Compare the plot with the show home
The show home may be a different house type, orientation or specification. Check the exact plot dimensions, levels, parking, garden, bin storage and relationship with neighbouring buildings. Ask which furniture, flooring, lighting and upgrades are not included.
Visit the plot position if safe and permitted. Consider retaining walls, shared drives, substations, play areas and roads still to be adopted. A pleasant computer image cannot show future delivery traffic or the gradient to the front door.
Check which direction the main windows and garden face on the actual site plan. Marketing drawings may rotate layouts for presentation. Also note plots where future phases, apartment blocks or construction access could affect light, outlook and noise.
Read the reservation agreement carefully
The reservation form should identify the price, fee, expiry period and what happens if either side does not proceed. Developers often set a short exchange deadline. Choose a conveyancer who can work to it without skipping proper advice.
List incentives and agreed extras in writing. Tell the lender about contributions, upgrades or cashback because they can affect the valuation and mortgage offer. A verbal promise in the sales suite is difficult to rely on later.
Check warranty and building-control arrangements
A structural warranty is not a substitute for a survey or a guarantee that every defect will be corrected. Read who provides it, when cover starts, the builder's initial responsibilities, excesses and exclusions. Confirm that the lender accepts the scheme.
Your conveyancer should check planning, building control, roads, sewers and any estate management company. Ask when public areas will be finished and who pays for maintaining unadopted spaces in the meantime.
Measure storage in the completed home. Show homes may use reduced furniture or omit everyday belongings. Find out where bins, bicycles, vacuum cleaners and larger kitchen items are meant to go before agreeing costly upgrades to more visible rooms.
Allow for completion dates to move
Early estimates may be broad and construction can change. Understand the notice procedure, long-stop date and what happens to your mortgage offer or rented accommodation if completion is later than hoped.
Do not order made-to-measure items until dimensions can be confirmed in the finished home. Keep flexible arrangements for removals where possible, and tell the insurer when a firm completion date is known.
Arrange a proper pre-completion check
A snagging inspection can record incomplete or defective finishes, doors, windows, fittings and accessible services. Some buyers use a professional inspector, particularly when they lack building experience or cannot attend for long. Ask when the developer allows access and how items will be logged.
Take dated photographs and separate urgent safety or water issues from minor decoration. Confirm the process and timescale for repairs. Continue recording problems that become apparent after living in the home.
Ask how defects are reported after handover and who attends emergencies outside office hours. Keep a dated log instead of relying on several telephone conversations. Photograph meter readings and the condition at completion before furniture covers surfaces.
Insurance and estate costs begin quickly
The contract and conveyancer determine when you become responsible for the building. On some new-build purchases, the developer insures until completion; do not assume this without written confirmation. Contents cover begins when your belongings need protection.
Budget for council tax, service or estate charges and costs not obvious in the show-home price. Keep the specification, plans, warranty, certificates and snagging correspondence together for future claims and eventual sale.
Return to the development at an ordinary working time if homes are occupied. Listen for construction traffic, see how parking is settling and check the walking route once temporary sales signs are ignored.
Ask which roads, landscaped areas and drainage features will eventually be adopted and which will remain privately managed. The answer can affect future charges as well as responsibility for repairs.