Homebuyers have many decisions to make, but one of the biggest is that weighted question of old versus new. You’ll find staunch proponents of both options, from the history buffs who swoon over structures that have stood for decades, to modern families who prefer everything to be untouched and new. If you’re wavering on this point, consider these major benefits of buying your home brand new.
Have a look at these 5 reasons you should buy a brand new home!
You Won’t Have to Redecorate Immediately
Old homes often come with unfortunate finishing touches made by previous owners, leaving you with major redecorating projects as soon as you’ve taken possession. If you don’t want to spend your first few weeks of homeownership replacing orange shag carpeting or painting over pace walls, a new home offers an easy answer. You can customize many features to suit your tastes. From counters and cabinetry to trim and flooring, there are plenty of ways to make a new home your own from the beginning. This frees up both time and money for easier decorating projects, like hanging curtains and picking out throw rugs.
You Can Live Repair-Free for Your First Year
When you move into your new home, everything is brand new; you don’t have to worry about the kinds of repairs and upgrades that may top your to-do list in an older house. Most homes come with a new-home warranty. If yours doesn’t, then this is something you should definitely negotiate into the contract. With this guarantee, everything from the plumbing to the building materials will be covered for at least the first year.
The comfortable assurance that everything will stay in perfect working order while you’re settling into your new abode can ease some of the financial concerns that come with this kind of major purchase. You can rebuild some of the savings you spent on your house while everything is conveniently under warranty. This way, you’ll have a nice emergency fund underneath you in coming years.
You Can Build the Home for Your Family
When you’re shopping for a used home, you have to work with the structure you get. Building a new home gives you a wealth of options for creating the ideal home on your favorite lot. Most communities give you several choices so you can pick the style, size, and floor plan that work for you.
New Homes Must Adhere to Strict Building Standards
Your new home will have to adhere to today’s strict building codes, which means it will probably be safer and more energy-efficient than an older house. It’s easier to merge energy-saving building designs into a new home than it is to remodel an existing structure to achieve a higher level of energy efficiency. Though building requirements vary by state, you’ll find many green home builders who both meet and exceed regulations to create some of the greenest homes possible.
While energy-efficient homes cost marginally more to build, the savings can come back to the home buyer in less than four years. After that, you’ll enjoy cost savings in the form of lower utility bills throughout the life of your home.
You Can Enjoy the Feeling of Founding a New Community
In an existing neighborhood, you’ll probably be “the new family” for the first few years. Moving into a well-established community can leave you feeling like an outsider. If you have a home built in a new community with several new constructions, you’ll move in with several other families who are just settling into the neighborhood. This can create a friendlier atmosphere, as everyone is in a similar situation and looking to establish a safe and welcoming community together. Get into a new community early, and you can enjoy the feeling of being one of the “founding fathers” of your neighborhood.
If you love customization but don’t want to do it all yourself, a new home is a way to go. Pick out everything from energy-efficient windows to sleek wood flooring to suit your taste, and you’ll come home to a place that is truly yours from day one.
Do you prefer a brand new house or an old one?
*The unedited image by Sue Mischyshyn /CC-BY-SA-2.0
All good reasons! If you find a quality builder, your house should be repair free for a good long time. No worries!
These are all true!
Wish there were new developments where I live!
I think maintenance wise, It’s better to get a new home.
I’ve had both in my day and as mentioned there are pros and cons and it all comes down to how it was built in the first place. My 100 year old Victorian was as energy efficient in some ways as my current brand new house because it had been built so well. And we looked at some brand new houses that had been constructed so poorly it was scary.
I have a dream home in my mind that I someday hope to build but I don’t think it will get to be anytime soon.
I have purchased 2 brand new homes, and rehabbed one from scratch.. there really is a big piece of mind when just walking in and knowing mostly nothing can go wrong.
While I love all the points described here, believe me, if I could I would buy new. Housing in Vancouver is ridiculously expensive. I bought my place, a 1100sf 1970’s townhouse for $350K — if I want something newer it’s around $450-$500K
We pay a mortgage of $1700 per month, not including utilities and what’s it called?…life!, it’s hard to think of buying new in this city. It’s a serious problem here. Housing is insane.
But I’m a 100% with you, new is great.
I have never had the money to buy a new house but thanks for sharing.
Although I would love a brand new home. Those are great points by the way. I love my little house that I’ve fixed up.
New homes are definitely nice but they aren’t really my cup of tea. I like 1920s and 1930s bungalows/cottages, Tudors and Mid Century Ranch Homes. I don’t find the finishes unfortunate at all- I like a lot of them. Some need some TLC but I like the character of them. However, new home warranties are definitely nice!
Good 🙂 New Homes is good especially when you starting a new family 🙂
My husband and I want to buy a home, but I am scared that it will require too much maintenance. I like how a brand new home is almost guaranteed for a certain amount of time.
i would have loved to have built new, maybe someday. I love that you can do whatever you want. a friend is just finishing her new home and it looks amazing
I wish my sister would have bought a new house. She bought a $300,000 that needs a lot of work. I really don’t understand how being in a particular area is so important. I really think she could have spent less and gotten more. I see where your coming from.
Those are very useful tips in advance but I think the very first thing I must consider is if I can afford if yes then these are my next steps.
We were going to build our own, but we didn’t have the time to wait and the fees were insane, so we just bought a house already built, i hate it, but it happens, lol The houses we were looking at to build were like in the 240’s then we ended up buying a house in the 270’s but we have 3 acres and a pool and no HOA’s, which is always a plus.
I prefer to live in any house as long as I’m with my family. 🙂 Buying a house is wiser than just renting one.
For me, it’s a decision totally based on finances. If I could build or buy brand new and custom choose everything, awesome! If I could save a ton of money by buying older and then doing some fix-up, I’d probably go that route.
Finding a quality builder here in Florida would be paramount for me. With the structural ground problems here like sinkholes, due diligence is mandatory.
Great tips and information! A new house is definitely better than an old one.