Released on = September 18, 2006, 2:02 am

Press Release Author = Phil Roberts

Industry = Real Estate

Press Release Summary = 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.

Press Release Body = 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 scepticism. 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


Web Site = http://www.brickkickers.co.uk

Contact Details = 51 Longfellow Road
Coventry
United Kingdom
0845 226 6036