That’s the question, and it’s one to which the answer has been changing dramatically in recent years. Not so long ago the majority of home-buyers specified an older or period home without hesitation, but that’s no longer the case. No-one looks down their nose at newly-built houses any more – and for several very good reasons.

‘Attitudes to new-build houses have changed greatly’, says Conrad Payne of property specialists Strutt & Parker. ‘There has been a huge turn-round over the past ten years. Many people who wouldn’t have considered a new house in the past will look at new and old nowadays.’

Conrad Payne says that home-buyers have begun to appreciate the advantages of newly built homes, and they cite the absence of maintenance worries as the primary factor. Even the clients who Payne describes as ‘the traditional country house owner’ are now quite happy to look at new property.

Scale is an important factor too; new developments which might only have half a dozen properties in all are preferred over very large developments, but the over-riding factor is variety. In the Sixties and Seventies some developments offered just a single design, perhaps with very small variations of detail; nowadays purchasers are more demanding and developers are more imaginative, and you will see far more variety.

Developers are also becoming more adventurous and are creating themed developments. These might be new, village-style communities built around water parks, woodland or golf courses. ‘There’s a lot more thought going into developments than there ever was in the past’, Payne adds, ‘And that is definitely appreciated by home-buyers. These themed developments can be very attractive, are nice places to live. You get a much better feeling of community, and they are certainly popular’.

Another great advantage of buying from new and becoming involved in the process early on, is the opportunity to have some input into how the house is finished. It is entirely reasonable to ask the builder or developer to make minor alterations or to change the specification of fittings, and though he might want to charge for these changes it is a very good time to be haggling as he’ll be keen to see the sale completed.

A newly built house is also far more likely to be eco-friendly than an older home, and as a consequence will be cheaper to heat and run. Payne adds, ‘Modern central heating boilers are both small and very efficient, and together with the greatly improved standards of insulation required by the current building regulations, heating bills in new homes will often be significantly less than in an older house of the same size’.

A new home will come with a guarantee, as you would expect with any other product bought from new. This will be in one of two forms; either a National House-Building Council (NHBC) warranty, or ‘a Zurich’ which is a warranty given by the well-known financial services company. The NHBC certificate has been the benchmark for many years (previously known as the National House Builders’ Registration Council). The Council is an independent body, which sets the standards for the industry and monitors the quality of its work. An NHBC certificate lasts for ten years from the completion of the building work. It’s also common practise for the architect to ‘sign off’ the project and guarantee that all the work has been done correctly and in accordance with his specifications. Your solicitor will automatically ask for one of these warranties on your behalf.

There will be some shrinkage in a new home as the property settles. Developers will carry out a “snagging” inspection after six months or so when any minor elements will be corrected. Any serious fault will be covered by the NHBC or ‘a Zurich’, but such problems are rare.

All in all, there’s no denying that opting for new homes is more popular with home-buyers than it has ever been, and it’s not a trend that’s going to reverse. If you would always put a tick in the box for older homes then maybe it’s time to think again; new build can make a lot of sense!