I just spent some time reading reviews of them on Trustpilot. I have never seen so much vitriol and hatred directed towards a building firm before from just about every review on there.
I'll be avoiding them then.
All the big builders are about the same, i think some people unrealistically expect a perfect home when they make the biggest purchase of their life, in reality its probably going to 70% - 90% depending how much they’ve rushed to get it completed within a financial reporting period.
My current house was a Charles Church (Persimmon’s premier brand), they tried to convince me that an independent snagging report was a waste of my time and money, and the more they tried to convince me the more I realised I needed one. Post completion there were plenty of bodges to be found, they were quick to sort out the little things, but there were a couple of big things that meant we ended up with the warranty provider telling them to get it sorted. Like anything, like my neighbours who still have the issues I had sorted, they just expect people to give up.
You might find better quality with a medium size builder like Redrow or Linden, although if you go looking you’ll find plenty who have had an issue with them. Buying a new home is a journey, it takes about 5 years before you‘ll have it how you want it, its not the perfect walk in that the pamphlets and sales agents suggest.
Personally I’d wait a couple of months to see where the market is going, private sellers (not the stubborn ones who let their home sit on the market for years) always react quicker than builders to market shifts, I’d be on the look out for a Part Ex sitting on a builders books, they’ll be desperate to get cash through the books.
