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We recently moved to the Charlotte area from Chicago and are contemplating purchasing a home here. We are looking for new construction, however, it seems most of the new construction is outside of Charlotte Mecklenburg itself. Also, there are so many builders in the area that I am not sure which ones have quality construction. In terms of builders, who are the quality ones in the area?
For a home, we are looking to spend no more than 250 and don't want to commute more than 25 minutes into downtown if it can be helped. We are in our mid-20s and also interested in investing in an area with good schools to plan ahead. What are some areas to look into and avoid? Finally, is new construction worth it here in Charlotte? It seems like some of the new homes are priced much higher than the values estimated for the area. If this is an issue, we are willing to look at existing construction. Thanks in advance for your help!
Why does it need to be a new home? "They don't build them like they used to" is true of home construction if nothing else. The houses from the 50s and 60s will be standing long after anything built in the 21st century.
We've also been looking at new construction and there are plenty under 250k. If you're talking about a custom home, then never mind. I'm talking about the planned communities with someone like Standard Pacific or MI.
Everyone seems to have their own opinion on who builds a quality home. For everyone who says they have a great home with any certain builder there is someone who has a bad story. From my research the two I just mentioned look to be ok, but I have no first hand experience.
Someone on these forums mentioned the better value was in resale. I know that's not the OPs question but we are now looking more at resale. We used to think "new" was better, but a poster already pointed out that quality was better years ago.
If you really want new construction try this site:
I would never buy new, it's not like a car or anything, where your home will depreciate by 25% the first time you flush the toilet, but you are still paying a premium for something that doesn't really offer much outside of being the first person in that house. I made the mistake of buying a house that was built in 2007 a couple of years ago, (I swore I wouldn't buy a house built during a housing boom, but our dream house, built in 1999, got snatched up about a month and a half before we could finally start house shopping), and you can see everywhere the cheap half assed job that gets done.
If I were you, I would look for a resale that's at least 7-8 years old, that has had enough time to settle and give you a good idea as far as how it's going to be, for the long haul. There's nothing worse than buying a house that's new or only a couple years old, and seeing cracks in the wall from settling.
Last edited by topchief1; 07-16-2013 at 10:31 AM..
Thanks for all the advice. I am beginning to see how new construction can be a problem, especially how fast some of these seem to go up. To those suggesting established neighborhoods and homes, what are the best areas in Charlotte that it my budget, commute time, and school district?
Like we always do, a number of us will suggest the neighborhoods between Providence Road and Colony Road in South Charlotte ABOVE 51. Starting with, but not limited to, Wessex Square and Olde Providence. $250K might be a stretch but certainly in the ballpark. The commute is a little closer to 40 minutes in rush hour but not terrible. The schools are top notch. These neighborhoods are filled with couples in your demographic. Good luck!
Take a look at Winding Walk. Shea Homes is the builder. It's in the NW part of Concord right on the Cabarrus/Meck line. They have a new section opened called Stonegate. I think the building starts from the 180's. You would be about 20-30 minutes from downtown Charlotte. The neighborhood isn't far from 485, 77 or 85. The schools the neighborhood are zoned for are very good.
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