Buying new construction vs. Buying older homes

April 29th, 2007 by Kenric

After making my post about my new old house I began to think about the pros and cons of buying new vs. buying old.

I have lived in 2 new houses and 3 old houses so far. There are many other pros and cons that many people don’t realize until they buy new for the first time. This is just a quick list off the top of my head.

New house
Pros	Cons
Better insulating windows Electrical wiring is more suited for current needs (wired for ceiling fans, multiple outlets near coax outlets) Cookie cutter houses easier to comp when selling Builder warranty for 1-2 years on almost everything	Small lots and yards Cookie cutter houses Immature or no landscaping Need to supply window treatments

Old house
Pros	Cons
Larger lots Mature landscaping Sturdier construction (usually) Well established neighborhood	Poor insulating windows Usually many small repairs needed Technologically older (no CAT5, coax, older sprinkler timers, thermostats, alarms, etc…) Not up to current codes (smoke, CO2 alarms, no sprinkler systems) Previous homeowner work (you don’t know what they could have done behind the walls)