By Ali Sahabi of Optimum Group, LLC
President, Building Industry Association (BIA) Baldy View Chapter
Starting in May, our nation will transition from celebrating National New Homes Month to National Remodeling Month. Yet even with a full month of examining all of the benefits of new home building and ownership, there is still plenty to consider especially if one is debating purchasing a state-of-the-art new home versus an existing home
As I have mentioned many times in this column, the American home is for most Americans the biggest and best investment most Americans will make in their lifetime, so making the right decision for you and your family will be one of the biggest and best decision you will make in your lifetime. More importantly, shopping for a home can be the most enjoyable and satisfying parts of becoming a homeowner – so before you head out for a day of home shopping, consider these following points when weighing the purchase of a new home. Any home offers plentiful benefits, but these are some considerations that might illustrate how a new home might be the right choice for you.
Energy Efficiency – Baldy View Region homebuilders take great pride in building homes that often exceed government energy and conservation codes. This means new homes offer an enormous cost-saving benefit when considering the costs of fuel and energy today.
Competitive Pricing - Compare prices of existing homes to those of comparably-sized new homes. Southern California is home to hundreds of homebuilders, both big and small, who are competing for your business. When builders compete, you benefit. And most homeowners looking to sell existing homes cannot offer the incentives or attractive financing options builders can.
Convenient Financing - In today’s market, homebuilders have simplified financing processes in order to provide you the best deal possible that gets you into your new quickly and easily. And in in some markets, some builders are willing to pay additional closing costs.
Appreciation - The typical home needs remodeling after 25 to 30 years. Since new homes have an assured longer life, appraisals are generally higher than on comparable existing homes. That means new homes will likely sell for a higher value in the future.
Low Maintenance - New homebuilders use the latest and greatest materials that technology can offer. The result is that new homes are virtually maintenance-free for many years.
Choices – Today’s new homes offer numerous design, color and material options. Having the luxury to tailor a home to your tastes can be one of the greatest features of buying a new home.
Modern Appliances - Appliance manufacturers introduce new models every year and homebuilders are able to offer the latest state-of-the-art equipment at the time of completing a new home. And, because the homebuilder buys for the entire production of new home, their purchasing power reduces the buyers’ costs.
New Home Warranties - New home buyers are assured at least a one-year warranty on the home itself and, in many cases, five years on major appliances. In California, homebuilders are required to guarantee the structure of a home for a full ten years. That means new home buyers are assured quality construction in their new homes.
Home Location - Not only do new home buyers get to choose which beautiful new home community they want to live in, they also get to select their individual unit or home site within that community.
Floor Plans - New home buyers, however, have a variety of modern layouts and styles to choose from that are suitable to any family. Many builders allow a variety of custom options, allowing you to alter the layout and turn a living room into an office or a media nook into another bedroom.
Take the time to peruse the new homes section of this paper and visit the models in new home communities and see what a new home might offer you. It might be exactly what you are looking for. And have a great National Remodeling Month in May.
For more information on homebuying or homeownership, visit www.biabuild.com or www.nahb/forconsumers on the web.
