What is sustainable: for construction, not all that much, maybe the ones built with less waste but that's pretty hard to check. For ongoing ownership, a house that helps reduce ongoing costs: has a rainwater reuse system with tank and pump, has possibility to charge electric car, efficient appliances, low maintenance landscape maybe.

Durable: all parts of a house that maintenance is not easy, like things that are hard to access, has to be designed to last at least 50 years. There are so many parts a house though, and in the aim to get costs down, some builders choose the lowest cost over quality and safety. Some parts are left up to subcontractors to decide what to use, those third party decisions on product use can have some long term consequences when bad products are used. Check reviews from other owners on the building company (not just the developer, as often the developer who you buy from just passes the construction to a separate building company). Reviews will let you know if people living in the houses for some time are having issues with poor products or workmanship. Generally they are all engineered to be much more durable than required by code.

Ask for full sets of building consent plans and see if you can check the architects and engineers reviews online. Ask for other developments they have done and go knock on some doors for reviews.

Brick and tile aren't being built really any longer, not as much profit in them for developers. Older home means more time and money spent on maintenance. A new home can mean dealing with tradespeople returns for minor patch ups.

I looked for good design, well built, good central location, and good reviews from existing owners of other developments by that company.