Wife and I are selling our first house. It's built in 1986 and has been a money pit. We can get out with a decent chunk of equity combined with some savings to buy a $500-550K house.

After seeing the issues we've had at our current house and it's age, wife is against anything but new. But I'm cognizant that new builds are usually built with less quality material, cheaper AC etc.

So the question is:
- would you buy a new house in that price range?
- if buying a used home instead, what year built/age would you target?

We are in North DFW if that helps. I like Stonebridge Ranch Area of McKinney, or some pockets of frisco near legacy.

Im not in your area, but on our 3rd new home build. We house hunted quite a bit prior to building each. We always asked our realtor to see utility bills if possible, and that always helped.
There is no comparison with getting to see walls go up along the way. You can make some modifications along the way, easily upgrade insulation, throw extra outlets/speaker wires/cat6 all over, upgrade your bathroom exhaust fans, etc.
As long as you visit your job site frequently and have a decent eye for things, you can easily avoid falling for another money pit.

All of this depends on where you live, but I'd think long and hard about new construction right now. And this comes from someone who has purchased three homes, all brand new builds (and one a semi-custom).

Building costs are through the roof. I'm seeing new construction in my area (at least the "good" stuff", that I would actually consider buying) going for $250/sq ft. Problem with that is, I live in a development where nothing is older than about 10-12 years (most was built in the last 7 years) and $200/sq ft is about the top end for resales. Many go for $150-$175/sq ft.

But, nothing has been appreciating that fast. New construction has always cost more in my area, but the delta between the cost of new and resales that are even 1-2 years is just getting wider. This would concern me because what if you need to sell in a few years? Even people in my area who have owned for 5-6 years are having to sell for basically what they paid (depending on some specific factors, of course).

Honestly, I don't even understand how the new builds are appraising. But everything is selling so fast, I guess it doesn't matter.

Also, builder matters. The builders in my area aren't the cheapest by any means, but, having lived here almost 8 years now, I've seen the quality of materials and finishes go down and prices go up. So, you're certainly getting less for that $250/sq ft today than you were for $150/sq ft 7 years ago. I've seen what "builder grade" looks like at $250/sq ft, and I'm not impressed. I can't imagine what it looks like at $175.

I've been in my house for almost 8 years and been tempted to move a couple of times. The idea of trading up to another new house with more finishes that I've picked (my current house is a spec with quite a few things I would change) has crossed my mind more than once. But, I'm also picky and what you get for $250/sq ft right now simply isn't good enough for me.

I think in a few years I'll do a modest kitchen and master bath remodel using finishes that are nicer than builder-grade. I think that will set me apart for resale, and by then, the house will be paid for.

I do keep my eye on the market to see if that one gem of a resale happens to pop up, but I haven't seen anything that's worth the hassle or expense to move - mainly because it's all the same builder-grade finishes that I never liked in the first place.

Like I said, though, this is highly dependent on where you live. I'm in an area that's in high demand, and there is a limited supply of land, so that's driving the cost up, too.

But. If I were seriously in the market, I'd be looking at resales under 5 years old (maybe even 10).

TXTransplant said:

---

All of this depends on where you live, but I'd think long and hard about new construction right now. And this comes from someone who has purchased three homes, all brand new builds (and one a semi-custom).

Building costs are through the roof. I'm seeing new construction in my area (at least the "good" stuff", that I would actually consider buying) going for $250/sq ft. Problem with that is, I live in a development where nothing is older than about 10-12 years (most was built in the last 7 years) and $200/sq ft is about the top end for resales. Many go for $150-$175/sq ft.

But, nothing has been appreciating that fast. New construction has always cost more in my area, but the delta between the cost of new and resales that are even 1-2 years is just getting wider. This would concern me because what if you need to sell in a few years? Even people in my area who have owned for 5-6 years are having to sell for basically what they paid (depending on some specific factors, of course).

Honestly, I don't even understand how the new builds are appraising. But everything is selling so fast, I guess it doesn't matter.

Also, builder matters. The builders in my area aren't the cheapest by any means, but, having lived here almost 8 years now, I've seen the quality of materials and finishes go down and prices go up. So, you're certainly getting less for that $250/sq ft today than you were for $150/sq ft 7 years ago. I e seen what "builder grade" looks like at $250/sq ft, and I'm not impressed. I can't imagine what it looks like at $175.

I've been in my house for almost 8 years and been tempted to move a couple of times. The idea of trading up to another new house with more finishes that I've picked (my current house is a spec with quite a few things I would change) has crossed my mind more than once. But, I'm also picky and what you get for $250/sq ft right now simply isn't good enough for me.

I think in a few years I'll do a modest kitchen and master bath remodel using finishes that are nicer than builder-grade. I think that will set me apart for resale, and by then, the house will be paid for.

I do keep my eye on the market to see if that one gem of a resale happens to pop up, but I haven't seen anything that's worth the hassle or expense to move - mainly because it's all the same builder-grade finishes that I never liked in the first place.

Like I said, though, this is highly dependent on where you live. I'm in an area that's in high demand, and there is a limited supply of land, so that's driving the cost up, too.

But. If I were seriously in the market, I'd be looking at resales under 5 years old (maybe even 10).

---

Couldn't agree more about the new builds. That's my worry that I tried explaining to my wife - just cause Kimmy and Kent were able to build a $575K house doesn't mean we'd get the same deal. Costs are up bigly and what if we have to spend $620K to build the same house? Who's house is worth more at that point? This argument doesn't factor in the quality even, which I agree is down. I just see how fast they build these houses in north Texas and it's concerning. Like is it really a quality job if it only took 5 months to build?

My mentor is in the process of building a custom home with his own GC, etc. he said the quality and price paid is ridiculous. He's had to stay on top of the GC so many times and argue with him that what he is paying for is not what he is getting. Level 5 drywall request, but not quality finish. Improperly TYREK wrapped house before siding on the second story that he found by going up on a ladder.

Just having a hard time wrapping my head around quality and price cause $250/sf or $600K isn't chump change to me but when you're building hundreds of houses at that, maybe it is.

Where are you located TXtransplant?

We're in the Austin area and bought a house this year built in 2017. Functionally it's been just like a new house. We haven't had any major issues yet. Other then maybe doing some stuff in the master bathroom (has no storage) I don't see us doing any work to it for awhile.

We previously had a 1999 house and it was really starting to show its age. We replaced the hot water heater & roof while in the house. The AC was needing more and more maintenance to stay optimal. Energy bills were ridiculous. We pay less now with 700 more sq ft.

As we were house hunting, anything 2010 and newer seemed like it was holding up pretty well. Anything 2000-2010 was hit or miss and usually listed at least one problem in the disclosure.

I'm in The Woodlands. I have a friend who built here last year, and her experience was very similar to that of your friend. She has had to crack down on the builder and the subs. To the point where, they used the wrong paint throughout the house but my friend had to move in before it could be repainted. When the painters came back, they literally painted AROUND a large piece of furniture in one room. Didn't even attempt to move it and tried to argue that was perfectly acceptable solution because the furniture was "too big to move".

As far as time, goes, I wouldn't automatically assume that a 5 month build is bad quality. My semi-custom (in College Station) broke ground in Jan and I closed in mid-May. I worked with a small/local GC, but there were a lot of the same problems. I had to stay on top of things because the subs just didn't pay attention. My builder was a good guy and was on my side the whole time.

Also, my current "new" house has had over $8k in A/C repairs, some under warranty, some not. It's had a repair to the hot water heater, the shower doors needed replacing after a few years, I've had a few minor electrical problems, the kitchen tile has a crack (that's been repaired twice), and the hardwood floors in the bedrooms have not held up (just two of us in the house, and we don't have dogs - they are just crappy quality). Oh, and the dishwasher was a piece of junk that I replaced a couple of years ago, and the fridge (from the builder) needs to go, but I can't find one that I like enough to cough up a couple thousand $.

All in the first 6-7 years, some in the first three. A/C failed the first time two years in.

I inspect many new and old in your area. Can't really speak much to the Financials, though there is definitely a premium on newm.

New Construction right now is rough. Crazy market and costs. You will likely have a decent list of things to work through. Varies greatly builder to builder, so choosing your builder wisely is critical. Pluses would be picking finishes and details and not having to suffer through multiple bid situations.

Personally I really like the idea of buying something 2 to 5 years old. Probably get a break on the new premium and are still getting something that is essentially new with no major issues likely for 5 or more years. You also still get the newer better efficiency upgrades. Probably a harder search and with the market at the moment you will probably be in multiple bid situations.

Absolute said:

---

I inspect many new and old in your area. Can't really speak much to the Financials, though there is definitely a premium on newm.

New Construction right now is rough. Crazy market and costs. You will likely have a decent list of things to work through. Varies greatly builder to builder, so choosing your builder wisely is critical. Pluses would be picking finishes and details and not having to suffer through multiple bid situations.

Personally I really like the idea of buying something 2 to 5 years old. Probably get a break on the new premium and are still getting something that is essentially new with no major issues likely for 5 or more years. You also still get the newer better efficiency upgrades. Probably a harder search and with the market at the moment you will probably be in multiple bid situations.

---

Thank you Absolute. This is where I was trending for the search. My plan is to get this first house monkey off our back so we dont have to go competing on houses with the dreaded contingent offer.

I'm assuming you're a qualified residential inspector? Mind DM'ing your contact info? Will be needing some services here in a few months. Hesitant to use a realtor's recommendation if I can avoid it.

I personally prefer well taken care of re-sales over new build. But I also personally can't stand knowing every 5th house in my neighborhood is the same floorplan, I value trees and neighborhood aesthetic way more than luxury niceness, and have just never really felt at home driving through a master planned new build community.

mazag08 said:

---

I personally prefer well taken care of re-sales over new build. But I also personally can't stand knowing every 5th house in my neighborhood is the same floorplan, I value trees and aesthetic way more than luxury niceness, and have just never really felt at home driving through a master planned new build community.

---

Totally Agree. I want an established hood with some decent size trees. its hard to not look at the North Dallas area like Prosper or such and just not see the Sea of Cookie Cutter houses.

I will add with existing home stock you generally have a decent idea of what kind of developments will be surrounding yours.

I've bought 7 used houses, you will always get a better value with a well cared pre owned home built by a good builder.
I've been the 2nd owner in all 7 homes, 4 of them built by one of local "good" builders

New in this market in BCS would have cost me $100k more atleast

TXTransplant said:

---

All of this depends on where you live, but I'd think long and hard about new construction right now. And this comes from someone who has purchased three homes, all brand new builds (and one a semi-custom).

Building costs are through the roof. I'm seeing new construction in my area (at least the "good" stuff", that I would actually consider buying) going for $250/sq ft. Problem with that is, I live in a development where nothing is older than about 10-12 years (most was built in the last 7 years) and $200/sq ft is about the top end for resales. Many go for $150-$175/sq ft.

But, nothing has been appreciating that fast. New construction has always cost more in my area, but the delta between the cost of new and resales that are even 1-2 years is just getting wider. This would concern me because what if you need to sell in a few years? Even people in my area who have owned for 5-6 years are having to sell for basically what they paid (depending on some specific factors, of course).

Honestly, I don't even understand how the new builds are appraising. But everything is selling so fast, I guess it doesn't matter.

Also, builder matters. The builders in my area aren't the cheapest by any means, but, having lived here almost 8 years now, I've seen the quality of materials and finishes go down and prices go up. So, you're certainly getting less for that $250/sq ft today than you were for $150/sq ft 7 years ago. I've seen what "builder grade" looks like at $250/sq ft, and I'm not impressed. I can't imagine what it looks like at $175.

I've been in my house for almost 8 years and been tempted to move a couple of times. The idea of trading up to another new house with more finishes that I've picked (my current house is a spec with quite a few things I would change) has crossed my mind more than once. But, I'm also picky and what you get for $250/sq ft right now simply isn't good enough for me.

I think in a few years I'll do a modest kitchen and master bath remodel using finishes that are nicer than builder-grade. I think that will set me apart for resale, and by then, the house will be paid for.

I do keep my eye on the market to see if that one gem of a resale happens to pop up, but I haven't seen anything that's worth the hassle or expense to move - mainly because it's all the same builder-grade finishes that I never liked in the first place.

Like I said, though, this is highly dependent on where you live. I'm in an area that's in high demand, and there is a limited supply of land, so that's driving the cost up, too.

But. If I were seriously in the market, I'd be looking at resales under 5 years old (maybe even 10).

---

We're going to have to move to DFW from New Braunfels in 2021 to take care of some elderly family and are having this new vs. old debate. The DFW market is nuts right now. We've only ever bought a house, never built.

I understand all the issues listed on this thread with new construction, but I'm also doing a bit of comparison and really struggling to justify ~$500k+ for a house built in 1955 in an established neighborhood (when that house will still need significant work and remodels done) vs. a nicer, brand new $600k house on more land in a suburb like Sunnyvale with fewer problems. Or I can overpay and buy a much cheaper house that's in a super run-down area that I hope improves. Just doesn't seem like any great options in DFW right now.

My other struggle is with understanding the quality of builders and which ones will actually provide a quality (or at least acceptable) finish out. Which builders didn't you like at $250? I can go tour and see with my eyes, but curious on which of these mid-level builders would be best if we go in the new direction? Also, what is the dividing line to "semi-custom"?

So, I'm in The Woodlands, just outside of Houston, but the most common builders here build all over the state.

The big 4 are David Weekley, Coventry, Darling, and Trendmaker. Partners in Building also has a presence.

Of those three, from a purely aesthetic standpoint, I like Darling the best. But they all suffer from the same problems as any large builder.

I purchased a home built in 1982 located in a custom built neighborhood and love it. We have had to do some renovations and updates and I understand that many would not like that, it has been nice to add our own touch to the house. My second house and neither were new. All my friends and co-workers buy new homes, but yard size, location factored into our decision and the most new homes have very small yards.

Rice and Fries said:

---

Wife and I are selling our first house. It's built in 1986 and has been a money pit. We can get out with a decent chunk of equity combined with some savings to buy a $500-550K house.

After seeing the issues we've had at our current house and it's age, wife is against anything but new. But I'm cognizant that new builds are usually built with less quality material, cheaper AC etc.

So the question is:
- would you buy a new house in that price range?
- if buying a used home instead, what year built/age would you target?

We are in North DFW if that helps. I like Stonebridge Ranch Area of McKinney, or some pockets of frisco near legacy.

---

So just a couple of questions. What about your 1986 home is a money pit that you hope to avoid with a future new home? Its still going to have a roof that needs replacing in a decade, an AC/hot water heater that will one day break. You're not escaping those things going bad by buying a new house. Even when you're trying to sell an old house, the three things buyers are going to look at are the age of the roof/AC/appliances. Limping along on a 35 year AC system just means you buy the new AC when you sell as a closing credit, you never got to use it.

Now what you are doing, for a brief period in time is adopting the mentality that 'nothing will break' when you buy a new home. But at the cost of a new house at the level of finishes you want, you could've easily justified replacing all of those things in your old house anyway.

Now of course, when you mean money pit, I don't know if you've got foundation issues that you think are going to cause more problems in the future.

My personal take is to find an older home in an older area with large trees, gut it, and completely start anew. Even if you don't lift a finger in updating the house yourself you'll probably still come out ahead if you have to sell quickly. Especially come out more ahead than a new built inside 3 years. Also, congrats on the tax savings by gutting an older home instead of buying new. Nobody's gonna know about your 200k updates until you decide to sell.

We bought a 1992 house with a half acre in a better schools district than similarly priced new build in north Dallas with basically no yard.

Best decision ever. Fifteen mature trees, room for a pool with plenty leftover, and neighbors can't see in my house or yard.

The only two things you can't change about a house are lot and location. Old ovens can be replaced.

Ol_Ag_02 said:

---

We bought a 1992 house with a half acre in a better schools district than similarly priced new build in north Dallas with basically no yard.

Best decision ever. Fifteen mature trees, room for a pool with plenty leftover, and neighbors can't see in my house or yard.

The only two things you can't change about a house are lot and location. Old ovens can be replaced.

---

The mature trees are what I miss from some of these new neighborhoods, but I guess my experience right now on lot size is exactly the opposite. Which is one of my biggest factors. I hate feeling like I'm on top of other people.

East of downtown and no further north than 635/DNT is really my only option because of why we have to move up (being close and actively taking care of parents). They live near Dallas Athletic Club (635 and 30). Everything in that quadrant of Dallas inside of 635 seems to be $450k+ and still need serious renovations, with lots in the .3 acre range being much more common. I guess the location is just that desirable.

If I'm willing to go out to Sunnyvale (.5 acre minimum, the one I was looking at was 1.36), but they're all pretty much new builds and in the low 500s and that introduces its own problems.

I'll stop derailing OP's thread, though... I'm just going through a similar decision-making process as him and struggling right now.

one MEEN Ag said:

---

Rice and Fries said:

---

Wife and I are selling our first house. It's built in 1986 and has been a money pit. We can get out with a decent chunk of equity combined with some savings to buy a $500-550K house.

After seeing the issues we've had at our current house and it's age, wife is against anything but new. But I'm cognizant that new builds are usually built with less quality material, cheaper AC etc.

So the question is:
- would you buy a new house in that price range?
- if buying a used home instead, what year built/age would you target?

We are in North DFW if that helps. I like Stonebridge Ranch Area of McKinney, or some pockets of frisco near legacy.

---

So just a couple of questions. What about your 1986 home is a money pit that you hope to avoid with a future new home? Its still going to have a roof that needs replacing in a decade, an AC/hot water heater that will one day break. You're not escaping those things going bad by buying a new house. Even when you're trying to sell an old house, the three things buyers are going to look at are the age of the roof/AC/appliances. Limping along on a 35 year AC system just means you buy the new AC when you sell as a closing credit, you never got to use it.

Now what you are doing, for a brief period in time is adopting the mentality that 'nothing will break' when you buy a new home. But at the cost of a new house at the level of finishes you want, you could've easily justified replacing all of those things in your old house anyway.

Now of course, when you mean money pit, I don't know if you've got foundation issues that you think are going to cause more problems in the future.

My personal take is to find an older home in an older area with large trees, gut it, and completely start anew. Even if you don't lift a finger in updating the house yourself you'll probably still come out ahead if you have to sell quickly. Especially come out more ahead than a new built inside 3 years. Also, congrats on the tax savings by gutting an older home instead of buying new. Nobody's gonna know about your 200k updates until you decide to sell.

---

Moneypit so Far:

- Old AC System that was installed in 1997. Finally broke (we knew this going into the house). Had to replace both the 5 & 3 Ton unit. Now the kicker on this, the installation job in 1997 was a DIY by the old owner (electrical engineer). We got 3 quotes from HVAC companies and each one said it was in their top 5 of worst install jobs. Partly because our attic space is tiny and slanted. But we also had to replace the Airducts because they were practically eroded. Total cost - $25K. Again, I knew about the AC but not the airduct/install job.

- Foundation Problems: Previous owners had foundation repaired on the south side of the house. Well, we had cracks show up almost instantly. Previous owner had totally repainted and hid alot of the cracks, but the foundation was internally collapsing in the middle. We just had this fixed and it cost $14K.

- Tree issues helped causing the foundation issue: we had a giant tree removed that I was able to pay $1500 for the removal of. Shout out to Eduardo's Tree Service.

- No gutters - owners replaced the roof after the property was inspected and we put an offer on it/got it under contract. No problems there. What ended up happening was that between the owners, they did get the roof installed but had no gutters installed with it. So they had photos of the house taken for Zillow with the gutters and we didn't realize they were missing till after we signed on the dotted line. That cost us $2.7K.

-Dishwasher: seemed fine until it broke after two years, when we went to pull out the old one....it was installed on top of trim boards and literally wired together that was held by electrical tape. Not plugged into an outlet. THE OWNER WAS A GD ELECTRICAL ENGINEER WHO COULDN'T EVEN INSTALL AN OUTLET TO PLUG THE DISHWASHER INTO. LET ALONE A GFCI OUTLET.

- Sprinkler System: Another DIY hackjob by the engineer owner. He just totally installed the sprinkler system in the most weird complex way with only 5 zones trying to water a 10,000sf lot. Pressure was too thin towards the end of the lines and just overall was awful. This cost us $2k to fix and counting.

- Fence: the old fence was installed by the old owners cousin or something. Anyways, this was old and falling apart. One of our storms ended up knocking a chunk of the fence down and we just decided to replace it. Cost $8.2K. This was before the foundation work/issues were truly permitted.

Overall, we will be lucky to walk away with $5K extra from this house.

I knew that living in DFW, you'd have some foundation issues and buying an older house was gonna have some landmines. But, looking back - the old owner did some really nutty things. He was obviously a DIY, but a just get it working DIY and not actual quality. The AC job was hacked. The dishwasher, the freaking doorbell was broken and wired up and over into the garage on the other side (why, idk, but thank god for RING). The gutters really was the start of pissing me off, the sprinker went next and then the AC. By the time the foundation hit, I was just livid.

The icing on the cake was that the Sellers Disclosure didn't say jack shat. It was empty. and being first time home buyers, I know we were gonna get hosed for inexperience. but that was at least something our AGGIE realtor should have pointed out the difference on? Right?

Maybe, we were just too young and dumb to know better and this was an expensive life lesson to learn. But let me tell you. Do youre freaking homework kids. Inspect the **** out of the place and avoid our mistakes.

one MEEN Ag said:

---

Rice and Fries said:

---

Wife and I are selling our first house. It's built in 1986 and has been a money pit. We can get out with a decent chunk of equity combined with some savings to buy a $500-550K house.

After seeing the issues we've had at our current house and it's age, wife is against anything but new. But I'm cognizant that new builds are usually built with less quality material, cheaper AC etc.

So the question is:
- would you buy a new house in that price range?
- if buying a used home instead, what year built/age would you target?

We are in North DFW if that helps. I like Stonebridge Ranch Area of McKinney, or some pockets of frisco near legacy.

---

So just a couple of questions. What about your 1986 home is a money pit that you hope to avoid with a future new home? Its still going to have a roof that needs replacing in a decade, an AC/hot water heater that will one day break. You're not escaping those things going bad by buying a new house. Even when you're trying to sell an old house, the three things buyers are going to look at are the age of the roof/AC/appliances. Limping along on a 35 year AC system just means you buy the new AC when you sell as a closing credit, you never got to use it.

Now what you are doing, for a brief period in time is adopting the mentality that 'nothing will break' when you buy a new home. But at the cost of a new house at the level of finishes you want, you could've easily justified replacing all of those things in your old house anyway.

Now of course, when you mean money pit, I don't know if you've got foundation issues that you think are going to cause more problems in the future.

My personal take is to find an older home in an older area with large trees, gut it, and completely start anew. Even if you don't lift a finger in updating the house yourself you'll probably still come out ahead if you have to sell quickly. Especially come out more ahead than a new built inside 3 years. Also, congrats on the tax savings by gutting an older home instead of buying new. Nobody's gonna know about your 200k updates until you decide to sell.

---

This is actually one of the better "arguments" I've heard about buying used...hadn't viewed in that way before. I would think they only downside would be if building permits had to be pulled, etc., that would trigger inspections and then a new tax appraisal.

I own a house that was built in 1932 in a historic residential neighborhood. Pier and beam foundation that is solid as a rock. I say this reiterate that Age does not equal Quality.

There's been a lot of knowledge and experience provided in this thread and it is much appreciated.

I try to distinguish between truly "older" homes and "newer houses that just aren't that new anymore." If you're in an area where tract and new custom homes are popping up all over the place, you should really do the math on what/how much you're paying as a premium to have a brand-new home versus one that's just a few years old. Totally agree with the posters above about the value to be had in replacing major systems/appliances in a slightly-less-new home built within the last 10-20 years rather than paying for the convenience of not replacing those (fingers crossed-see posters' above experiences of how that's not always a given) for 15 years. But that is usually an element of your credit/cash situation.

Also, a psychological factor for me - and I may be unique, my wife doesn't even really share this sentiment - there's something about when things go wrong with a new house, like a new car when it gets its first scratch or coffee stain, that really makes me furious. "How is this happening in a brand-new house!" "Jeez you idiot kids, that was just painted!"

For that reason the "newest" house we've ever been in was built in 1930, ha. Kids dragging firewood across the wood floors? Character! Need to update a kitchen or bath? No problem, it's well built and has been updated four times already.

JC I am on board with the new house attitude if something goes wrong. We've only bought 2 houses and looked at new builds both times to explore our options. Nope.

Ol_Ag_02 said:

---

We bought a 1992 house with a half acre in a better schools district than similarly priced new build in north Dallas with basically no yard.

Best decision ever. Fifteen mature trees, room for a pool with plenty leftover, and neighbors can't see in my house or yard.

The only two things you can't change about a house are lot and location. Old ovens can be replaced.

---

Where's your house OA-02?

Southlake

I would be a data point of a new build that has had more than 0 issues. I think an old house would have had issues of course, but I would have been a lot less grumpy contorting myself in a 150 degree attic to troubleshoot.

I do feel confident I avoided a catastrophic issue in the near term but I plan to be gone before this house is "old". I got a relatively well built home but the build quality is still trash. I was here every 2-3 days but the list of stuff to hound them on got so long we had to prioritize. Buying an old house would have saved me a ton of stress that year and I still didn't get anywhere close to all my issues addressed.

Rice and Fries said:

---

After seeing the issues we've had at our current house and it's age, wife is against anything but new. But I'm cognizant that new builds are usually built with less quality material, cheaper AC etc.

---

I previously owned a 50 year old house and maybe I'm being a little too specific with this but I don't get this argument at all. My old house had a bunch of galvanized piping, cast iron sewage lines, aluminum wiring, non hardie siding... basically a bunch of stuff that were either expensive fixes for me or going to be eventually. New homes are generally built with way superior materials than older homes and the question isn't even a close one.

ATM9000 said:

---

Rice and Fries said:

---

After seeing the issues we've had at our current house and it's age, wife is against anything but new. But I'm cognizant that new builds are usually built with less quality material, cheaper AC etc.

---

I previously owned a 50 year old house and maybe I'm being a little too specific with this but I don't get this argument at all. My old house had a bunch of galvanized piping, cast iron sewage lines, aluminum wiring, non hardie siding... basically a bunch of stuff that were either expensive fixes for me or going to be eventually. New homes are generally built with way superior materials than older homes and the question isn't even a close one.

---

I would imagine it varies on the price spectrum and whether or not the home is tract or custom. But I could be completely wrong.

Ol_Ag_02 said:

---

ATM9000 said:

---

Rice and Fries said:

---

After seeing the issues we've had at our current house and it's age, wife is against anything but new. But I'm cognizant that new builds are usually built with less quality material, cheaper AC etc.

---

I previously owned a 50 year old house and maybe I'm being a little too specific with this but I don't get this argument at all. My old house had a bunch of galvanized piping, cast iron sewage lines, aluminum wiring, non hardie siding... basically a bunch of stuff that were either expensive fixes for me or going to be eventually. New homes are generally built with way superior materials than older homes and the question isn't even a close one.

---

I would imagine it varies on the price spectrum and whether or not the home is tract or custom. But I could be completely wrong.

---

You'd have to be way outside of the DFW metroplex to build a custom house for $500-600K. Land costs alone would be $150K minimum.

My general question was related to new builds or the fake custom homes you'd see built in master planned communities.

It's a grey area, I'm a DIY guy so I'm more comfortable with tearing out and replacing by myself/managing any subs. Permits do leave a paper trail for CADs to follow up with. If you're doing serious stuff like adding onto the structure or redoing plumbing/electrical all bets are off.

If you do go permit-incognito, just know that you'll probably not fair well if you ever do a formal protest on CAD. They make you swear in and can ask you questions about improvements. You probably want a representative that can just toss your house in with a negotiated stack of em.

We've purchased new twice. There are definitely pluses and minuses to both. You say your old house is a money pit, and things like a roof, sewer line, or HVAC need to be replaced.
But with a new home, you are throwing money into landscaping, window treatments, etc. Our second new house (a production home) day 1 we dropped $10k to put a roof over our back deck.

Some have the argument that new homes lack the mature landscaping. My parents built a custom home in NW Houston in '02, and they left a few dozen 60' trees on the property. This can be done, but a production home/master planned, probably not. They will raze the whole lot then plop a 2" tree in your front yard.

To me, it's more about location. As I've heard over and over from watching house hunter type shows for 20 years now, you can't change the "Ls" of your new home. The location, the lot size, and the layout. Of course, the layout is arguable.. you can definitely completely gut a house and start over. But that is a huge undertaking that 95% of buyers just won't do. So outside of changes like converting a study into a bedroom, adding on a sun room, or sacrificing a 4th bedroom to have a master suite, your layout is mostly fixed for your typical buyer.

So think location and lot size. Start there, not on the age of home. You may find that by getting the location and lot size you want, you are forced to either do old or new, and not have both as options. new builds are typically on outskirts of town. If you want to be in town, then your question is answered.