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30 year old house-the neighborhood is very nice, well maintained homes and yards. Neighborhood not over crowded and the houses a nice distance apart.
3 new homes she looked at may as well be condos as the houses are spitting distance apart. Multiple homes for sale in the very large, cookie cutter type neighborhood.
As you can probably tell--mom(me) is not a fan of newer construction. Newer homes are not charming,to me. I hate the cookie cutter areas. I hate that in some neighborhoods the person next door can hear you fart
The new homes lack character and warmth. However-I am letting her make up her own mind--I promise I am. Just sharing with you guys my take on so called new homes.
Oh and wanted to say we appreciate all of your feedback. Thanks!
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Originally Posted by scuba steve
How do the locations between the new vs. 30 year old house differ? Traffic, commute, ...
I tend to favor existing construction if only because you can see how certain aspects of it like the foundation have withstood the test of time.
Last edited by Élan vital; 04-06-2009 at 12:01 PM..
...Multiple homes for sale in the very large, cookie cutter type neighborhood...
That right there - probably not the best sign. Are there lots of foreclosures in the area? I've seen newer neighborhoods wind up like this sometimes, where the houses are scooped up by investors and then it becomes mostly renters living there. That's not usually so good for the neighborhood...
Yea, I saw red flags waving too with all the foreclosures,short sales and for sales in that neighborhood.
Quote:
Originally Posted by scuba steve
That right there - probably not the best sign. Are there lots of foreclosures in the area? I've seen newer neighborhoods wind up like this sometimes, where the houses are scooped up by investors and then it becomes mostly renters living there. That's not usually so good for the neighborhood...
Hello OP! Oh yeah , it is scary when your kids start buying houses IMHO Tell dear daughter ole Crazyma would tend to favor the older homes. Frankly, new(er) construction scares me ( say the last 3-7 yrs.) Especially those in cookie cutter type neighborhoods. They slap those suckers up quicker than you can blink Unless I knew the owners had it built and oversaw the process, custom build I suppose, then I personally would be leery. I think many new houses have can often have lower grade materials....that can wear out and need replacing quicker than you realize, NO matter how CUTE is it
I guess I just like the older ones. Many are being sold by the original owners. Granted, there might need to be some 'updating' to ones individual taste, but usually the older owners have taken care of the actual home over the years. Of course, not always, but often you can see how they did...
Also the lots are often larger and the homes each have their own unique style.
A good thorough inspector will take the time to show and explain any issues they may find.
You mentioned the hot tub- yes anything a buyer would like to ask for or to have removed can usually be written into a contract and agreed to by all parties.
And your daughter's realtor will be the best one to explain to her how to arrive at a reasonable offer based on the local market and as recent as possible comps.
And yes, there seems to be a lot of foreclosures in newer neighborhoods- that would worry me
Good luck to her and hope you can survive the process too!! Remember to breathe
DreamWeavin, from what you describe the 30-year-old house wins easily. If the inspection is accurate then there's no money lost due to age. If anything the new house will pass inspection with no major issues but be of considerably cheaper quality, as others have mentioned. Likely the older house is in a better location too.
On #3, as a seller I'd want a good price for the house before I'd consider ripping out the hot tub. Otherwise, if the deal falls through I've lost something (that other buyers may want) for nothing. As a buyer, I would negotiate on price alone and rip out the tub myself if I didn't want it.
Although I like some newer homes, I agree with what has been said here in regards to questionable quality. I hate cookie cutter new homes and if there are alot of foreclosures/short sales/etc, that could be very bad for the area. Investors will come in and section 8 will swallow it whole.
This is an interesting thread! I'm going to come at it from another angle....let's say your daughter is still undecided after hearing all the advice from everyone on here as well as everyone she's talked to in person. If that is the case, then if I were her I would pay a visit to some of the neighbors. I would just knock on their doors and politely tell them that I am considering buying a home on their street and find out some things about the neighborhood that are important to her. If it's a new construction home I'd go to the nearest homes that are inhabited. Is she single? If so, are there singles in the neighborhood? Are there people her age? If she has kids, are there kids in the neighborhood, and how are the schools? Are the neighbors friendly, outgoing, keep to themselves, etc......this could be important due to her personal preferences. I would check with more than one or two neighbors just to be sure I got a good feel for things. Yes, the house itself is very important, but the neighborhood one lives in is also important. My opinion is kind of like "a house is just a house, a home is what the people who live there make of it", and I feel the same way about neighborhoods! Hope this sheds a little different perspective on things and congrats to your daughter!!!!
Geaorgiainmt, I agree. That is one of the first things we do when checking an area. We talk to neighbours. One house we were looking at we stopped and talked to them and they said the reason all the carpeting was ripped up was because of mold!
ANother house the people walking down the street gave each other , "the look" when I asked if it was a good neighborhood and stumbled over their words. lol
Another neighborhood the gal that answered the door looked like a gangster.
I could go on, but talking to the neighbours is a must!
My daughter read everything you guys posted. She called her realtor and asked for another walk through of the house. Said she is going to go walk through the neighborhood and talk with people living there.
(This is on the 30 year old house )
Will update as she goes through the process.
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