Moving....

[PeteHulbert37]

Build new, pros and cons.

Buy an existing home on the market pros and cons.

Advice, I put and perspective would be greatly appreciated especially from anyone who has built. Hijackers expected.

 

[dolf]

buy an old house. if it stood for 400 years already, it'll stand a few hundred more. I've seen too many modern houses cracking, crumbling, leaking & subsiding.

I won't be offended if you think this is tosh.

 

[ms_ann_thrope]

You can't just build a house where you want it and it's definitely not for the stupid or the feint of heart.

 

[Mr Noone]

buy an old house. if it stood for 400 years already, it'll stand a few hundred more. I've seen too many modern houses cracking, crumbling, leaking & subsiding.

I won't be offended if you think this is tosh.

You forget, here in New York City there were no houses 400 years ago. Hudson only sailed in in 1609; the first Dutch settlement wasn't established until the 1620s.

 

[dolf]

You forget, here in New York City there were no houses 400 years ago. Hudson on sailed in in 1609; the first Dutch settlement wasn't established until the 1620s.

ha! my house is older than your nation.

 

[ms_ann_thrope]

And that's why England smells funny.

 

[albertaboy]

Bought a new house once, enjoyed the picking colours etc but wasn't a great investment.

 

[PeteHulbert37]

You can't just build a house where you want it and it's definitely not for the stupid or the feint of heart.

I feel like you're trying to tell me something here. Hmmmmm. * reflects pensively *

 

[Mr Noone]

ha! my house is older than your nation.

By a long way. We consider something from the 1920s historic.

 

[glynndah]

My house was built by a couple of brothers, the youngest of which was seventy years old. It was the last house they built before they retired. No contracts, just a handshake.

It probably doesn't happen like that very often.

 

[ms_ann_thrope]

I feel like you're trying to tell me something here. Hmmmmm. * reflects pensively *

Interest rates and existing home prices are historically low. Just do something.

 

[4est_4est_Gump]

Bought a new house once, enjoyed the picking colours etc but wasn't a great investment.

Same for new cars.

Then on the other hand, something always needs attention.

 

[4est_4est_Gump]

By a long way. We consider something from the 1920s historic.

In KANSAS, there are still homes standing that were ordered from the Sears-Roebuck catalog.

We almost bought one.

http://www.searsarchives.com/homes/

http://www.searsarchives.com/homes/byimage.htm

 

[pete]

depends on a lot of things:
- how handy are you?
- how much do you enjoy working on shit?
- what's yout timeline?
- what's your budget?
- what is your regions real estate market like right now?
- how busy are general contractors in your area?
- are there specific needs or wants for your next house?

if you want something built new, do a TON of research on the builder, and talk to several of his clients.
and make sure you have an architect involved.

if you buy something used and want to renovate it, estimate that it'll cost 50% more than what the renovation contractor quotes. and also, make sure you have an architect involved.

basically, just hire an architect first. they know their shit.

 

[unregistered]

 

[Mr Noone]

Architect schmarkitecht....


J/K. I have a great architect. Those dudes are hella important.

Word.

 

[Jennifer]

In KANSAS, there are still homes standing that were ordered from the Sears-Roebuck catalog.

We almost bought one.

http://www.searsarchives.com/homes/

http://www.searsarchives.com/homes/byimage.htm

Wow!! That is so interesting. I had no idea. There are some great designs to choose from.

 

[Aquagal]

depends on a lot of things:
- how handy are you?
- how much do you enjoy working on shit?
- what's yout timeline?
- what's your budget?
- what is your regions real estate market like right now?
- how busy are general contractors in your area?
- are there specific needs or wants for your next house?

if you want something built new, do a TON of research on the builder, and talk to several of his clients.
and make sure you have an architect involved.

if you buy something used and want to renovate it, estimate that it'll cost 50% more than what the renovation contractor quotes. and also, make sure you have an architect involved.

basically, just hire an architect first. they know their shit.

Renovating not only costs 50% more but triple the time you think it will take to be done. There's ALWAYS a can o worms in them walls.

 

[thør]

Build new, pros and cons.

Buy an existing home on the market pros and cons.

Advice, I put and perspective would be greatly appreciated especially from anyone who has built. Hijackers expected.

More than likely, you will get more by buying an existing home than by building new. If you are handy, you can buy a fixer-upper and really do well for your money. But, you don't always get what you want with an older home or even, remodeling one.

Figure out what you really want, then go for it.

I don't know where you live, but older homes around here have 2x4 construction, which was strong enough for the '64 earthquake, but makes for an inefficient wall section when you're looking to heat the place in winter. I know down south, some folk are resigned to have a few cold days in their house in winter, but up here, I say, "Fuck that." Winter is too damn long to have a cold house. In old houses, the mechanical systems may need repair or replacement. After 15 years of faithful service, I dumped my inefficient boiler and hot water heater for a 95% efficiency system. Not everyone can afford to do that upgrade, but it sure is nice. Maybe you're in the south and need AC? We just open the windows if it's too hot inside. But you could have similar issues as with heat.

I do see that people building new houses are building fucking palaces (or McMansions). Who needs a house that big? Now that the kids are gone, my place it too big, IMO. But, I like the view.

 

[Aquagal]

More than likely, you will get more by buying an existing home than by building new. If you are handy, you can buy a fixer-upper and really do well for your money. But, you don't always get what you want with an older home or even, remodeling one.

Figure out what you really want, then go for it.

I don't know where you live, but older homes around here have 2x4 construction, which was strong enough for the '64 earthquake, but makes for an inefficient wall section when you're looking to heat the place in winter. I know down south, some folk are resigned to have a few cold days in their house in winter, but up here, I say, "Fuck that." Winter is too damn long to have a cold house. .

Also, expensive.

 

[thør]

Also, expensive.

I think my level pay for natural gas is about $100/mo. That's for heat, water heating, the stand-by genset exercising once a week, cooking on the range and my grill.

 

[Que]

Resale will likely be a better value.

New are you talking tract homes or custom? A tract home will seem sort of comparable in price to a resale home, but you spend a lot on things you don't think about looking at the model home, landscaping and window treatments for instance.

If you go custom, do not re-invent the wheel. No one will want your oddball house. Rooms that look right sized on paper are off when scaled up. For a custom home, find a builder that allows you to customize a tract home to taste, or better, find the closest popular selling tract home to the layout you prefer, then hire an architect to make it your own. Layouts matter. Even national builders build houses that look good on paper then you find out you have to have the laundry room door closed to open the door to the garage.

None of the above matters if you have money to burn. A childhood friend just built the ultimate bachelor pad. It is a four car garage with an attached cottage. Awesome.

 

[Que]

Also, if you do build a house do not buy the lot then decide on the house. Have a house in mind before you shop for a lot. A lot has set-backs and deed restrictions and neighbors that are not worth pissing off. You need to know if once the footprint of the house is situated on the build-able area of the the lot, is it sited as you wish? Do you want mostly backyard?, more setback from the street for privacy or to allow a legal courtyard?

As far as what to build where do not build the smallest or the biggest home in our neighborhood. It will fuck up the appraisal. You want to be on the smaller end of the range, about 10% bigger than the smallest houses.

It doesn't hurt to be in a sweet spot of the most common size in the neighborhood. provides a lot of wiggle room for the appraiser.

Two story houses have less exterior surfaces than one story so they cost less to build. Not a bad idea for building, a bad idea to buy resale. In a neighborhood with mixed one and two story houses, the two story houses are over-priced. As are the larger homes in a neighborhood. It costs X to grade a lot, pour a slab, put in wiring, a kitchen and a couple of baths. Take all of those things and move one wall 4 feet you gain say 80 square feet, and that 80 square feet should not increase the cost of the house 16,000. Be really skeptical about any Realtor that talks to you about value in terms of price per square foot. You need to know what the price of THAT sized house in the same number of floors in that neighborhood, preferably crossing no major arterials.

If you can find a Realtor that is also an appraiser he will be far more knowledgeable about what is and is not a value. Watch it buying one of his own listings though because he will also know how to puff the value.

 

[PeteHulbert37]

depends on a lot of things:
- how handy are you?
- how much do you enjoy working on shit?
- what's yout timeline?
- what's your budget?
- what is your regions real estate market like right now?
- how busy are general contractors in your area?
- are there specific needs or wants for your next house?

if you want something built new, do a TON of research on the builder, and talk to several of his clients.
and make sure you have an architect involved.

if you buy something used and want to renovate it, estimate that it'll cost 50% more than what the renovation contractor quotes. and also, make sure you have an architect involved.

basically, just hire an architect first. they know their shit.

Good questions. I'm somewhat handy. I can change a light bulb or even replace a light fixture. However, if a significant plumbing, electrical or drywall work needs done, I'd sooner call a professional.

We don't have a budget for an architect or a truly custom home. If we build, we'll be opting for a cookie cutter builder as the boss wants a subdivision. The market here bounced back nicely in 2013, and in fact my immediate neighborhood was selling like hotcakes last summer. The inventory is still very low which makes it a sellers market.

That is good news for us as sellers, but as buyers if we find something we like we have to pounce on it immediately or it will be gone the next day.

Conversely, if we have something built we would at least have some control on the floor plan, layout and/or amenities.

I appreciate everyone's input. Thanks!

 

[someoneyouknow]

I can't remember the exact years, but in several different articles contractors, home inspectors and other have all said to not buy a house built between (roughly) 1992 - 2009.

The reason being those were the years builders were slapping homes together as fast as they could, cutting corners where they could so they could build more homes. As a result, houses built during those years have, on average, higher incidents of structural issues which the owners are now having to pay for.

If you can, homes built between the 40s and 60s would be a better bet as they are more stable and well built than modern homes. The one downside is insulation. If they still have their original insulation you should replace it over time to get the added energy savings. Electrical wiring is also something to be aware of as these homes may not have been fully upgraded.