Homes are not disposable (countertop, sales, comparable, price)

[PotterGeek]

Okay, maybe I'm the only one that has these thoughts, but I was wondering if anyone has ever considered the fact with so many homes on the market for sale (resales) why must buyers still feel they have to build something brand new?

Okay, before you let in on me (because it's their money and their home which is true) the question I'm not trying to beat around the bush is, why does society in general over the last ten or so years think that houses are just disposable? Let me give you an example...buyer sees home, buyer loves home. Buyer does not like let's say countertops. Buyer would rather build something very similar, but put in different countertops. If home was a great deal, why didn't buyer simply replace countertops in the resale? Or ask for an allowance? Do buyers these days have no imagination or can't see beyond what's staring them in the face? I see so much hidden potential in so many homes on the market now, and I can tell you now, after having bought our existing home brand new, I will never buy new construction again, at least not a spec home.

I guess I'm just thinking it is sad, sad, sad to see perfectly great homes out there for sale yet the majority of the buyers have such a "me" attitude that they have to have the newest and best at whatever cost, but will not settle for less than perfect for a great savings. Doesn't make much financial sense to me.

Everyone is entitled to their opinions, I just wanted to vent a little on my observations and wondered if anyone else feels this way...

I can't wait until it is a sellers market again, by the way!

[dlh891]

I agree with you. My husband always wants to build while I want to remodel. Of course, my business is rehabbing houses so I hate to see all the new houses clogging up the market. Luckily, I always try to invest in niche houses so I don't have too much competition from the cookie cutter houses on 1/4 of an acre. I haven't had trouble selling even in this market.

[ParkerP]

As a recent buyer, I would say in some cases, its the brainwashing of hgtv. In other cases, people don't want to pay top dollar for something that still needs work. Don't try to sell me a house that needs to be completely updated, for a price that is comparable to new construction. Yes, there are sellers who are doing this. Like I said in another thread, I have no problem with a fixer-upper but the price needs to reflect that. I like my fixer-upper more anyway. Has more character.

[Beretta]

Excellent post leavingbyron. Hear hear!

[mom2gurls]

When purchasing clothes (and lets not read to much into this..) Would you rather purchase a new pair of jeans or a used/worn pair of jeans. They still are jeans...you can wash the old ones and they still would be nice..maybe better because they were "broken in".. But the New jeans you get to "break in"..you are the first to own and wear them. But if the cost was almoooosstt the same..would you buy new or used?

[riveree]

I love older homes, really I do ! And I've had them......but then I bought new.

Sometimes it's just an issue of finances. I had a great older home, but it was tiny (1000 sq ft). It was charming and solid and had some great original features......but tiny.......and it needed work.

So we plunked $10k into it, replumbed the house, did some electrical work, some AC work........but it still looked the same, and it was still the same size........and it still needed a roof, and a new kitchen, and a second bathroom.......and an indoor laundry room would be so nice........

We have an above average income, but we needed a bankroll....a serious bankroll to get that house into the shape we wanted it to be in.

So we built new. Built a house twice the size that had all the features we wanted, plus a few features we only dreamt of: 10 foot ceilings, 4 bedrooms, a 2-car garage, a master suite with a huge bathroom (a shower AND a giant tub....wow - I never had such a thing before ) and a small conservation lot with a gorgeous view. I know it doesn't sound like much to most people, but this was a lot for us.

It cost us less, far less, to build new than if we were to try and build these features into our old house - and all of the systems are new and should function fine for many years to come.

I still love old houses and older established neighborhoods, and we are open to the idea of moving back to our neighborhood area in the future, but only when we can afford an older home of a sufficient size and shape....or we come up with that bankroll .

[mrsengle]

I think some people who choose new construction may also be thinking that they'll have an easier time selling, if they only plan to be there for 5 years or so. All of the trendy stuff is built-in, they get to pick out what they want (and that is fun!), and the new neighborhoods tend to have recreational amenities that older neighborhoods may not have (playscapes, pools, schools in the neighborhood, etc.).

I agree with your post overall, just some thoughts!

[jdhall1]

I know. I have a listing in a neighborhood that was built about 15 years ago that is about the same size as the homes in a small 5 lot subdivision, but the new ones start about $90,000 more than my listing even before granite countertops, stainless steel applicances, and a finished basement. It was hard to get people to even come look at it, and it had to tell them if you send $30-$40k in upgrading the counters and etc, you'll have just as nice of a house as the new ones but with having a real neighborhood, bigger yard, and lower taxes.

[surfingatwork]

Originally Posted by mom2gurls

When purchasing clothes (and lets not read to much into this..) Would you rather purchase a new pair of jeans or a used/worn pair of jeans. They still are jeans...you can wash the old ones and they still would be nice..maybe better because they were "broken in".. But the New jeans you get to "break in"..you are the first to own and wear them. But if the cost was almoooosstt the same..would you buy new or used?

If the new pair of jeans was levi's and the broken in (second hand) pair was sevens or diesel. I'd pick the second hand pair.

Okay back to the topic at hand: As far as buying new versus buying resale personally I prefer resale. with new there are so many hidden costs (upgrades in new construction speak) especially if the home is still under construction. Also the majority of new construction is one big gigantic cookie cutter across the state. Unless you upgrade they almost always look the same. same dull carpeting, same cabinets, same appliances, same fireplace with absolutely no character whatsoever, again unless you upgrade which costs you more money. Give me an older home with character anyday.

[PotterGeek]

Not only speaking about the character, but I think alot of people think just because something is new, they will not have any problems whatsoever. When we bought our first home, it was a resale (but it was only like a year or two old at the time) never had any problems with it, never had to get anything serviced in the five years we lived there.
Bought new construction the second time around (back in 2001) Immediately had problems. Builder came out and fixed, but took about a year to iron out all the problems. Very frustrating.
I guess my thinking is if someone has been living in a home, they would know what was wrong and have had things fixed (I know this is not always the case)

If you have 2 very similar homes and the only thing really different is one is brand new w/ granite, brand new appliances, etc and the other is let's say 3 years old with regular countertops, used appliances, etc but the older home is around $10-20 k less, I know I'd be choosing the older home.

Guess just alot of people see things and value things differently.
I feel like I'm in the minority....