Avant Homes Midlands estate agents in Derby and Swadlincote

★★★★★ 1/5

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Sales people fantastic

Sales people fantastic. Avant homes finishing the estate how it is supposed to be…. Well I do not have the words to describe this company, but disgraceful, shocking inept. I bought a property at the Wynyard Grange site. They external to the property was supposed to have trees planted to block out an industrial building. Since January 2022 I have been trying to get this sorted out. The reply I get is they cannot get a response from the contractor. Is this a joke it is now July 2022, 6 months later. I then contacted the Managing director from the website. This person has also not had the decency to acknowledge the email at all. I have paid for this to be completed. I urge everyone to know that Avant are terrible, do not buy a house from them as they will not compete your house or the area and do not reply they are not interested. Keep your money and even if you like the area they are promoting, avoid it like the plague. Shocking, terrible, unresponsive and the worst customer service you could ever imagine.

Gary · 7 July 2022 · Avant Homes Midlands Swadlincote

★★★★★ 1/5

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Beware unmade, unadopted roads on completed Avant sites

I purchased my Avant home in April 2019. I was happy with the house and majority of the aftersales service. However, I then discovered that once Avant complete building (April 2021) they vacate the site with what seems a deliberate policy of not finishing the roads. The make empty promises, which do not materialise and often don't respond to emails or telephone calls.The situation here in Guisborough mirrors many other Avant sites around the country. The road surfaces, such as they are, are deteriorating month by month. The roads on this small estate are full of potholes; the gulleys protrude from what is left of the road surface and weeds are growing at the edges of the unmade roads.In the last couple of months I have read numerous local and national newspaper reports regarding Avant and unfinished roads, it's endemic. The local council have tried to intervene but the council will not adopt the roads until they are completed by the developer and finished to a certain standard. Surely Avant, when given planning consent, were obliged to finish the roads! This continuence of the status quo is an obvious advantage to Avant; they are not required legally by the council to finish the roads even though some money is held back by them from the developer. Clearly it is still advantageous to Avant to leave this money with the council because it saves them enormous amounts of money required to complete the roads. As a consequence the roads are becoming more dangerous, difficult to drive on and they will become increasingly expensive to repair. Another winter will take further toll, how many years could this endure? So beware..... if you should want to sell your home and this problem of unadopted roads is highlighted by your vendors' solicitor this could mean potentially that despite paying a very large sum of money for your home, the owners (the frontager) will have to pay for part of the road's maintenance and possibly take out indemnity insurance too. It is important to note the NHBC guarantee does not cover roads, only private driveways etc. This will no doubt affect the price that can be asked for the home on resale. Avant why don't you do something? a somewhat rhetorical question I think.

Chrissie · 4 July 2022 · Avant Homes Midlands Swadlincote

★★★★★ 1/5

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Me and my boyfriend saw a plot that we…

Me and my boyfriend saw a plot that we fancied on right move, straight away contacted them via the number provided. Was met with a very rude unhelpful woman on reception who stated she would get someone to ring me back. 3 days later still had not heard anything, another 5 phone calls still no call back. Still no news, tried a few different numbers and email addresses. Kept being told someone would call me back. Ended up driving to the site to speak to someone there but met with no sales office there. When your going to spend so much on a home you’d expect better customer service and you’d expect better organisation. Every number I’ve rang I’ve been put through to someone different who literally has no clue. Gives me no faith in buying with this company.

Melissa · 4 July 2022 · Avant Homes Midlands Swadlincote

★★★★★ 1/5

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Avoid Avant at all costs!

Absolutely ridiculous experience with Avant that is sadly very much ongoing...with no end in sight.Reservation #1;Reserved a plot at the Warwick site back at the beginning of August 2021. I was in the middle of agreeing a sale on my current property, and although at first unwilling to reserve a plot until this was confirmed, some pressure selling later I ended up being talked into handing over the reservation fee on the premise that it would be returned to me if the sale wasn't confirmed in the next few days. I was in contact the next day to say that the sale wasn't going ahead. This reservation fee was returned to myself in April 2022, a frankly ridiculous 9 MONTHS LATER.Reservation #2;Reserved a different plot (again at Warwick), in September 2021 after agreeing a sale on my property. Sadly my sale was taking longer than expected, but since the property wasn't yet finished there wasn't too much pressure from Avant. In the meantime I forked out ~£1200 for the interior, stupidly believing that all was good and the purchase was locked in. I believe this changed the very minute the property was ready post-build, as this must've started some internal timer on their end to either get paid or get rid (of me). With no prior indication/flags this was to happen, I received an afternoon phone call telling me that the following morning at 9am the property would be back on the market - apparently I was still eligible providing if I completed my sale before they found a new buyer. Unsurprisingly the property was re-marketed at a £10,000 increased on the back of already having the interior sorted (that I had already paid for...) as a perk of the sale. I was then strung along for a good few weeks whilst they initially ignored any/all questions about if they had found a new buyer (it was obvious that they had I was under no illusions), I imagine just in case that fell through and I was the fall-back guy.Now here we are a few months later where I'm out of pocket and outright being ignored by Avant on where the rest of my refund is (some of which they have accepted that they do owe).#1 reservation fee; £500 paid. £500 refunded (after a while 9 months!)#2 reservation fee; £500 paid. Avant initially accepted that they will refund £250 (not sure why it's not the full amount, they refuse to say) but now outright ignore any further contact about how I can get this.#2 interior cost, ~£1200 paid. Avant flat out refusing any sort of refund on this, even though the second sale was at an increase of £10,000 and this interior listed as a perk for the sale (i.e., they aren't out of pocket, they have in fact increased their income)TLDR;- Contacting this company is literally impossible- They have proven that they will get rid of you at the earliest opportunity if they can increase their profits- Even when they accept that they are liable for refunds, good luck getting it!

George · 3 July 2022 · Avant Homes Midlands Swadlincote

★★★★★ 5/5

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Visited Fairway view Burnopfield with…

Visited Fairway view Burnopfield with my gran and we received a friendly warm welcome from Heather. My gran is downsizing and I came along for a little support as we had visited other new builds and she was unimpressed with her visits. As soon as we walked in Heather was there to greet us with a smile and asked if we would like a coffee as she was having one. We agreed and went through my grand situation. Absolutely nothing was a bother. She took everything on board and explained how new build works. Gran didn’t want to leave her details as she had visited other sites and was bombarded with calls and emails. This scared her but Heather said “these are my details if you need anything further”She printed off brochures and gave us a lot of information so we could go back home and discuss with the family. What a lovely sales rep warm friendly and professional. She totally knows her stuff. I would have no issue if gran wanted to visit Heather alone as I know she would be looked after without any pressure to buy. Thank you Heather your time and patience.

Leah · 3 July 2022 · Avant Homes Midlands Swadlincote

★★★★★ 5/5

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Buying my new home, the best way possible.

Buying my new home, the best way possible. I recently bought my first house with Avant homes and they did everything they could to make the purchase easy, fun and stress free. Joanna at their Peerfields development was a pleasure to talk to and helped me choose the best property, interiors and extras for me. Julie and Joanna were both there to discuss any worries or questions I had throughout the process and everyone I spoke to both here and at their Summerville Quarter development were friendly, helpful and kind. Despite this being my first experience purchasing a house, I'd still say that considering the quality of service and how enjoyable the experience was, this is the place to go for buying a house.

Matt · 1 July 2022 · Avant Homes Midlands Swadlincote

★★★★★ 5/5

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Julie Robson at Vanburgh Gate has been…

Julie Robson at Vanburgh Gate has been an absolute star at getting everything perfect for moving-in day. Thank you to everyone onsite

Daniel · 30 June 2022 · Avant Homes Midlands Swadlincote

★★★★★ 5/5

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Peerfields development

Peerfields development - Sales negotiator Joanna Taylor has provided us with first class service from reservation to completion of our new home. It has been a great pleasure to do business with Joanna.

David · 29 June 2022 · Avant Homes Midlands Swadlincote

★★★★★ 5/5

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Vanbrugh Gate

Julie, Bill, Graham & the team at Vanbrugh Gate have been fantastic. Nothing was too much trouble and they ensured everything ran smoothly and kept us updated. New home is fantastic and any small issues have been resolved quickly.

Niall · 29 June 2022 · Avant Homes Midlands Swadlincote

★★★★★ 1/5

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Yet another issue that has been ongoing…

Yet another issue that has been ongoing for last 11 months and sending number of emails and no response The site manager is the rudest person I have seen in my life. The avant home is the worst builders Worst companyWorst serviceAnd the customer service team is worse of all. They don't even reply to the emails, although on ringing them they say we will reply but yeah they dont and the complaint service is out of question they are just there as a name. I would recommend again not to Buy a house with Avant home.Repeat not tk buy a house with Avant homes.

Afaq · 29 June 2022 · Avant Homes Midlands Swadlincote

★★★★★ 5/5

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Brilliant personal service

Brilliant personal service. I recently moved in to the Furlong Park site in Doncaster. James has been outstanding throughout the waiting process with constant updates and a wonderful manner. Always happy to help. A few snagging issues, as to be expected, but really prompt resolution despite them being under pressure. I know people will always have different expectations moving into a new home but the staff on site here have been wonderful. Thanks again, James, you’re a star!

Judi · 28 June 2022 · Avant Homes Midlands Swadlincote

★★★★★ 1/5

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First impressions matter

Haven’t bought a house, wouldn’t even bother!First impressions mean a lot to me and after trying to contact the Berry Hill site on more than one occasion to request an appointment I gave up!After reading all the terrible reviews, looks like I’m the lucky one!

Bev · 27 June 2022 · Avant Homes Midlands Swadlincote

★★★★★ 5/5

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Recently visited your Peerfields site…

Recently visited your Peerfields site in Chilton, the show homes etc are all complete now and I chose my property from plan and brochure. Once allowed I viewed internally (stud walls), I fell in love with the house immediately!Joanna on site has been a star to say the least! She has helped me every step of the way, we’ve even sat on the floor in the sales office, looking at samples etc! Honestly, I couldn’t have asked for a nicer more efficient person to help, I’m a nightmare at making decisions! The choices I have made are lovely and excellent quality! I love the tiling, fittings etc and my kitchen is stunning! Now the walls are in Joanna and Gary (the site manager) have shown me inside, I LOVE IT EVEN MORE! They are so friendly and helpful, nothing is to much trouble, even out of normal working hours. Joanna has helped me throughout with paperwork, introducing me to Avants mortgage people and solicitors, which I feelhas made everything run smoothly and I’ve had very little input, they literally do everything!! I would 100% recommend Joanna and her team! Thank you all so much!

Victoria · 27 June 2022 · Avant Homes Midlands Swadlincote

★★★★★ 5/5

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Outstanding Sales Rep

This review is purely on customer service which we received from an outstanding sales rep who went above and beyond. Her name is Patricia Anderson. She spent ages answering our questions on the Sheltone site and explained the buying process in detail. When I had trouble getting through to another development to view a show home, Patricia contacted them herself and made us an appointment. She answers texts and calls promptly and is always happy to help. Patricia is a credit to Avant. I hope the rest of our buying experience goes as well as our initial interest has, all thanks to Patricia, who I feel we can depend on to help us in our search for a new home that will meet our needs.

Lisa · 27 June 2022 · Avant Homes Midlands Swadlincote

★★★★★ 1/5

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Bought our house in November and where…

Bought our house in November and where one of the last people to move into a relatively small development (c.80 houses)..... since then, we have gone through 2 project managers that have left for other sites with no handover and 2/3 customer service contacts. We were told all our doors inside would be changed due to damage from works prior to handover plus there is paint all over the inside of the doors when their painters decided to close doors on wet walls ( prior to handover ). Timeline was 10 weeks - still waiting on new doors. The spotlight is hanging out of it's fitting in the en-suite shower - told it would take 8 weeks to fix.. still not fixed. Our garden decking is raising still no reply on when it's being fixed. There is a list of small snagging list (front door doesn't lock properly unless forcefully close the door, drainage, painting ) . We feel we have been patient and understanding but it's the lack of updates and professionalism that's now that makes us regret buying through Advant - which is a shame as the homes are beautifully designed, but poor quality of work/finish followed by one of the most inept customer service team/aftercare programme I have came across undervalues the design. Overall, I believe this comes from a serious lack of leadership from Director level down as looking at the comments within this thread it’s a common theme which doesn’t appear be addressed.Reply to Avant: Plot 79, Ellis Vale developmentStill no further forward and if anything the issues raised above are increasing. We had someone come out and look at our front door issues only to find the door had not been sealed hence why we had issues closing the door. Our decking is starting to raise and our slabs starting to crack/move. Customer service have not replied to my previous compliant - sent the complaint 4 weeks now. This has to be the worst company to deal with after you have bought. The customer service is non-existent.

Consumer · 23 June 2022 · Avant Homes Midlands Swadlincote

★★★★★ 2/5

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2nd time round...nothing seems to have changed!

**UPDATE** Recently I noted to Avant that it isn't possible to use both showers at the same time as the pressure completely drops in the en-suite to a dribble (not useable) and I have been advised it's due to the limitations of the boiler and not 'by design' as i asked them. Laughable...I have learned not to try and argue with Avant but to take all snagging issues to the NHBC when Avant have done as much as they will say they will. Having previously had a shocking experience with Avant I thought I would give them another go when looking for a new buy property.I was informed that processes had been improved since my last purchased and I believe them (still).First impression though is history is repeating itself. Yes the overall snagging list is much smaller and mainly cosmetic (I will be having a full new build survey completed as I did last time that unearthed a multitude of issues), but the communication, promises and service is as bad as it was.Let down so far on...a dishwasher not working at all, a hob that I was told to call Hotpoint on to get fixed (after a week) and then other issues with the fitting of the hob not rectified.Trying to get anything done feels like it is going to be an uphill challenge again. However I am lucky. Speaking to my neighbours they've had a similar experience to my last one, one neighbour even admitting to me that she has recently broken down in tears based on what she's going through.I feel so much for her and disappointed that a company can make people feel this way through poor practices and service.Come on Avant, please do better for us!

Steven · 23 June 2022 · Avant Homes Midlands Swadlincote

★★★★★ 1/5

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Awful Customer Service.

Awful Customer Service.When we bought our property in October 2020 we were very pleased with our then site manager Graham who made sure all snagging issues were sorted within 8 months. But after all the heavy rain we had in January February this year we encountered problems with our lawns, front and back. Our lawn is now almost bare and has sunk about 3 to 4 inches. After contacting customer services in April the new site manager came out and inspected and agreed our lawn was not laid to specification and an order was raised for the lawns to be relayed during spring (this site manager has since left). We kept chasing customer services for a date for this to be done but all we got was they would chase the landscapers but no date was forth coming. By June we were getting frustrated so emailed Rob Slocombe, Managing Director as we were getting no where with customer services. He said he would look into it. Avant have now gone back on their word and now say they are not going to re lay the turf. Avant customer services and after sales is shocking and don’t take any responsibility for shoddy work. Never again will we entertain Avant or even recommend them.

Karen · 22 June 2022 · Avant Homes Midlands Swadlincote

★★★★★ 2/5

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Awful - no ownership of major issue

We love our house but sadly we have been so let down with the after care and customer service we received from Avant. We have a drain behind our garden wall which overflows and water comes through our wall, its really badly damaged the wall with water marks. Not to mention the water flows out the wall when it rains heavy. This was in our snagging list as damage visible when we moved in. We have been in our house a year and had so many promises made to us about when it would be fixed...I sent an email to complain after a year of being passed from pillar to post. We then received an email from Customer Service saying they actually aren't going to fix it and here's the complaint process! - It's disgraceful and has completely ruined our trust in Avant. They have a very bad name in our estate but we have always been so patient with our list of snagging, as we knew they were under a lot pressure but this has actually shocked us. Going through the complaints process but my expectations are low to be honest if the chat within our estate is correct. Best to avoid Avant based on our experience.

Hazel · 21 June 2022 · Avant Homes Midlands Swadlincote

★★★★★ 5/5

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Fantastic Value and Fantastic People

My partner and I reserved our property in May 2021, and with us all being at the back-end of Covid, we expected some delays along the way. There were shortages in materials that extended our wait. Our completion date was set as the end of August 2021, but we actually moved in in March 2022. Avant were a little slow to give us updates on what was going on, but since we have moved in they have been nothing but brilliant. The site team here in Collingsgate are attentive, and get any snags that you may have sorted pretty quickly. The team are friendly and always ready to help.Although I understand there are different circumstances for different people, I think when buying a home (let alone a new build), you have to adapt your expectations. I know its an exciting time and you just want to get in, but things happen along the way that will inevitably cause delays. As long as your calm and understand the above, you'll be absolutely fine.Overall, we couldn't be happier. We live in a 3 bedroom detached home on the cusp of the national forest. Its quiet, and value for money is great.

Freddie · 21 June 2022 · Avant Homes Midlands Swadlincote

★★★★★ 5/5

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We recently purchased a 3 bedroom home…

We recently purchased a 3 bedroom home on the collingsgate sotw. Yea there have been a couple of delays along the way, but it’s to be expected with a new build. Overall we extremely happy so far with the service and love our new build , thank you Louise you have been a superstar through the whole process.

Lucy · 20 June 2022 · Avant Homes Midlands Swadlincote

★★★★★ 1/5

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After 3 years - road surface still horrendous

Bought our house at Barley Gate Quarter, Birtley 3 years ago and we are still waiting for a decent road surface! The final houses were completed at the beginning of the year and now 5 months later, we still have horrendous temporary road surfaces. These roads have had holes filled in, if you can call it that, as they are now ‘bumps’ in the road with loose tarmac. Temporary speed bumps on road are damaged and causing numerous damage to many cars. All of which have been reported to avant, who have no interest at all!!! Work on the road was meant to be completed by the end of June 2022. This has not been started yet. This is such a shame to have to write this review, as from choosing our home 3 years ago and moving in, was a great experience. Such a shame once you are in and they have your money, they show no interest.

JM · 19 June 2022 · Avant Homes Midlands Swadlincote

★★★★★ 1/5

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Avant have been absolutely terrible at…

Avant have been absolutely terrible at communication and keeping to schedule.We reserved out plot back in September 2021 with an estimated completion of May 2022.We were then advised (after lots of chasing up) that it would be June.We were advised we would get an update every 2 - 3 weeks.Well we are now in June, and we STILL don't even have any foundation down.So naturally our home won't be built until potentially the end of this year.Yet despite me asking for an update for around 5/6 weeks now, with an explanation as to why its taking so long, why nothing is being done and when we hope to complete....we have had NO response with the details requested.After escalating things to management and above management, each one claiming their manager would contact us with an explanation......I hear absolutely nothing.Absolutely terrible company, and if we weren't locked in due to be pressured everyday to exchange within 30 days, I would have pulled out a long time ago.As soon as you exchange, don't expect to hear from them again.If I could give less than 1 star, I would do.I don't hold much hope on the quality of the build now.

Stephane · 18 June 2022 · Avant Homes Midlands Swadlincote

★★★★★ 2/5

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Light at the end of the tunnel

I could go on and on about the problems my partner and I experienced when embarking on our journey with Avant Homes but I am exhausted with the whole thing, so I won’t. However, the one good experience I can mention is, Val Horne. Val was our Customer Liaison Manager for our new build at Dargavel, Bishopton from shortly after we moved in and I can’t express my gratitude enough. As expected there is always snagging issues when purchasing a new-build property with some issues being listed in the major category of repairs but Val went above and beyond to remedy these issues and I am thankful for all her hard work. I am glad that after all the stress that came with buying a new build from Avant Homes that I can walk away knowing that there are people like Val Horne that actually care about their customers and want the best for them as they start a new chapter in their new homes.Two starts is generous by the way. If it wasn’t for Val, you would be getting 1.

Customer · 16 June 2022 · Avant Homes Midlands Derby

★★★★★ 5/5

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We recently purchased a 4 bed detached

We recently purchased a 4 bed detached (mulbridge) home at Vanbrugh gate. Having been through a new build purchase before we thought we knew what to expect but dealing with avant has been a totally different experience. Talking to experienced, professional people who know how to manage expectations and deal with queries has been of huge benefit to us throughout what has not been a straightforward process (through no fault of avant or our own). Everything explained in a straightforward manner with no hidden surprises. I can't speak highly enough of Julie, Graham, Bill, Lisa and Michelle who have been fantastic, all are true assets to the brand. Very minimal snags and after 3 weeks of being most are fixed. We'll done guys, keep up the good work!

Jon · 15 June 2022 · Avant Homes Midlands Swadlincote