Building vs. Buying: What Should You Do?

Should You Build a Home or Buy a Home?

It’s a tough choice to make: should you build a new home or buy an existing home? There are pros and cons to each decision. Let’s look into it a little deeper.

Pros of Buying an Existing Home

1. An existing home is already built. This may seem like an obvious statement, but there are little decisions to make when designing a new build that you may not have ever had to consider before. You need to make a decision about every little thing that goes into a new home. Every detail from the floor plan down to the doorknobs is up to you. A new home takes those decision off of the table. You can make some adjustments with your renovation budget, but for the most part, what you see is what you get.

2. You can judge the quality of the neighborhood. In communities with lots of new builds, the neighborhood is just getting started, so you’ll have to visualize what it may become years down the road. With an existing neighborhood, you can judge whether it fits your lifestyle right away.

3. Existing homes have mature trees and landscaping. With a new build, you’ll be starting your landscaping from scratch, and it can take some work to get it where you want it to be.

4. Older homes often have character and charm that simply can’t be recreated in a new build.

5. No waiting! Again, the home is already built. Once the paperwork is signed and the old owner is moved out, you’re free to move right in.

Pros of Building a New Home

1. New homes have modern, functional floor plan. You’ll get to decide on a floor plan that fits your family’s needs, instead of having to work around a home design that might not suit a modern family.

2. Building a new home lets you get exactly what you want without too many sacrifices. You get to choose what is most important to you when designing your floor plan.

3. New homes are built in brand new neighborhoods. You get to grow along with the neighborhood and form lasting friendships with the other new homeowners in your area.

4. Everything in a new home is brand new. You’re not dealing with wear and tear from a previous owner.

5. When building a new home, you can get more for your money if you play it smart with finishes.

Building vs. buying is a personal decision

A lot of my pros may be your cons and vice versa. That is why it is such a personal and difficult decision, and no one will have the same opinions. You just have to make the best decision for your family and lifestyle.