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Buy a brick house. It lasts forever and needs no painting. Everything else can be fixed or replaced.
Use the pipes and all others as your bargaining at the closing table.
Widely used materials such as polybutylene or masonite are priced into the comparable sales already in most neighborhoods.
An older home with certainly give you a lot more for your money. We got a finished basement for a much smaller cost than it would have taken to do it ourselves. The primary concern is whether you are fine with ongoing repairs / upgrades. If so, definitely go with an older home in an established neighborhood with mature trees and other amenities...
I literally see no difference between new construction and resale unless you are the HGTV type that has to have the absolute latest "in trend" stuff.
My 90's house has laminate counters, laminate cabinets, carpet (*gasp*) in the living room and the 2nd floor, etc. I don't have to do any more repairs than anyone else, even someone in a brand new house. My house is very well maintained, and has good bones. Yes, we had to put on a new roof (silly us paid for it out of pocket rather than making our neighbors pay for it), but that was factored into the price when we bought the house.
I lived in a 1950's house in MA, and it was the same deal. It's all about how it's been maintained.
....I saw many of the Lennar, Ashton woods homes in the sub 600k but wasn't thrilled (I don't look at their model but homes that are almost ready for closing).
Most also seem to be too 'open' of a floor plan. The first floor seems to be a open ground with little walls. I prefer more partitions....
I also dislike the too open floor plans for their lack of walls to put bookcases, and the lack of private space on the first floor. You might look at Lennar's new version of the Next Gen homes which can be configured with two offices, and/or an exercise room and home-schooling room. Lennar has picked up the trend of people working from home. I am not a fan of Lennar, but the link is here: https://www.lennar.com/ProductsAndServices/HomeOffice
I so dislike the open floor plans. If there's a mess or clutter in one area you see it from everywhere. No thank you. Built-ins, walls, ability to close off one or more rooms are features I like. You can still have good flow in a house without having to have one huge space with no other walls.
I literally see no difference between new construction and resale unless you are the HGTV type that has to have the absolute latest "in trend" stuff.
My 90's house has laminate counters, laminate cabinets, carpet (*gasp*) in the living room and the 2nd floor, etc. I don't have to do any more repairs than anyone else, even someone in a brand new house. My house is very well maintained, and has good bones. Yes, we had to put on a new roof (silly us paid for it out of pocket rather than making our neighbors pay for it), but that was factored into the price when we bought the house.
I lived in a 1950's house in MA, and it was the same deal. It's all about how it's been maintained.
How in the world do you cook with LAMINATE!! I bet your appliances are white too.
How in the world do you cook with LAMINATE!! I bet your appliances are white too.
Sounds like both our Raleigh house and our NY house; one was 1990s and the other 1950s. We had vinyl flooring in the kitchen, too. But before we moved we put in granite countertops and engineered wood floors in the kitchen and family room. Those things made a difference at the time we sold. Guess the market is so hot now that it's not as necessary!
I have never heard of a single house where the copper pipe failed, much less a whole neighborhood. Can you provide some details of what failed?
I can tell you my 1984 "custom" house, I have had 2 pinhole leaks in the copper lines in the last 15 months. Hot water lines are worse, according to my plumber; he also told me it was best to replace any of the hot water supplies if/when I remodel the upstairs bathrooms.
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