Buyer Sentiment and Confidence in the New Build Market
Published by New-Builds Team
Buyer sentiment is the heartbeat of the housing market. No matter how many homes are planned, permitted, or under construction, the pace and sustainability of the new build sector ultimately depends on whether buyers feel confident enough to commit to what is, for most people, the largest financial decision of their lives. After the turbulence of 2022-2024 — when mortgage rate volatility, cost-of-living pressures, and economic uncertainty suppressed confidence to its lowest levels in a decade — the question of buyer sentiment recovery has been central to the industry's 2025-2026 outlook. Understanding how prospective buyers think, feel, and make decisions about new build homes is critical for developers calibrating their product and pricing strategies, for policymakers designing support schemes, and for other buyers trying to gauge whether now is a good time to purchase.
This article brings together the most comprehensive available data on UK new build buyer sentiment, drawing on the HBF National New Homes Survey, RICS Residential Market Survey, GfK Consumer Confidence Index, YouGov housing trackers, developer-commissioned research from Savills and Knight Frank, and post-occupancy satisfaction data from the New Homes Quality Board. We examine purchase intention data across different buyer segments, customer satisfaction and quality perceptions, brand trust rankings for major developers, and the key factors that drive or deter new build purchases. Whether you are considering buying a new build home and want to understand how others feel about the same decision, or you are a developer seeking to understand your customers better, this is the definitive analysis of where buyer confidence stands today.
Consumer Confidence: The Macro Picture
Consumer confidence in the UK — as measured by the GfK Consumer Confidence Index, the longest-running barometer of its kind — has been on a gradual recovery trajectory since bottoming out in September 2022 at -49, its lowest reading since records began in 1974. By the end of 2025, the index had recovered to -14, reflecting improved but still cautious consumer sentiment. Housing-specific confidence indicators have tracked a similar pattern but with more pronounced swings, reflecting the outsized role that interest rates, employment security, and price expectations play in housing purchase decisions.
Confidence Recovery Timeline
GfK Consumer Confidence Index. Values below 0 indicate net pessimism. Scale inverted for visual clarity.
The recovery has been driven by three main factors: the stabilisation and gradual decline of mortgage rates (from an average of 5.12% to 4.28% for a 2-year fix during 2025), improved employment security, and the psychological effect of house prices beginning to rise again after two years of real-terms falls. However, the index remaining in negative territory indicates that confidence is improved but not yet robust — a characterisation that closely mirrors the cautious optimism seen in new build sales offices.
Purchase Intention Data: Who Is Buying?
Purchase intention surveys — which ask respondents how likely they are to buy a home in the next 12-24 months — provide a forward-looking window into demand. Data from YouGov, Savills, and the major developers' own customer research reveals significant variation by buyer segment, with some groups showing strong and improving purchase intentions while others remain hesitant.
Why Buyers Choose New Build — And Why They Don't
Understanding the motivations and barriers that shape new build purchase decisions is essential for both the industry and for prospective buyers weighing their options. Survey data from the HBF, YouGov, and developer research provides consistent insights into what drives the new build decision — and what holds people back.
Top Reasons for Choosing New Build
Top Barriers to New Build Purchase
The data reveals a clear tension: buyers are attracted to new builds for their practical advantages (no chain, energy efficiency, warranty) but deterred by perceived value and quality concerns. The new build premium — averaging 22% nationally — remains the single biggest barrier, though buyers who understand the total cost of ownership (including lower energy bills and reduced maintenance) are often willing to pay it. Build quality concerns, while declining from their peak in 2020-2022, continue to hold back a significant minority of potential buyers.
Customer Satisfaction: The Full Picture
The HBF's annual National New Homes Survey is the most comprehensive measure of new build buyer satisfaction, capturing responses from tens of thousands of recent purchasers. The 2025 results show continued improvement from the sector's reputational low point in 2019-2020, when a series of high-profile quality scandals and the Grenfell tragedy aftermath severely damaged public trust.
Satisfaction by Category
| Category | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall quality of home | 83% | 85% | 87% | Improving |
| Sales experience | 86% | 88% | 89% | Improving |
| Snagging resolution | 68% | 71% | 76% | Improving |
| Aftercare service | 70% | 72% | 75% | Improving |
| Value for money | 62% | 64% | 66% | Slow improvement |
| Finished to good standard at handover | 72% | 74% | 77% | Improving |
The sustained improvement across almost all categories reflects genuine industry effort to address the quality concerns that have dogged the sector. The introduction of the New Homes Quality Code (NHQC), enhanced NHBC inspection regimes, and competitive pressure from consumer review platforms have all contributed. However, value for money remains the weakest satisfaction metric at 66%, underlining the sensitivity of buyers to the new build premium.
Developer Brand Trust
Brand trust matters in new build because buyers are typically committing to a home that has not yet been fully built, or that they have seen only as a show home. The developer's reputation for quality, customer service, and reliability is therefore a significant factor in purchase decisions. The HBF's Star Rating scheme and independent review platforms provide quantitative measures of brand trust.
| Developer | HBF Stars | Recommend % | Trustpilot | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Berkeley Group | 5 Star | 92% | 4.1/5 | Stable high |
| Barratt Redrow | 5 Star | 89% | 3.8/5 | Improving |
| Taylor Wimpey | 5 Star | 87% | 3.6/5 | Improving |
| Bellway | 5 Star | 86% | 3.5/5 | Stable |
| Vistry Group | 4 Star | 83% | 3.4/5 | Improving |
| Persimmon | 4 Star | 80% | 2.8/5 | Improving |
The gap between HBF star ratings and Trustpilot scores highlights an important nuance: the HBF survey captures structured feedback from recent buyers (biased towards the satisfied), while Trustpilot captures open reviews (biased towards the dissatisfied). The truth typically lies between the two. Persimmon's ongoing recovery from its 2019-2020 reputational low — when it lost its 5-star rating following widespread quality complaints — illustrates both the long road to rebuilding trust and the genuine progress being made through investment in build quality and customer care.
Price Expectations and Affordability Perceptions
Buyer expectations about future house prices play a crucial role in purchase timing decisions. When buyers expect prices to rise, they are incentivised to buy sooner (before homes become less affordable); when they expect falls or stagnation, they may delay. Survey data from Halifax, Nationwide, and RICS shows that price expectations turned positive in mid-2025 and have been strengthening since.
The swing in price expectations has been one of the most significant drivers of the 2025 market recovery. As the proportion of buyers expecting price increases has grown, so has the urgency to purchase, creating a positive feedback loop that supports transaction volumes and underpins developer confidence to invest in new sites. The average expected price increase of 3.2% over the next 12 months is consistent with a normalising market rather than a return to the speculative conditions of 2021.
The Energy Efficiency Factor in Buyer Decisions
Energy efficiency has risen dramatically as a factor in buyer decision-making. The cost-of-living crisis and the sharp increase in energy bills from 2022 onwards fundamentally changed how buyers evaluate a home's running costs. New builds, with their superior EPC ratings, have been significant beneficiaries of this shift.
- 74% of buyers now consider EPC rating before viewing a property (up from 52% in 2021)
- 62% cite energy efficiency as a key reason for choosing new build over existing
- 45% said they would pay a premium of up to 5% for a higher EPC rating
- 38% are aware of green mortgage products and their benefits
- 72% have heard of heat pumps, but only 38% understand how they work
- 29% express concerns about heat pump noise or reliability
The data suggests that energy efficiency is becoming a mainstream consideration but buyer understanding of newer technologies — particularly heat pumps — remains limited. This represents both a challenge and an opportunity for the industry. Developers who invest in educating buyers about heat pump technology, real-world running costs, and the Future Homes Standard benefits are likely to see improved sales performance on FHS-compliant developments.
What Buyers Want in 2025-2026
The post-pandemic shift in buyer priorities has now firmly embedded itself. The desire for space — both indoor and outdoor — that emerged during lockdowns has not dissipated, and has been joined by growing expectations around home working provision, technology integration, and sustainability credentials.
Top Buyer Priorities for Their New Home
Regional Sentiment Variations
Buyer sentiment varies significantly by region, reflecting local affordability conditions, economic confidence, and the availability and quality of new build stock. The RICS Residential Market Survey provides regional breakdowns that reveal these differences.
| Region | Buyer Enquiries | Price Optimism | NB Preference | Sentiment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| North West | +28 | High | 34% | Strong |
| West Midlands | +25 | High | 32% | Strong |
| Yorkshire & Humber | +22 | High | 31% | Strong |
| East Midlands | +20 | Moderate | 30% | Positive |
| South West | +18 | Moderate | 28% | Positive |
| South East | +12 | Moderate | 26% | Cautious |
| London | +8 | Low | 22% | Cautious |
The strongest sentiment is concentrated in northern and midlands markets where affordability is most favourable and new build represents a realistic aspiration for a wider range of buyers. London sentiment, while positive, is the most muted — reflecting the extreme affordability constraints that limit the pool of potential buyers even as institutional demand (BTR, overseas investment) provides an alternative sales channel. For the latest market data by region, see our 2025 market review.
The Role of Social Media and Reviews
The influence of online reviews, social media, and word-of-mouth on new build buyer decisions has grown significantly. Platforms like Trustpilot, HomeViews, Google Reviews, and social media groups (Facebook new build community groups, Reddit forums) have created a parallel information ecosystem that sits alongside developer marketing and traditional media coverage.
The democratisation of buyer feedback has been largely positive for the industry, creating accountability and incentivising quality improvements. However, it has also amplified negative experiences — a single viral social media post about snagging issues can reach millions and disproportionately affect perceptions. The industry's response has been to invest more heavily in customer experience, proactive social media management, and genuine aftercare improvements rather than simply marketing over the problem.
Frequently Asked Questions
Outlook: Sentiment Trends for 2026
Looking ahead, the trajectory for buyer sentiment is cautiously positive. The key supporting factors — declining mortgage rates, improving employment conditions, and increasing housing supply — are expected to continue strengthening through 2026. The Bank of England's projected rate path suggests further reductions that would bring the average mortgage rate closer to 4%, materially improving affordability for many buyers.
However, several factors could temper the recovery. The full impact of the stamp duty threshold reversion is still feeding through, and affordability constraints in southern England remain acute. The policy landscape, while supportive of supply growth, creates short-term uncertainty as new systems bed in. And the ongoing transition to the Future Homes Standard introduces new technologies (heat pumps, MVHR) that some buyers remain cautious about.
For prospective buyers, the data suggests that the window of opportunity created by the 2023-2024 correction is closing as the market normalises. Developer incentive packages, which were at their most generous during the downturn, are gradually being scaled back as sales rates improve. Those who are in a position to buy and have found the right property may benefit from acting before the market becomes more competitive. To explore current options, browse available new build homes across the UK, or read our first-time buyer guide for comprehensive purchasing advice.