Hi Mitchell,
Personally I'd say no to a new home, with me it's a matter of taste, I like homes with character and I find the vast majority of new homes, particularly flats lack any kind of character or distinction. But then I wouldn't buy a home in England let alone London, you end up paying so much for location there's precious little left for the building. We've just bought in Scotland, our second buy, and for less than we could buy a 2 up 2 down terrace in our home town of Northampton, we've bought a detached on a double plot, 5 bed roomed grade 2 listed stone cottage, over 3 floors with a 40 foot living room / kitchen... there's even a river at the bottom of the garden. For the money you have to spend you could buy two like this, there's 3 properties for sale in our street ranging from ?64k to ?235K ( < new bungalow ) in a busy tourist area. ( if you're interested google for property in south west Scotland )
Keep in touch
Clayton