Decide between New or few years old home (Plano: buying a home, landscaping)

[planoin]

Hi,

I am thinking of buying NEW or few years old home in Plano area. But I am not sure what is the advantage of buying a NEW home (single family home).

Thanks

[Rakin]

Depends on what you mean by "Few years old".

The biggest factor is the newer the home the more energy efficient it should be and more modern design depending on the builder.

The Con of buying newer is the newer the home, (usually) the smaller the yard. They have shrunk lot sizes to about as small as possible and there's not much yard. An older home will many times have a better location with more mature trees.

New or slightly used, make sure the builder was a good one.

[loves2read]

new--the possibility of finding a good builder with a house built that you like in excess inventory--so that you can hopefully drive a better deal pricewise--
but you have to take it on faith that much of the build process was done correctly since you don't get change to see inside the walls and follow the progress of construction

resale--the landscaping and window coverings are there and included in the price
you can see how the neighborhood is holding up and see what kind of neighbors you would have which might be more iffy in new development--
You can still find out the builder (if it is not obvious) and have a quality inspection done

Frankly the level of "green" energy-efficient home construction is not going to be that different in house built now vs one built 4 yrs ago (or probably 10) IMO because the builder definitely won't be using foam insulation or top-rated windows (too expensive for home in medium to lower price ranges)--likely not even have radiant barrier decking in attic/roof or radiant sheathing around sides...
will have the minimal HVAC system code allows and there won't be anything like drip irrigation or rain catchments in landscaping budget...
and the attention to detail during construction is likely hit or miss--and doing things like taping down the weathersheathing on exterior is great for preventing wind intrusion into interior walls--but does not usually happen

[lh_newbie]

There are a lot of hidden costs in a new home - as loves2read pointed out window coverings being a biggie. I know that I've spent well over $1,000 just in adding shelving and storage in the garage. Generally, new homes have crappy closet storage as well - just a shelf and a bar. Decent closet storage systems can cost you $500+ per closet. Landscaping (especially trees) take a long time to establish and grow.

I've had both new and existing - I have decided that I personally prefer existing homes. You get to see where the neighborhood is going as opposed to having all new folks move in and have an unknown character to it, the trees are more established, etc. Then again, I'm talking homes that are 20+ years old. My wife and I prefer the character of older homes... and when we retire, I could totally see buying a home built a hundred years ago and renovating it - they just don't build that sort of character anymore.

Brian

[DaveG99]

Plano doesnt have many new homes. Im pretty sure its all built out

[Squirl]

Sometimes builders give concessions for window coverings and landscaping. I would just find homes I like and compare but be open to looking at both new and existing. There are many factors that can be changed and many that are difficult to impossible -- location, floorplan -- especially bathrooms, ets. -- schools that service the home, landscaping, HOA's, etc. etc.


Just don't think you can take a blanket approach. There are also older homes that have been totally renovated and they should be considered, too. Great choices, and a buyer's market. Great time to buy!