| Most of us consider both of these options when | | | | consideration. Have you discovered yet that your |
| buying a house. | | | | Realtor can find tax information quickly for new |
| Is buying a new home a better value than buying an | | | | construction and resale homes. |
| older home? Perhaps you have been wondering the | | | | Are you caught up with the thought of owning a |
| same thing. | | | | vintage house full of character. This being the case, |
| By the time you finish reading this, you'll will have | | | | the obvious upkeep and repairs will not deter you. |
| learned how easy it is to answer these questions. | | | | We have all heard of The Money Pit, right. Services |
| Let's compare new home buying with buying an older | | | | of an electrician are required. The harvest green |
| home. | | | | oven and stove date back to the 1960s. Plumbing is |
| A word of caution, there are many decisions to | | | | older. Siding, fencing and windows may be worse for |
| make when it comes to finding the best home for | | | | wear. |
| you and your family. There are questions regarding | | | | Be sure, when you are going to buy an older home |
| location, affordability, and space. But when it comes | | | | insist your Realtor request a Home Inspection by a |
| to the question of buying a newer home versus an | | | | qualified and licensed home inspection service before |
| older home, taste has a lot to do with your decision. | | | | closing. Prepare yourself for deferred maintenance. |
| All in all your tastes are neither right nor wrong. You | | | | The price of a home inspection is small compared to |
| can't put a value on perception and it can't be | | | | the confidence it instills. |
| measured. You develop these preferences through | | | | Selecting a new home offers obvious and clear |
| experience over time. | | | | advantages over older homes too. Most new homes |
| Here is a case in point. A newly built home may | | | | are now required to be built according to higher |
| appear ideal to one person and to another person | | | | efficiency standards than older homes were. So utility |
| less than perfect. You may love the architecture of | | | | bills could be significantly lower than the utilities of an |
| older homes and somebody else loves the modern | | | | older residence. However, watch out for taxes on |
| conveniences of a new home. Pay close attention to | | | | new construction as they may not have been |
| what catches your eye. | | | | determined yet. This may be a trade off. |
| The bottom line then is this. When choosing between | | | | Put simply, if you like more modern architecture you |
| buying an older home or a new home, let your taste | | | | will prefer the look of a new home more than an |
| rule. | | | | older one. Again taste is the all-important deciding |
| For instance older homes offer distinct advantages | | | | factor here. Do you like the look and feel of a newer |
| and disadvantages. Some of the advantages may | | | | home? If so follow your preferences. |
| include neighborhoods that are better established. | | | | One clear advantage that most new homes offer |
| They have stood the test of time. The residents | | | | versus older ones is up-to-date heating, air |
| may have lived there a long time and turnover is less | | | | conditioning, electrical, and plumbing systems. In |
| likely. An established neighborhood often leads to a | | | | addition, most home builders are likely to provide a |
| stable community environment. | | | | warranty on these systems for a specified period of |
| Again some older homes offer architectural and | | | | time. If a warranty is not offered or the warranty |
| landscaping character that new homes don't provide. | | | | period is too short you can ask the builder to pay for |
| Certainly, these qualities are again a matter of taste | | | | a better one. |
| according to the eye of the beholder. Ask yourself | | | | When it comes to older versus newer, taste is the |
| this question, how does this neighborhood make you | | | | all-important qualifier. The easiest way to decide |
| feel? Many people surprise themselves when they | | | | about buying a house is to get out and compare. Ask |
| answer this self-imposed question. | | | | a Realtor to recommend neighborhoods for older |
| Another feature of older homes is that taxes are | | | | homes and new homes. |
| often lower than a new home. Although taxes are | | | | After shopping for homes a bit, you may even |
| not a matter of taste they are an important | | | | discover something new about your taste. |