We bought a 2 year old home that was the exact layout i would have chosen if we'd built. Its in an estate but our block is huge, and i never hear the neighbours and vice versa. I've just heard so many people having hassles and delays with building, that if you can find your perfect house why not just buy. Ours was almost 2 years old and perfectly looked after that it felt new. The only thing i didn't like was the paint scheme and the flooring, which we'll get around to changing eventually.