Buying Old vs. New

What do you think of when you picture the home you'd like to live in? To most people it bears a passing resemblance to the one they grew up in. A traditional Victorian or, perhaps, a brownstone townhouse straight out of a familiar TV show. Then again, maybe that is not what you are looking for. Maybe you'd prefer something newer, something with contemporary style, the latest amenities and a lot less maintenance. When it comes to home buying, one size does not fit all. It really helps to understand the differences when it comes to buying an older house and buying new construction.

Just What You Were Thinking

"We wanted to live in one of those cool, funky neighborhoods like in old Brooklyn, New York but we didn't want to have to renovate. It just made more sense to get into a new place." – Donna M.

A New House Built for You?

If not a custom-built house on its own lot, then most new homes today are built in community developments with a cohesive style. These developments can be as small as the old style cul-de-sac neighborhoods, or they can be as big as a former farm filled with dozens and dozens of homes. These homes are built to the latest planning and zoning codes and standards, they tend to be contemporary in style, energy efficient and are often less expensive than resale homes of a similar size. Sometimes, these types of new home developments can represent a savings over established neighborhoods. Either way, the decision about whether to sacrifice an established community is worth thinking about and taking time to weigh your options. Specific details may vary depending on your circumstances, but consider these pros and cons.

Pros and Cons of New Construction

PROS

·         Contemporary style

·         Some flexibility on design during construction phase

·         Cheaper to maintain (new appliances = fewer repairs)

·         Cheaper to operate (energy-efficient construction)

·         Extended warranties

·         Cohesive neighborhood (consistent layout, common areas, amenities)

·         Frequently have a homeowners association (helps protect resale value)

·         It's brand-new!

CONS

·         Cookie-cutter design

·         Limited negotiating room on price

·         Most likely homeowners association dues

·         Frequently less character, more than likely identical designs

·         Frequently have a homeowners association (can put limits on how you use your property)

Of course, one home buyer's pro ("No one has lived in it before us, so we won't inherit any problems.") can be another's con ("No one has lived in it before us, so we have no way of knowing about any problems."). Fortunately, there are ways to make sure the house you're buying is really the house you want:

·         Check the builder's track record. What else has the company built? Were previous projects completed on time, on budget and without bad blood between the builder and buyers?

·         Walk the streets. If you live nearby and previous stages of the development are occupied, ask the residents if the builder did quality work and lived up to contractual commitments.

·         Picture your home, not the model home. You can certainly have the granite counters, surround-sound home theater and jetted tub you saw in the model home, but they're not included in the base price. You will pay extra for them.

·         Bring your own agent. If the builder has a real estate agent on site, the agent will be more than happy to help you. But, on-site agents work for the builders who hire them. Their best interests will be for the builder, not you.

Finally, consider the intangibles. Similarly styled homes attract like-minded buyers, and most developments are built with families in mind. Depending on your point of view, the consistency, conformity and kids playing in the street can be a blessing or a curse.

Existing /Resale Homes

Just what you were thinking

"We liked the charm factor of an older home -- even if it meant living in a construction zone for months during our renovation." – Jeffery W.

Old = Character?

With new developments popping up almost overnight, it's obvious that new construction is on the rise. And yet, most people buy an older home; i.e., a home that someone else has lived in but is now on the market again. Call them old if you like — existing home sounds better — but they're the kind of houses that many people would like to call home.

Of course, there are pros and cons with older homes, too. (That cute cottage with the casement windows? It can be mighty drafty come winter.) In general, older homes tend to be more available and less expensive than new homes, but they can also be full of surprises.

The Pros and Cons of Older Homes

Pros

·         More choices, more styles to choose from

·         Price may be more negotiable

·         Known issues will be revealed in disclosure documents

·         Established neighborhood

·         Could contain more charm and character

Cons

·         More maintenance: Things break or wear out

·         Less energy-efficient: More costly to operate

·         Dated design, older appliances and amenities

·         It's been lived in!

As with new construction, there are ways to make buying a resale home less scary:

·         Have the home inspected. You do not want to find out the foundation is cracked or the roof needs to be replaced after you move in.

·         Consider a counter-offer. If the inspection reveals fixable flaws, propose the seller do the repairs or lower the price.

·         Expect the unexpected. Pipes leak, electrical work becomes outdated and furnaces fail — get used to it.

·         Be honest with yourself. If major repairs are required, you'll either have to do them yourself or bring in the professionals. Some people enjoy D.I.Y. or hiring professionals; others don’t.

The bottom line in older homes is this: Don't buy someone else's problems unless you can handle the issues. Find a house you like, consider its pros and cons — objectively, as well as emotionally — and think about the consequences and sacrifices you may have to make. The more logically you approach buying a house, the more you're going to love your home!

How House #Construction Works

Second in our series on the steps that go into making a new home. You’ve asked yourself some of these questions before. How is a house built? What holds up the ceilings and the walls? What keeps the rain out? What parts go into making a house? How many different people are involved when a house goes up?  Here we focus on site preparation so read on.

Grading and site preparation

Time to "break ground! The first step in the actual #construction of your new home is site preparation. Site preparation consists of clearing away the trees from your building site, doing whatever rough grading (smoothing out the holes, mounds and slopes) that is necessary, and staking the house location in preparation for installation of the footings and foundation.

Before staking, you will need to go over the things that will affect or be affected by the placement of your home on the lot with your contractor. These are;

Setbacks and Easements

Topography (slopes)

Views

Driveway

The Sun's Exposure

Trees you want to keep

Well and Septic Tank Location

Your Relationship to other houses in the area/neighborhood

Distances you'll have to run utility lines to hook up with municipal services

OK, if you already took all these things into consideration before you did your site plan, do yourself a favor, check them all again - before you begin your site preparation. It's much easier to make changes now . . . BEFORE the concrete if poured!

Clearing the Lot

This involves the removal of trees, roots, and other vegetation from the building site. 

Rough Staking the Home

Here is where to start laying out the home. 

Just be sure to check the new location against setbacks and easements and the required distance to your septic tank drain field. Also be sure to advise your building department and get their OK before going forth with your new location.

Excavation

If your home will have a basement, it'll need to be dug - excavated. Some builders like to pour the concrete for their driveway at the same time they pour their slab. This makes it a lot easier to build the home, since you can get out of the mud early.

. . . Since there is "Rough" grading, there must also be "Finish" grading! This will be done when the construction on the home is completed and you are ready to tackle the exterior stuff. It's the fine tuning of the drainage patterns around your home and the set up for your landscaping.

Erosion Control

"Erosion control" is really a bit of a misnomer. You won't really control erosion, but you may be required to take special precautions to prevent the runoff from your cleared land from carrying mud to adjacent roads and property. Check with your building department to see what may be required. There are a number of materials/systems used to minimize the problem. They allow water to pass through but screen out fine particles. They can be as simple as bales of hay. 

We’ll will walk through foundation and framing in our next blog so that you can understand what’s involved and start to see the outline of your house come alive. Stay tuned.

How House Construction Works

Have you ever wondered how a house is built? What holds up the ceilings and the walls? What keeps the rain out? What parts go into making a house? How many different people are involved when a house goes up? If you always wanted to know the answers to questions like these, or if you have simply been curious to know all the steps that go into making a new home, then read on. You'll learn how the houses we develop are actually built.

Setting the Stage

So let's start at the beginning. What is a house? According to Wikipedia, a house is "A building that functions as a home for humans or other creatures, including simple dwellings ranging from rudimentary huts of nomadic tribes and complex structures composed of many systems." I don’t know about the “other creatures” part but you probably have a very specific mental image of the "typical house." It is a structure on its own piece of land, generally with a lawn and plants outside. It has a pitched roof, walls covered in brick or siding, windows and doors. Inside there are rooms like the kitchen, the living room, bedrooms and bathrooms.

I can show you a hundred pictures of houses and they may all be completely different in their specifics, but they will all share those basic characteristics.

Steps to Building a House

One of the amazing things about American homes is that the huge majority of them are built using completely standardized building practices. One reason for this consistency is a set of uniform building codes that apply across the country. Another reason is cost -- the techniques used to build homes produce reliable housing quickly at a low cost (relatively speaking). If you ever watch any house being built, you will find that it goes through about twenty or so steps:

1. Grading and site preparation
2. Foundation construction
3. Framing
4. Installation of windows and doors
5. Roofing
6. Siding
7. Rough electrical
8. Rough plumbing
9. Rough HVAC
10. Insulation
11. Drywall
12. Underlayment
13. Trim
14. Painting
15. Finish electrical
16. Bathroom and kitchen counters and cabinets
17. Finish plumbing
18. Carpet and flooring
19. Finish HVAC
20. Hookup to water main, or well drilling
21. Hookup to sewer or installation of a septic system
22. Punch list

Many of these steps are performed by independent crews known as subcontractors. For example, the framing is generally done by one subcontractor specializing in framing, while the roofing is done by a completely different subcontractor specializing in roofing. Each subcontractor is an independent business. All of the subcontractors are coordinated by a contractor who oversees the job and is responsible for completing the house on time and on budget.

We will walk through some of these various stages in more detail in our upcoming blogs so that you will know what is involved, understand all the steps and learn about the different materials used in the construction process.

Update your Bathroom in a Single Weekend

Does your bathroom need a quick fix-up? Transform your dull, dated bathroom into a stylish, spa-like retreat with these Do-it-Yourself (DIY) projects that you can tackle in a weekend.

Recolor your scheme

Freshen up your color scheme by adding a fresh coat of paint or liven up the walls with a bold, striking wallpaper. Don’t forget the 60-30-10 color rule which says; roughly 60 percent of the given space in the room should be the dominant color. In interior design terms, this color is for walls. Neutrals are the good choice for painting walls. The next 30 percent should represent a secondary color and this color is for the trim. The remaining 10 percent of the color scheme is for accent color. Accent colors should be attractive. Warm vivid colors are good accent colors.

Contain the clutter

Add functional storage to help contain the bathroom mess that makes your space appear cramped and cluttered. A stackable mesh shelving unit above the commode can be an example of how you can store the guest towels and extra soap and shampoo that you’ll need when visitors stay over on the next holiday weekend. Use a covered basket or mini-chest to store magazines and other reading material that can often look messy.

Add texture and charm

A good way to create uniqueness and update material in your bathroom is to use a bead board painted in a neutral color to add texture and charm to your bathroom. You can also use objects like whisk brooms, combs, and sponges to create a textured look when repainting the walls. Wallpaper or textured wallpaper is another good option.

Fix your fixtures

Replace dated light fixtures with new, modern ones. If your style is more diverse, try contrasting your modern fixtures with a vintage chandelier. Change your incandescent bulbs to fluorescent ones. Fluorescent lighting not only distributes light more evenly, it produces brighter light which can make the room look bigger and brighter. Design styles have changed for the better with fluorescent bulbs so no need to worry that uncovered fluorescent bulbs will not be attractive.