Would you buy in a new estate again?

estatelife-em

Curious how people feel after actually living in a new estate for a while. We are three years into ours in Marsden Park.

On paper they make sense: new services, new houses, parks, schools eventually, lots of other young families around.

But I also hear people complain about tiny blocks, no shade, dust, traffic, delays on promised shops and schools, houses packed close together, and the whole place feeling hot until trees grow.

For anyone who bought or built in a new estate, would you do it again? What turned out better than expected, and what annoyed you more than you thought it would?

MumOfThree-SEQ

Yarrabilba here, five years in. Would we do it again, probably yes but with eyes open. The school they promised opened two years later than the brochure said, so plan around where kids actually go now, not the artist impression.

Better than expected was the other families. Kids roam between houses like its the 90s again. Worse than expected is summer, zero shade, the whole street shimmers until about 6pm. We planted trees day one and they are only just starting to earn their keep.

fuzzy-muppet

PARKING. NOBODY EVER MENTIONS PARKING

every house has 2 cars and a trailer and the streets are designed like the developer never met a car. bin day is a demolition derby. other than that estates are fine i guess, my sister loves hers

purple-duck-99

Canberra region estate for us. The wind with no established trees was the shock, first winter felt like living on an airfield. Blocks are honest sizes here but the houses still go up close together.

Would I do it again, yes actually. New services meant NBN from day one and I finally got the garage I could never fit on an older block. But I would pick the stage that backs onto the established side, not the fresh cut paddock.

BecW-Brissy

We looked hard at estates before buying established. The thing that tipped us was covenants. The estate we liked had rules on fence colour, shed size, even caravan parking. Fine if you like the uniform look, not fine if you dont read them before signing.

Friends in estates are mostly happy though. The ones who regret it bought the smallest block on the stage just to get in, and now the neighbours wall fills their kitchen window.

lisa-k-77

Estate buyer from 2019 here. The trees are finally doing their job and the shops turned up eventually. First two summers were brutal though, no shade anywhere and every backyard was a dust bowl while the neighbours built.

Would do it again but I would buy in a stage where the street trees are already two years old. Let someone else live through the moonscape era.

estatelife-em

Marsden Park update from someone still in one: the estate itself is fine, the problem is how long the promised town centre takes. Ours was sold with a supermarket and school drawing. Four years later we still drive 15 minutes for groceries and the school is demountables.

Would I buy estate again? Probably, for the new house. Would I believe the masterplan brochure again? Absolutely not. Treat amenities as a bonus if they arrive, not a reason to pay a premium.

HazzaB-QLD

Ripley side: estate is fine if you accept the early years are dusty and the parks arrive late. What actually annoyed us was the covenant list after we already paid the deposit.

No sheds visible from the street, fence colours locked, letterbox design locked. Tiny stuff that still costs money and patience. Read the whole pack before you celebrate the house and land price.