Need advice: New home in Mableton or Used home in East Cobb? (Smyrna: buying a house)

[sviks]

My fiance & I are planning to buy our first home this year. Our budget for a single-family home is $275-$350k. I am debating between East Cobb & Mableton (Oakdale Rd, Queens Mill Rd, Cooper Lake Rd, Buckner Rd). From reading other threads, it seems like most people think that Mableton is up-and-coming, but has terrible schools. East Cobb seems to have the best schools (and consequently a better resale value), but it is very expensive for new homes these days, so I'll have to settle for a used home. My fiance & I are not planning to have kids for the next 2-3 years; we plan to stay in this house for at least the next 5 years. So should I go for a new home in Mableton or an old home in East Cobb? If East Cobb, how old can it be to retain a good resale value? Thanks in advance for your opinion!

[bbuch]

hmmm...interesting question. Homes are not like cars, so buying used is not necessarily a bad thing. An older home is likely cheaper than surrounding homes because it needs to be updated, not because it was previously lived in. Actually, these days there is so little care and attention to detail put into new construction that an older home is likely built better. Also, a new home usually has a break-in period where many things can go wrong as you work out the bugs. Older construction has likely already gone through this with a previous owner.

Who is the builder of the new home? What is the year of the old one?

B

[sviks]

Originally Posted by bbuch

hmmm...interesting question. Homes are not like cars, so buying used is not necessarily a bad thing. An older home is likely cheaper than surrounding homes because it needs to be updated, not because it was previously lived in. Actually, these days there is so little care and attention to detail put into new construction that an older home is likely built better. Also, a new home usually has a break-in period where many things can go wrong as you work out the bugs. Older construction has likely already gone through this with a previous owner.

Who is the builder of the new home? What is the year of the old one?

B

McCar Homes is the builder of the new home in Mableton. Old homes in East Cobb are 15-20 years old for my price range.

[Go Blue 99]

Are you a DIY'er? Would you plan on renovating the kitchen and other areas in the older home? The lure of a brand new home is tough to resist, but your potential for appreciation is much better in East Cobb, especially if you do modern renovations inside.

[Merin]

I would get the older one in East Cobb.

[spacelord75]

I actually am currently selling my townhome in Providence in Mableton, which was brand new when I bought it. It has been great and I LOVED having a brand new house with all the upgraded bells and whistles of new construction. Fortunately, being a John Wieland, the quality was pretty high and any problems were addressed quickly. Ultimately, however, I decided that I just didn't care for the area that much - true it is close to Smyrna and close to Vinings and Midtown is a quick shot on backroads, but the actual physical area kind of blows. Anytime I wanted to go for any kind of decent run, it meant getting on Veterans and running up to Oakdale, which sucks. We ended up buying a house in Dunwoody built in 1973 which has been the biggest pain in the a$$, and everything is a labor of love, but it has already been worth it. I love the area, I love being able to run to parks, the river, etc. and feel safe and to know that if we have kids soon they will be in a solid school system. Also, I KNOW that the area will not go downhill. These assurances add up big time. I say buy the East Cobb older home and fix it up - it is fun and you will learn a lot.

[docmac]

Originally Posted by sviks

My fiance & I are planning to buy our first home this year. Our budget for a single-family home is $275-$350k. I am debating between East Cobb & Mableton (Oakdale Rd, Queens Mill Rd, Cooper Lake Rd, Buckner Rd). From reading other threads, it seems like most people think that Mableton is up-and-coming, but has terrible schools. East Cobb seems to have the best schools (and consequently a better resale value), but it is very expensive for new homes these days, so I'll have to settle for a used home. My fiance & I are not planning to have kids for the next 2-3 years; we plan to stay in this house for at least the next 5 years. So should I go for a new home in Mableton or an old home in East Cobb? If East Cobb, how old can it be to retain a good resale value? Thanks in advance for your opinion!

There are some new home developments in Mableton that are 190 to 225K in nice neighborhoods... The one down the street from me is called Ashton Park, but they are building several more as well.