How to Make the Best Choice for Your Home
Your home is the biggest investment that you will make in your life, with your education the second most expensive investment. When you’re ready to buy a home, you’ll have to take some serious questions into consideration: where can I afford a home? Am I okay with a longer commute? What am I willing to pay for when it comes to amenities? What are my non-negotiables? All of these questions, and more, are questions that you should be asking yourself. Asking a real estate agent for their opinion is another great resource, and if you decide to hire one to assist you on your search, you will take some of the stress off of your own shoulders. If you decide to go looking by yourself, you have a little more flexibility in scheduling, and might even find a place you love on whim. Either way, be sure to weigh the important differences between new homes, and lived-in homes.
Electricity and Wiring
When it comes to energy use and energy bills, the age of a home matters. Older homes tend to have higher energy bills as their insulation wears and their systems become outdated. Heating and cooling systems do not have expiration dates, but like any other household electronic, they wear out, and will eventually need to be replaced. While this could be used as a bargaining tool, the ball is still in your court if you choose a newer home with brand new systems.
Style
Contemporary homes will always be in vogue, but everyone hasn’t embraced futuristic homes. Some of us like old-fashioned, even historic homes. This can often be a point of sale for many home buyers that are specifically seeking one over the other. For some, owning a historic home is like owning a piece of history, and that matters to them, be it from a stranger, or a family heirloom. It is still important that historic homes be kept up to their local building codes, but they can be burdensome to those that don’t have that passion for local history.
Maintenance
There are some who want historic homes for the style, but also for the tax credits that are received to maintain their homes. For those that aren’t interested in maintaining a historic home, a new home is a better fit. Newer homes not only almost always come with less maintenance, but also warranties to protect families and individuals against failing materials. If the only maintenance that you want to do for your home for the first couple of years is yard work and the occasional burned-out bulb, a new home is the way to go.
Plumbing
The internal structure of your home is the frame, but just below that, plumbing is just as integral to the structure of the home, and can be very expensive to repair. Those who aren’t afraid of potential plumbing problems can go forward with a lived-in home without reservation, but those of us who can’t fathom dealing with problems like that, there is another option in a new home. Taking care of the plumbing in either situation is extremely important, but remember that the older a house is, the more fragile the plumbing. Be sure to take this into consideration while you’re on the hunt for a new home.