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Unwrap your presents in your brand new home this Christmas

Posted 27 September 2017

Christmas is everyone's favourite time of the year, when families come together to enjoy the holidays. What better present is there for a family than a modern, warm and comfortable new home?


Buying a new home is an exciting, albeit stressful time – whether it’s your first home or the house you plan to grow old in.

For some, being in your new home in time for the Christmas holidays can be important. With less than 13 weeks to go until Christmas Day, this may sound near impossible. But fear not, it’s entirely possible, WhatHouse? brings you a choice of housebuilders that have a selection of properties available and ready to move into throughout the country. It means that those who act fast could be celebrating Christmas in the style and comfort of a brand new home that’s easy to manage, efficient to run and perfect for family occasions.

Why a new build?

As we approach the colder months, you may be assessing the cost of heating your home as well as the general energy efficiency of your current property. The good news is that by making a move from old to new build you could be in line for substantial savings. Housebuilders like Barratt Homes for example, pride themselves on their modern building materials and construction techniques which make their homes up to 65% more energy efficient than older properties of the same size.  You will find that most new homes are packed with features designed to minimise energy use and maximise efficiency e.g. energy efficient heating, insulation and double-glazing throughout. So you can cosy up for Christmas in a new home without having to worry about high energy bills. With new properties needing less winter maintenance than their secondhand counterparts, you won’t need to worry about seasonal repairs - giving you more time to enjoy the festivities.

Many housebuilders will let you customise your new home before moving in. David Wilson Homes for instance, will work with you to ensure you have the right fixtures, fittings, design features and finishes. Their service lets you personalise the new home to suit your taste. So just think of the shiny new custom kitchen waiting to cook your Christmas dinner, as well as the fantastic dining space to entertain your friends and family during this year’s festivities!

When choosing to buy a new build, there are a number of incentives, benefits and choices on style and location to keep buyers’ festive spirits up.

Some of these incentives are featured below:


Help to Buy

Thanks to the government-backed Help to Buy scheme you could move into your new home with as little as a 5% deposit. The scheme in England is available for new build homes costing up to £600,000. The buyer needs a 5% deposit on the property, and receives a 20% equity loan from the government, so the purchaser has to find a mortgage for the remaining 75%. Most housebuilders such as Berkeley Group do offer Help to Buy schemes on some, if not all of their developments.

If you’re interested in this incentive, you can read more about Help to Buy and search our relevant properties here. With the scheme’s assistance you may even make it into your new home in time to open your Christmas gifts.

Shared Ownership

The Shared Ownership scheme is designed to help first-time buyers purchase affordable new build houses. You begin by purchasing a percentage of the property and then pay subsidised rent on the remainder. If you feel you can benefit from part buy part rent scheme, download our Shared Ownership guide to discover how it works in greater detail.

The majority of Shared Ownership properties available through WhatHouse are currently provided by Southern Home Ownership who offer a variety of Shared Ownership developments across London and the South East.  As well as Notting Hill who are a social enterprise with the purpose of providing affordable homes, they offer a range of tenancies to suit the needs of London’s diverse population. Click here for a visual guide of Shared Ownership.

Part Exchange

If you are looking to sell your property prior to buying a new home, it may be beneficial to look into Part Exchange schemes. Most housebuilders such as Redrow, offer this incentive. It allows you to quickly sell your current home to the housebuilder you’ve chosen to buy through. To learn more about Part Exchange incentives, read our guide.

Retirement Home

New builds aren’t just for families and first-time buyers, they also include retirement homes. So if it’s a retirement home you’re looking to move to, it’s important to take into account the different types of homes available and choose one that best suits your needs. For example, McCarthy and Stone exclusively build retirement developments and their properties come under three banners: Retirement Living, Assisted Living and Ortus Homes - giving you several options dependent on your requirements.

Churchill Retirement Living also offer a variety of purpose-built apartments throughout the country. They pride themselves on designing properties and communities that provide the best lifestyle choice for an independent, safe, and fulfilling retirement.

Many retirement housebuilders also offer incentives and schemes such as Part Exchange, making moving home quicker and easier. For more information on the different types of retirement properties and to browse available retirement homes, visit our retirement page.

Buying Guide

With so many aspects to consider, if you are still keen to deck a new hallway with boughs of holly this Christmas - we recommend you check out our step-by-step guide to buying a new home.  If you act quickly enough, you’ll be able to relax and celebrate Christmas and the New Year in a fabulous new home this winter.


Whether you are looking for a starter, family, luxury or a retirement home WhatHouse? can aid you in your search. To discover how you could make a pre-Christmas move to a new home, search all available properties in the region of your choice here, once you’ve found your dream home we can put you in contact with the relevant housebuilder directly to get the move off the ground.


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