Looking for a new home is always daunting, especially if you aren’t sure whether you should buy a new home or a used home. Unless you’re looking for a home in an area where there are no new build homes or you’re someone who wants a home with history and quirks, this is a consideration you should take seriously. While used homes have some charm – they’ve got that lived-in feel – more often than not, they come with a host of problems, too.
While buying a new home can mean you need to wait for your home to be complete before you can move in (we’ve got move-in ready homes available – click here to learn more), they’ve got a lot of advantages over used homes. Here’s what you need to know.
New Home vs Used Home
- Buying new means you can influence the finish of the property
While you can certainly renovate a used home, doing so is costly, time-consuming, and may mean you have to live on an active construction site while work is done to your home. When you buy a new home, you can often influence its finish – meaning you get a personalized home without having to find the money to renovate.
You can often choose your tiles and flooring, the kitchen cabinets, and your countertops. While some of these choices may have an additional cost if you want to upgrade them from the standard included finishes, it’s a lot cheaper than having the work done at a later date.
- You can move in as soon as the property is ready with a new home
As soon as the property is complete, you can close and get your keys. While you may need to wait for it to be built, once it’s built, you don’t have to wait for the current owners to be ready to move out and then manage restoration and cleaning before you can start moving in.
- New homes have the latest technology
While this may include smart lights and weather-smart irrigation controls, what we’re really talking about here is the latest in energy efficient building techniques and other technology that makes a difference to your comfort level and your energy bills. The older the home, the less energy efficient they are. If your home hasn’t had insulation installed within the last 15 years, you’re going to need to put it on your to-do list of things to replace as soon as possible if you want some relief on ridiculous energy bills.
- New homes have a warranty
Most of us wouldn’t buy a new or even used car without also ensuring it came with a warranty, yet we make some of the biggest purchases of our lives–our homes!–and take a gamble. In some rare cases, you may have some legal recourse if you purchase a used home and find it has a serious flaw, but you’ll have to prove that the previous owner knowingly sold you the home without telling you about it.
If you don’t want to take the risk of ending up with a home that needs even minor work (which used homes inevitably will), a new home is the answer. Not only is everything in the home brand new, and therefore less likely to go wrong, but you’ll have a warranty on the home ensuring you don’t have any serious expenses.
Buying New is the Safer and Less Stressful Option
While buying a new home won’t be for everyone, it is the best option for most people. You are dealing with a big company, rather than other individuals, and that means you can have a warranty, more support, and often incentives for buying. When you buy a used home, you are inheriting someone else’s problems. You have to negotiate, get in-depth home inspections, and often wait weeks to close, even when you’re ready to move in.
Our Arizona communities offer both quick move-in homes and to-be-built homes, meaning you can find the perfect home for you, whether you see yourself in Prescott Valley, Flagstaff, or elsewhere. To find out more about our current communities, click here.