoor space to relax in could also come in the form of your own garden. When buying a new build home, consider what you want from your own outdoor space. Do you want extra room for entertaining? Raised planters for you to grow your own fruit and veg? Or composite decking to sit out on with a good book? At Beal Homes, we offer ample choices for you to customise your outdoor area, including landscaping design options, to ensure you have a green space that works for you and your family.
When considering location, it’s really a case of what is important to you. If you work from home or homeschool, you may find it more important to have access to parks and greenery than you do schools and transport links.
Take a look at our Beal Homes developments, and we’re sure you’ll find a location that ticks all your boxes in Hull, East Yorkshire or Lincolnshire. We’d also recommend considering the community feel of an area. Taking a quick visit to an area you’re interested in is a great way to quickly get a sense of a place. Can you feel yourself living there? If you’re imagining Sunday strolls around the neighbourhood, or eyeing up the best car parking spaces, it’s likely you’ve found your new home.
Why Energy Efficiency Matters in a Home
When buying a new build home, or even a resale property, you’ll want to investigate how energy efficient the property is. How energy efficient your new home is will have a direct correlation with how much money you’ll pay in bills month after month!
Features such as high-quality insulation, solar options, double glazing and an A/B energy rating can help keep your outgoings low. Homeowners in the UK can expect to pay running costs of around £1,574 a year for a new build home, according to the HBF: that’s excluding rent or mortgage payments, compared to around £2,192 per year for a less energy efficient re-sale property. See our blog on older vs new homes for more information on energy efficiency.
The savings are clear, which is why energy efficiency is such an important consideration when buying a new home. Here is what you can expect:
High-quality insulation
At Beal Homes, we pride ourselves on minimising heat loss in new build homes, using methods such as increased cavity widths for enhanced insulation and thicker lagging in roof spaces.
Option for solar panels
Across all our developments and plots, roof-mounted Photovoltaic (PV) solar panels are included as standard on every house-type so you can enjoy your own renewable energy, meaning you can lower your carbon footprint, while enjoying significantly reduced household energy bills.
Double glazing
All our homes feature thermally efficient glazing on windows and doors, which helps to keep your home warm, your bills low and even helps to cut emissions and reduce your carbon footprint.
Energy ratings
100% of Beal Homes are A/B energy rated. By achieving A and B ratings, our homes cut household carbon emissions by up to 74%, as well as cutting household energy bills.
Strong Connectivity in New Build Homes
We rely more than ever on fast, reliable connectivity, whether it’s for remote working, online gaming, or to keep integrated smart home technology online. When buying a new home, it’s important to consider connectivity, as being without it in this day and age is simply not an option! Some more rural or village locations may not be well-connected or offer much lower download speeds, while for some this may not be a deal breaker, it is certainly something you’ll need to consider.
At Beal Homes, we provide homes that are broadband ready, ensuring you can stay connected to the things that matter the most.
The Benefits of Buying a Blank Canvas
Another key thing to look for when buying a new build is how much scope there is for personalisation. For many, the appeal of the new build is the opportunity to design the space and make it unique to you.
At Beal Homes, creating your dream home is our passion. During your home-buying journey, you’ll join us at The Design Lounge, our award-winning, state-of-the-art hub, where we’ll guide you through the process of personalising your new home. From choosing an on-trend look for fixtures and fittings, to landscaping your garden, we’ll help you to choose a look that perfectly aligns with your taste and style, whether it’s:
Contemporary country
Chunky woods, natural textures and rural style.
Japandi
A fusion of Scandinavian and Japanese interior design, with elegance, warm tones, and sustainable materials.
Luxe
Plush fabrics, burnished metals, and statement pieces that simply ooze opulence, an elegant design choice that never goes out of style.
Botanical
Inspired by nature, with plant-inspired patterns and textures – whether it’s delicate ferns or large leaf tropical prints, finished with brass accents for a sophisticated look.
Industrial
Mixing modern practicality with a raw industrial feel, think concrete, reclaimed metals and reclaimed wood, alongside retro accessories.
Minimalist
Clean lines, geometric shapes and a neutral or pared-back colour palette, the minimalist look is contemporary, yet timeless.
To get inspired download our Design Lounge brochure to see our extensive range of design options for your Beal Home.
Consider How the Space Will Work for You
When looking for a new home, whether it’s a new build or a resale property, it’s important to carefully consider the space itself and how it will work for you. In recent times, the way people use their homes has changed somewhat significantly, but Beal Homes’ innovatively designed new builds keep up with changing tastes.
Open-plan living spaces.
We offer open-plan living spaces, larger kitchen-dining areas, and, of course, home office potential that buyers value more than ever. When looking for a new home, it’s important that it’s carefully designed in a way that aligns with your priorities, so that everyday living can feel simpler, more relaxed and of course, more practical.
Storage solutions
Another important consideration when buying a new home is storage. You don’t want to get to moving day before realising that your treasured possessions simply have nowhere to go; so, keep an eye out for storage space as well as practical storage solutions.
Our modern layouts offer plenty of built-in storage and utility areas; however, if you’re a collector or simply a maximalist who feels they may need further storage options, simply speak to our design team during your Design Lounge visit. Our friendly team will help you to create your perfect home, room by room, so you can add that extra storage where it’ll be the most beneficial, ensuring your home matches your lifestyle and tastes to a tee!
Consider The Long-Term Value of Your Home
When buying a new build home, it’s not only the initial price point that matters, but we’d also recommend considering the long-term value. Long-term UK property trends show sustained value increases, with average prices climbing from roughly £1,884 in 1953 to over £290,000 today. Over the past decade alone, some areas within the UK have seen home values rise by over 50-60%.
New builds are built to high modern standards, meaning they benefit from improved insulation, efficient heating systems, and high-performance materials.
They also offer unique layouts and personalisation options that align well with current living standards. These types of considerations mean new builds can offer long-term value to buyers, as they can rest assured that their home will continue to meet their needs well into the future. (will link this paragraph to other new blog)
What Questions Should You Ask Before Buying a New Build Home?
Before making your final decision, it can be helpful to step back and ask yourself a few practical questions. These can help you compare different homes and developments more confidently, making sure the property you choose suits both your lifestyle now and your plans for the future.
- Is the location right for your commute, schools and lifestyle?
- What green spaces and local amenities are nearby?
- How energy efficient is the home?
- Is full-fibre broadband or strong connectivity included?
- Can you personalise the layout, fixtures or outdoor space?
- Does the home offer enough storage for your lifestyle?
- What features support long-term value?
Taking the time to consider these points can make the home-buying process feel clearer and less overwhelming. By focusing on what matters most to you, you’ll be better placed to find a new build home that feels right from the moment you move in.
Final Thoughts
Buying a new home is about finding the perfect space that not only works for you now but will grow with you into your future. By considering important factors such as the location, energy efficiency, layout and personalisation options, you can feel confident that you’ve done your due diligence and are opting for a home that suits your lifestyle.
With thoughtfully designed developments, energy-efficient features and the opportunity to create a home that reflects your personality, it’s easy to see why more buyers are choosing Beal Homes.
Start your home-buying journey today checking out what helpful buyer schemes. Alternatively, contact our friendly team for a no-pressure chat.