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Just bought 12 acers, and plan on building a house this spring. No regrets here. It's all woods, with limited neighbors. We live in neighborhood now, and everyone is so nosy it's annoying. I'm going to have 50k more in a house then normally. But that's not including 12 acers
Look for existing homes that are from 1-3 years old, in subdivisions where there are new homes still being built. The existing homes are usually a very good value because most buyers want brand new.
I bought a 1.5 year old home in a subdivision where there were new homes still being built, and many empty lots still available for future buyers to choose from and pick their model. I got this home for nearly a 20% discount versus if we had the same model built new by the builder. When I eventually sold that home a few years later, I made a nice profit and it was because I got such a deal when buying it. By then the builder was done building, so all the buyers that wanted to live there had to choose from existing homes (no more new homes to compete with).
Seriously - you can get an awesome deal by looking at nearly-new homes. You need to make sure there are several new homes/lots left in same subdivision. You can always make low offers too, to see if you can get a super-great deal. The first month or two the sellers will be thinking they can sell for close to the builder price. After 2 months they will realize they need to lower the price if they want to sell.
When you offer, make sure you somehow mention that you'd rather be able to 'pick your colors/cabinets' and get new appliances and pick your lot and floor plan, but you are settling for used and that's why the offer is lower. Only say this during negotiation if they come back comparing their home to the builder's model and saying it's worth what the builder is asking.
If there are stains in the carpet or pet smells or dead grass or need of cleanup - then good for you. Or even ugly colors or lack of common upgrades that most buyers want. This turns off most buyers. You could get a good enough deal that you can fix those defects and still come out way ahead.
Last edited by sware2cod; 01-06-2015 at 07:35 AM..
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