Bovis homes in Trumpington, Cambridge

New Build Inspections
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n.burgher

New Member
Hi,

I was seriously considering the Paragon development by Bovis in Trumpington, Cambridge.
However, I became hesitant after seeing that their flats/houses sell much more slowly compared to other developments in the same area.

And reading all the posts here puts me off even further.

Is there anyone who has experience with this particular development to share?

Thanks.
 
T

tkulk

New Member
Any luck?

Hello there!

I am too considering buying a home in Paragon by Bovis in Trumpington, and would like to know if you have heard anything yet...?

All the best!

Tiff
 
N

n.burgher

New Member
I have take my punt and reserved a house there...
Managed to talk to one homeowner from Phase 1 and he thinks the quality of his house is "reasonable".
 
L

Low

New Member
Hello, I too are thinking about buying in the Paragon development... Put our house on the market yesterday and I called Bovis Home. Got an appointment with them in a couple of hours. Unfortunately, for this phase, there is not yet a show home. Let see how that goes
 
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tkulk

New Member
That's good to know. How did the appointment go? We were told to view a show home in Cambourne to get an idea and we did that yesterday. Managed to speak with a potential buyer family there who said new homes will have some snags, that's unavoidable.
Then we drove back to Paragon and spoke to a man who has been living in a Bovis home since a year, and he told us to only move in once all problems (obvious ones such as cracks, faulty doors etc.) have been fixed. For the rest, he advised to use all facilities in the house like dishwasher, bath etc., to check the plumbing and see if there's any problem, and then call them asap.

Another uncomforting fact I see is that all other developments in the area have their site plans on their websites (such as countryside properties abode and nova), only Bovis don't. Wonder why...? Any questions we ask them are met with: all will be revealed upon reservation.

That said, they are giving us a really good deal on our current property.

How was your experience yesterday?


Best Wishes,
Tiff
 
L

Low

New Member
Went to their office and they were nice enough, gave us a list of house prices. Turned out there is only one-type that we think we can afford. We have to check with the bank first but we are probably going to reserve it off-plan this week or the week after.
tkulk: we saw a plan of the current phase and the layout of the future houses and where the one we are potentially interest in is located. It is out of the grown anyway now so it gave us a better idea of what to expect.

I’m getting used to the idea of buying a house without seeing it first hand. I think someone mentioned visiting a Bovis homes in Trumpington, how did that happened? Did you know the homeowner?

Our budget is really tight so I’m here to see if anyone has anything to say about extras that we have to pay for in top of the house? Just to budget this as well and avoid surprises.
 
T

tkulk

New Member
Hello,

We will take the plunge this week, i.e., make the booking this week. We met with them last weekend again and Steven there really put our minds at ease. The allure of a new home really is too much to resist!

And we have spoken to a couple of people around in that area; they did say there were initial problems, but asked us to make sure that at least the obvious ones (cracks in doors, etc.) were resolved before we moved in. To answer your question, nothing in the houses there in Paragon have to be paid for, except for flooring/carpet on the upper floors. The ground floor flooring will be the standard as it comes with every new home. Also, Bovis homes are well-known to provide all other amenities for free, such as appliances in the kitchen, choice of colour of cabinets, granite top in kitchens, etc. So rest assured, no hidden costs.

The houses in Paragon are built to a Core 4 standard, apparently highest housing standards, as directed by the Council. So even things like solar panels on the roof are included in the house price!

Have you made your decision regarding buying yet?

Hope it goes well! All the best!

Tiff

Low said:
Went to their office and they were nice enough, gave us a list of house prices. Turned out there is only one-type that we think we can afford. We have to check with the bank first but we are probably going to reserve it off-plan this week or the week after.
tkulk: we saw a plan of the current phase and the layout of the future houses and where the one we are potentially interest in is located. It is out of the grown anyway now so it gave us a better idea of what to expect.

I’m getting used to the idea of buying a house without seeing it first hand. I think someone mentioned visiting a Bovis homes in Trumpington, how did that happened? Did you know the homeowner?

Our budget is really tight so I’m here to see if anyone has anything to say about extras that we have to pay for in top of the house? Just to budget this as well and avoid surprises.
Click to expand...
 
S

SteveInTrumpington

New Member
Careful with Bovis

I'd love to share my story to make sure anyone that considers purchasing with Bovis goes in with their eyes wide open. Happy to answer any and all questions about my story - but the short of it is:

* Made an offer in the spring
* Planned to close Aug/Sept
* Bovis pulled forward the completion to end of June (their financial half-year - alarm bells!)
* We negotiated a license to stay in our old property for up to one month (doing a part exchange) as we couldn't be out of our flat with only 5 days notice.
* We completed on the 30th of June while we were on holiday in Ireland (don't even get me started on the harassment we got from the sales leadership threatening to pull out of the deal, creating random deadlines when delays were due to their legal team, etc, etc.)
* We had a snagger round in early July as soon as we were back. Needless to say - the house wasn't even finished yet.
* Bathroom tiles were missing, there were holes in some of the walls, a bathtub was leaking, the exterior wasn't finished, etc. Absolutely not liveable.
* We moved in at the end of July - only to find very little had been done in the MONTH since completion. It was only after threatening to sit in their office did we get some basics taken care of.
* As I write this in late August - we still are getting promises that they are not delivering on. And we're talking basic stuff - like finishing painting the exterior, fixing a hole in the garage ceiling, grouting the tiles in the bathroom, etc.

All in all it is a shame as the house is otherwise very lovely, but they are completely disorganised and do not seem to care one bit about finishing the work now that they have our money.

We may have to take legal action or get our own contractors to come in and finish the work as we have a baby on the way before too long.

Buyer beware!
 
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SteveInTrumpington

New Member
NewHomeExpert said:
Why did you buy from them when their own sales tell you not to on here?
Click to expand...

For me - we went in eyes fairly open. And the home was one we really liked in a location that we wanted to be in. I don't know that it has been that much worse than we expected (not saying much, as the expectation was low).

We're seeing some progress again this week - so hopefully we'll get things sorted and then can settle in!
 
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