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Should you buy New or resale?

By
Real Estate Agent with QUEST REALTY SERVICES

In the Orlando, FL area when comparing two houses and one is new while the other is old, which one would you buy?

There is no right or wrong answer for that question, but your response will most like reflect your wants and needs.

For many first time buyers, the choice of home is easy: get a new home that fits the budget. One of the advantages of new homes is that they tend to have fashionable designs and trendy colors. They also look clean and may have modern furnitures and appliances that go with it. Plus, you can be very, very sure that no one has live there before.

Many new homes may be made with poorer materials especially if you get one that is a cookie cutter home. Home builders would want to keep a reasonable profit by saving on the cost of materials used in the construction of the house. Keep this in mind and be prepared to make a few changes should you decide to get a new house.

An old home that is well maintained is a piece treasure. The wooden floors are usually very shiny and made of hard wood that are hard-to-find these days. The antique furnitures and decors are all around the place. The flowers in the garden are colorful. It is very nice to live there.

Buying an old home presents a big challenge even to the most experienced of real estate buyers. You have to be very careful where and what to inspect. There could be house defects that are difficult to detect. The outdated wiring system could potentially dissolve the house in fire. The century-old plumbing system - it could be rusty now. Is the ancestral home located in a residential zone or industrial zone along with the factories? Maybe it was built before the Zoning Law of the city was created.

Comments(3)

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DDR Realty
DDR Realty - Newburgh, NY
Orange County NY

I get mixed reactions regarding purchasing new homes verses an existing homes. Many buyers prefer new a new, assuming the can get it at a similar price for an existing. And that is possible in today's market.

On the other hand, quite often buyers will say to me "I don't want a new home." Some feel older homes are built better than a new home. Others are just intrigued with older homes.

Oct 13, 2007 01:00 AM
Elizabeth Nieves
The Elizabeth Nieves Realty Group - Durham, NC
Bilingual Raleigh - Durham North Carolina Real Estate Team
You know...You just cannot beat the charm of an older home, though! I purchased a 100 year old farmhouse in 1992. I spent almost 5 years completely remodeling it. It was destroyed by Hurricane Fran. I rebuilt, but then I sold it. I was soooooooooooo exhausted from ALL of the work. Since then...I've stuck to newer homes. Blessings!
Oct 15, 2007 03:00 AM
Armando Rodriguez
QUEST REALTY SERVICES - Orlando, FL
Orlando Homes 4 Sale, Real Estate Broker-GRI

Derrick- I agree with you, clients are unpredictable

Elizabeth- I lived in NYC and the last home I owned there had been built in 1929! It had been completely restored inside and out. A lot of old world charm. But of course we didn't have to worry about hurricanes

Thank you both for you comments ;-) GBY

Oct 15, 2007 05:57 AM