Should It Be a New or Pre-Owned Home?
February’s typical Napa homebuyer assumes that buying a pre-owned residence saves money. And in fact, most often that is true. Buyers rightly expect that pre-owned houses are more affordable than comparable new homes for sale. But what about the buyer who can qualify for a slightly higher mortgage? Would it be a better idea for them to also consider new homes for sale rather than to simply fixate on the immediate cash savings that go along with buying an older property?
The fact is, there are both benefits and drawbacks that deserve looking at no matter which choice you wind up making.
One practical advantage to buying a new homes for sale in Napa is that you know you and your family will be living in a house built to conform to the latest standards in materials and construction. Napa building codes are continually adopting advances in energy efficiency and materials sustainability. They automatically reflect the community’s experience with construction techniques: what works and what doesn’t; what lasts longest; what’s safe. With contractors and inspectors both working the insure that new homes for sale are built to code, the result is an extra dose of peace of mind when it comes to the durability you can expect in a new Napa home.
Another advantage to buying a newly built Napa house is the pleasure and convenience of living in a home with brand new features. No time-consuming and costly remodeling will be needed to obtain the extra pride of ownership that go with a sparkling new kitchen and bathrooms boasting the latest fixtures. And it’s often the case that newly-built homes for sale better reflect today’s lifestyle patterns. Twenty-first century floor plans apportion space in ways that agree with most people’s living preferences, so new homes for sale in today’s market are more likely to accommodate modern entertainment systems (just as they frequently leave less space for gigantic dining room tables).
In contrast, one disadvantage to purchasing some of the new homes for sale can be a tradeoff in lot size. Though not always the case, older developments sometimes reflect an earlier era which accommodated smaller populations featuring less crowded landscapes.
Of course it’s your budget that will largely determine which combination of neighborhood and new or pre-owned home that will make the best fit for you and your family. The wisdom of planning carefully before investing hard-earned money in any property goes without saying. Since you are looking forward to many years of occupancy in either a pre-existing or new home for sale, I hope you will contact me for a consultation. I know Napa Valley Real Estate and can help you sort out the choices that are available right now.