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Hi, my husband and I have been looking at houses online in the Boise area and saw one we liked but it is one of 5 houses recently built in a new subdivision. I was wondering if anyone has bought a house in a new subdivision? Any advice on what we should be looking at regarding this? We would not only be new house owners...but first time home buyers as well, so even the most basic advice would be welcomed!
Also, totally unrelated, I googled "irrigation district" (this was in regard to another house) and the definition didn't help me understand what kind of consideration this would mean to us as home-buyers.
Any advice would be appreciated. BTW, the house we looked at was located within the Boise city limits, but at the far South East edge.
New houses are good and bad. The good is you get a clean slate, a 1 year warranty and new mechanicals (furnace, ac, etc). The bad is you get a clean slate so you have to do everything - window coverings, landscaping, etc.
In my life I've owned two new construction houses and two older houses, and I've enjoyed the older ones more. Having mature landscaping is really nice and you just don't get that with a new house.
An irrigation district is an area that collectively owns an irrigation distribution system. Around here that pretty much means a canal. In the context of a newer subdivision, it generally means you have a pressurized irrigation system in the neighborhood that's separate from the city water going into the houses. It's a great feature because you get to use irrigation water for your yard and garden, which generally costs around $80 per year. That's far less expensive than using city water on your yard.
One other thing on buying in a new subdivision - as a rule of thumb you're safer buying a home located in the interior rather than on an edge. If you do buy on an edge, you need to at a minimum learn what type of development is expected on the adjacent property. You can get that information from the city (plans change, but at least you'll have an idea).
Also, east facing backyards tend to be worth a lot in this area so I'd highly recomend finding a house situated that way if at all possible.
IdaD, Thank you so much for all the helpful information! I'm a little nervous about buying a house (having lived in an apartment the last 40 years!) and moving clear across the country, but of all the places my husband and I have looked at for our retirement, Boise was the clear choice.
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