Persimmon Homes

A lot of people knock Persimmon Homes, as they do with most home builders. It may be that I've been lucky, or it might just be that people prefer to complain, but I've had very few problems and, four months down the line, am more than happy with my purchase.

My Fiancée and I made the decision to buy a Persimmon property back in February when we saw their new developments advertised in the local paper. Not only was there no deposit ...
...85% of the property, and Persimmon owns the other 15% on a sort of interest-free loan agreement. You have ten years to buy the other 15%, or at the end of the period you have to sell they get 15% of what you sell it for. The good thing about this offer is that they only get 15% minus any improvements you've made. For example, if you've added a loft conversion and a conservatory, they only get 15% of the house minus those two additions.

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A lot of people knock Persimmon Homes, as they do with most home builders. It may be that I've been lucky, or it might just be that people prefer to complain, but I've had very few problems and, four months down the line, am more than happy with my purchase.

My Fiancée and I made the decision to buy a Persimmon property back in February when we saw their new developments advertised in the local paper. Not only was there no deposit required (which was vital for me as I'm notoriously bad at saving!), they were also offering a "Helping Hand Shared Equity Scheme". The idea of this is that you buy 85% of the property, and Persimmon owns the other 15% on a sort of interest-free loan agreement. You have ten years to buy the other 15%, or at the end of the period you have to sell they get 15% of what you sell it for. The good thing about this offer is that they only get 15% minus any improvements you've made. For example, if you've added a loft conversion and a conservatory, they only get 15% of the house minus those two additions.

We looked around the show homes in two different developments and were well impressed with the quality we saw. Also, I was pleased that at no stage were we hassled or rushed. The sales team let us look around on our own and did not pressure us into making any decisions. And also two out of the three were very considerate of the fact we were first time buyers and answered any questions we had without making us feel too stupid! The other lady was not so patient and probably was not ideally suited to a development designed for first-time buyers, but luckily our dealings with her were fairly limited.

The sales advisors also provided us with phone numbers for a solicitors and a financial advisor. Although we were never put under any pressure to go with either, we ended up using both (Threshold Mortgages and Town & Country Property Lawyers) as we were offered a £500 incentive by Persimmon for using each one. Both turned out to be excellent, and the fact they are well known to Persimmon made the process so much easier and more straight forward. Communication between the parties was pretty good at all times, and we were told exactly what we needed to do, what we needed to sign and when we needed to do it by. It made, what can be an incredibly complicated process for first-time buyers, so much easier. Also, the mortgage advisors fee was added to the actual mortgage meaning there was no big fee to pay upfront.

The Mortgage Advisor was able to confirm over the phone that we could afford the property, so I phoned up Persimmon the next day to put down a £500 deposit. Unfortunately, the property we wanted (south facing and with a big open area out the back) had gone minutes earlier. All that was left was the end of terrace next door, which I wasn't that keen on as it was £5000 more. However, I negotiated the price down and eventually got it for the same price as we were originally going to pay for the other property.

Three weeks later, we were invited to go to the office and choose our "Finishing Touches". This is where you choose the design of your kitchen and your bathroom tiles. You also get to choose any additions that you want - washing machines, extra plug sockets etc. The Sales Advisor was fantastic at this stage. She seemed just as excited about our new house as we were and gave us a lot of helpful advice. On some occasions she actually recommended buying our own appliances rather than going for the more expensive Persimmon ones, which was a big surprise to me as I assume she would have been on some sort of commission. She seemed to genuinely want what was best for us and was enthusiastic and patient as we spent hours choosing the colour scheme for the kitchen and bathrooms.

I have to say at this stage that some of the items in the Persimmon catalogue are ridiculously expensive - fridge freezers costing £1050, £27 for the cheapest toilet roll holder, £100 for an outside tap being just three examples. But, at the end of the day, you know what you are paying and it's up to you to make that choice. We decided that it was worth the extra money, particularly in the kitchen, so that it was all ready for us when we moved in.

At this stage, we also received a folder from Persimmon filled with all sorts of useful information. It really was an idiot's guide containing advice on who to notify about your change of address, what would happen on the moving in day and how to protect your new home against mould etc.

The only thing that I did find frustrating was that they were unable to give us any real indication of when the moving date would be, which we needed to give notice at our current rented property. Apparently this is the norm when buying a new property however as there are so many variables.

About three weeks before the move-in date, we were invited to go and look around the property with the Site Manager. He said to us that he was surprised this was the first time we had seen the actual property. This is one of my few criticisms of Persimmon; I would've liked to have seen the property at an earlier stage and we asked on numerous occasions only to be fobbed off. This look round the property was very useful as he highlighted many of the key features, showed us where all the guarantees for the appliances were kept, showed us how to work the central heating etc.

The move in day went very smoothly (aside from an accident in the removal van but that's another story). Money was exchanged first thing in the morning. I was slightly disappointed that Persimmon didn't contact us when everything was ready, as they had promised to and instead I had to ring around, but that's a minor criticism. I was amazed that, having been prepared to have some huge final bill thrusted at us for all sorts of hidden extras, we owed nothing else. In fact, we were due a cheque from the Solicitors as we had spent less that the £500 incentive Persimmon had given us for using them!

This was the first time we had seen the house complete and we were not to be disappointed. It is beautifully presently and nicely finished and seems to be of a good quality throughout. The kitchen is particularly impressive and I'm glad we spent the extra money on it for the new appliances. The heating is economical and efficient and the rooms are fairly spacious. It is painted to a good standard, although is obviously very thin and marks very easily.

There were still some things not finished - the dishwasher hadn't been put in, there was no front gate and no lawn, but these seemed like small inconveniences as we were just pleased to be in the house. It turned out the lawn hadn't actually been ordered - which was Persimmon's fault, but we would have realised sooner if we'd checked. We ended up ordering the turf, doing it ourselves, and saving a load of money. The dishwasher and gate arrived and were fitted within a couple of weeks of moving in.

I have been told that once you're in the house, Persimmon than wash your hands of you. This has not been my experience at all. After six or seven weeks you receive a "snag list" where you have to list all the problems with your new property. We did have a few some major, some minor; one of our radiators wasn't heating up, an extractor fan was making a loud noise, one of the doors was fitted with a hinge missing and the freezer door was sticking slightly. Within a week the site manager had sent an electrician, a plumber and a carpenter and all the problems with fixed with no complaints and no fuss.

I know there are horror stories about Persimmon. I know of people who have reported hundreds of faults, some of them major, and are still waiting months after for them to be fixed. I've heard about people who are still waiting for their houses to be built ages after the completion date. And yes, we've had a few problems. But then it's a house, not a tin of beans or a pair of trousers, and there's a lot that can go wrong. I think you have to expect a few teething problems.

Four months down the line, the house is complete (and still standing!), all the snags have been ironed out, and the houses are now selling for £25000 more than we paid for this one. The builders still working on the site are fairly quiet and considerate (believe it or not!) particularly at weekends and early mornings. We are always kept informed about any building works that will affect us. Above all, the customer service we received from Persimmon at every stage was first class and has really added to the experience of buying our first house.

A few tips that may not work for everyone but certainly stood us in good stead:

1) Even though it's a new home, more often than not you can still negotiate with regards to the price.

2) Get on good terms with your site manager. It'll really make a huge difference especially when it comes to getting minor work done.
3) Go with Persimmon's recommendations when it comes to solicitors and mortgage advisors. It makes the whole process so much simpler.

4) Don't expect everything to be perfect. It's a house and a lot can go wrong. Be patient with the site manager as everyone will be coming at him/her with their problems which are, of course, much more important than anyone else's. Be persistent though if there are problems because you've paid a lot of money for it and are entitled to expect it, as with any product, to be in good condition.

5) Put everything on your snag list, don't worry about it being too minor. Again, you are entitled to expect a house with no problems

6) Follow their advice on shrinkage cracks. We did and so far so good!

7) Keep every piece of paperwork. You'll need it all eventually!

8) Don't expect it to look exactly like the show home. They use the very best furniture to show off the house at it's very best.

9) Lay the lawn yourself! We've done a better job with no experience and no idea than the professionals Persimmon employ

10) Don't get stressed! It all seems overwhelming at times but make sure you make the most of it and get exactly what you want, particularly if you're a first-time buyer
 

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