Would you buy a Stewart Milne house??

[lindy-lou]

I am reading these threads with great interest.
We are thinking of buying a Stewart milne house in Greenwood manor Newton Mearns.They have offered part exchange(£30000 below the home report value of our house)carpets and £10000 off stamp duty which is £23700
We dont think this is a great deal but we like the estate,however after reading some of the threads here i"m wary of buying from Stewart Milne!!
Any responses would be appreciated.
Thanks
Linda

[Pansypotter]

With regard to the above post I don't think being offered £30K below the market value for your house is very good and I certainly wouldn't accept it.

I am also looking at S.M. apartments at Parkside, Shawlands and Patterton in Newton Mearns.

Does anyone have any comments or recommendations as I don't know much about this builder - it's primarily the location of these properties that appeal.

[Fiona]

I'm reading with interest too, as we have reserved a property in Greenwood Manor. I don't think you're going to get the home report value for a house anywhere at this time so £30k below (£20k really if you consider the stamp duty they are paying for you) might not be such a bad deal.

I'm currently living in Parkside. The flats are nice, can't comment on the finish of the Stewart Milne ones as ours was a Dickie flat (Stewart Milne bought the partly finished development after Dickie went bust) but the location is great and flats are nice and well soundproofed. No complaints here.

I'm off to have a read on the forums for other builders to see if there are as many complaints on theirs! From what I can see here a lot of the complaints are from one particular development in Dunfermline so I am hoping Greenwood Manor won't be so problematic

[Pansypotter]

Thanks for this information Fiona. I liked the flats, built by Dickie, in Giffnock so if they are the original ones at Parkside then it's definitely worth thinking about. However,how would I be able to tell which ones are Dickie and which are Stewart Milne?

A 2 bedroom apt. is currently being marketed at just under £160,00 and I wondered if this was a good price in the current climate.

[philipd2904]

You are definitely right to be wary of Stewart Milne!

We've owned our home in Dundee for almost 4 years and I would describe the estate (well at least the last 3 phases that were built) and their company as a disaster! I don't know a single person on the site with a good thing to say about them.

If you're lucky enough to buy a home that's been fairly well built you will still have to contact their inept customer services for your snagging issues. This is where they really fall down. You will be fighting a constant battle but get nowhere as we and our neighbours have done for the past 4 years.

Now, whether any other builder is any better, I don't know! But for sure, don't expect an easy ride just because of the "Stewat Milne" name

[Fiona]

Thanks for this information Fiona. I liked the flats, built by Dickie, in Giffnock so if they are the original ones at Parkside then it's definitely worth thinking about. However,how would I be able to tell which ones are Dickie and which are Stewart Milne?

A 2 bedroom apt. is currently being marketed at just under £160,00 and I wondered if this was a good price in the current climate.

They were all built by Dickie but any that are for sale as new will have been finished off by Stewart Milne, I am assuming they will have done the parts like fitting kitchens and bathrooms, wardrobe doors etc. There are a couple for sale in the block that are not new (so would have been Dickie from start to finish) that could be worth checking out for comparison, and might offer better value for money as you'll always pay a premium for buying new. Depends what you are after.

[Pansypotter]

I've also looked on-line at apartments in Patterton (which I think is near Newton Mearns).

Does anyone have any comments about these or the area? Thank you.

[cheeil]

With regard to the above post I don't think being offered £30K below the market value for your house is very good and I certainly wouldn't accept it.

I am also looking at S.M. apartments at Parkside, Shawlands and Patterton in Newton Mearns.

Does anyone have any comments or recommendations as I don't know much about this builder - it's primarily the location of these properties that appeal.

stewart milne homes are built very fast with the cheapest of materials which only look good on the outside . Im afraid good new house builders nowadays are very scarce its all thrown up cheap rubbish with maximum profit in mind . look at the page STEWART MILNE HOMES SUCK on facebook for the shocking photographs of workmanship

[NewHomeExpert]

I agree with cheeil. New homes are "thrown-up" and built using the cheapest materials and methods. House builders generally care little for the comfort of those who buy a new home.

Increasing densities, no front gardens and little or no parking, shared driveways, small rooms, few and small windows, and lack of storage make new homes unattractive but people still buy them, despite all the disadvantages of new homes.