With the ever-increasing price of property and the reduction in desirability of the modern home, builders have to resort to new tricks to get the sales to meet their targets.

Have you ever wondered where that singing bird in the show house garden is? The chances are it is a recording broadcast by loudspeaker. Sounds hilarious, but the days of freshly ground coffee smells are over...selling is a psychological activity and this is just one of the ways the house builders and there marketing partners make the show properties more attractive to you.

All new homebuyers should view the show home with a degree of skepticism. It will have every available extra fitted in an effort to entice you to opting for these or even deceive you into thinking they are standard feature. Martyn Maxwell of snagging company Brickkickers, says "I have lost count of the number of times my clients have asked me why I have not listed an item, seen in the show home but missing in the buyer's home."

Show homes are designed to attract you to buy. They are made to look larger by the use of large wall mirrors; glass table tops and even reduced scaled-down furniture! Often fitted out using a superior specification possibly with granite worktops or laminate flooring for example. The show house lighting is always left on to give the impression of good natural light and disguises the fact that a bathroom may not have a window.

The Property Misdescriptions Act 1991 and Specified Matters order 1992, make it a criminal offence to make false or misleading statements but deception within a show home is a grey area. The more reputable builders will fit notices to extras stating that they are not "standard."

Remember, all house builders show homes are "snagged" by several people initially and on an ongoing basis with the decorations in particular being regularly freshened up, which can give a misleading perception of the standard of finish you can expect in the home you actually buy.

Martyn says that "show homes inevitably give new home buyers high expectations which can result in disappointment when they actually view their new home for the first time. The show home gardens are always beautifully landscaped and maintained but the reality of the new home buyer's garden is quite different".

Martyn Maxwell founded Brickkickers in response to the falling standards with some of the mass-market builders nation-wide. He says, "Brickkickers is the only national snagging company, owned and operated by qualified construction professionals. We offer the new home buyer a completely independent inspection snagging report and liase with the builders and warranty providers to ensure remedial works are completed to acceptable standards". "We have found from our own data that the average home we inspect has around 140 defects!"

To ensure that all the defects in your new home are dealt with prior to moving in call Martyn Maxwell at Brickkickers on 0845 226 6036 or visit their website www.brickkickers.co.uk

Martyn Maxwell has recently launched www.snagging.info - a Forum for the new home buyer. Visitors to the website can view buyer's questions, experiences and comments regarding builders and their new home and ask expert advice on a number of topics completely free. This site is operated in association with the new home information website: www.brand-newhomes.co.uk

About the Author

Working in partnership with Brickkickers, a professional UK based new home property inspection and snagging service.

Fri, 10 Sep 2010 15:59:56 GMT

Premium Outlets, a division of Simon Property Group, is planning to build a massive outlet center on a 170-acre parcel near Industrial and Commerce drives with more than 100 high-end stores.

Real estate agents flock to island for convention

Fri, 10 Sep 2010 11:50:22 GMT

Thousands of real estate agents and vendors will begin arriving on the island today for a convention that gives the city a chance to show how much it has recovered since Hurricane Ike struck two years ago.

Closure for re:Verse on the Plaza; owner hopes to relocate

Fri, 10 Sep 2010 07:35:36 GMT

After more than nine years of operations, re:Verse New American Bistro & Bar is closing on the Country Club Plaza.

Rough patch ahead for housing market

Fri, 10 Sep 2010 03:25:08 GMT

Canada's weakening real estate market is headed for a rough patch in the months ahead, analysts said after data released Thursday showed housing starts slowing for the fourth consecutive month in August.

Suspended Real Estate Agent Vows To Fight License Suspension

Fri, 10 Sep 2010 01:25:18 GMT

Michael Hellickson, who works out of a Sumner office, didn't want to talk to KIRO 7 Eyewitness News Consumer Investigator Amy Clancy on camera.

Transat shares soar as earnings beat Street

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 23:15:29 GMT

Jean-Marc Eustache, president and chief executive officer of Transat A.T. Inc., pauses during their annual general meeting in Montreal, March 11, 2010.

Compton council fires city manager -- again

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 19:00:57 GMT

The city of Compton has fired its city manager for the second time in three years.

Transat Q3 profits down to $20.9M without fuel gain, as revenues move...

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 14:48:19 GMT

Travel company Transat A.T. Inc. says its third-quarter profits tumbled to $20.9 million over the same time last year when it benefited form a non-cash gain related to fuel hedging.

Realtors doubt 'mass exodus' to Illinois

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 10:44:00 GMT

Navistar International Corp. is relocating, but that's not a signal a slew of 'For Sale' signs will sprout across Fort Wayne, housing officials say.

Real estate agent: Will work for food

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 09:38:52 GMT

By Teresa Boardman , Thursday, September 9, 2010. Inman News Flickr photo courtesy of twicepix .

Local home sales fall, but prices rise

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 07:34:10 GMT

Home sales fell, but median sale prices rose last month in Orange, Ulster and Sullivan counties, according to reports by county boards of Realtors.

The Pier Shops at Caesars handing keys to lenders

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 03:17:36 GMT

The owner of the upscale shopping mall that juts out over the ocean in Atlantic City is preparing to hand over the keys to lenders.

Online real estate sites compared

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 03:17:35 GMT

That's because in the United States, the data needed to fill the websites with useful data flows freer.

Former cop busted on fraud charges

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 23:03:09 GMT

Former cop busted on fraud charges

Bullman retires after 18 years as CEO of Realtor

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 20:58:07 GMT

Martha Bullman has retired after 18 years as CEO of the Realtor Association of Miami-Dade County.