10 Reasons to Buy a New Home vs. Buying a Used Home

Design Your Dream Home Your Way
First of all, you are building a new home – your dream home, not buying someone else’s dream home from years ago.  That right there is something that makes buying a new home an advantage.  At Bedico Creek, we offer a selection of Builders, a selection of Designers, or a selection of Architects to create the exact floorplan in which you would like to live.  While working on the actual building process, you also have a choice of the selections which will go in the home – exterior finishes, flooring, paint, cabinetry, countertops, fixtures, appliances, and lighting.  All of these ensure that you are building and buying the EXACT home that you want, hopefully within your budget!

Home Condition
What can we say – New is New!!  Your NEW home will probably carry the state required warranty of 1, 5, and 10 years.  The 1st year covers everything installed in the home.  The major appliances and fixtures are covered for 5 years, and the major home structure is covered for 10 years.  So, no matter how you look at it, you’re covered.  With a previously owned home, you may get a home built by a reputable builder, that isn’t that old, and that seems like it is in good shape, but do you really know what you’re getting?  There could have been a massive system failure in the house, and the current owner did an amazing paint job over a huge mold stain.  Also, any number of things could go wrong with the major appliances in a used home – hot water heater, furnace, A/C unit, etc.  The truth is, you never really know what you’re getting when you buy a used home.

Energy Efficiency / Cost Savings
New homes at Bedico Creek are built with the latest technology – both system technologies (wiring, circuits, plumbing, etc.) and green technology (sophisticated insulation, pre-fabbed insulation, insulated windows, roofing, etc.). Our builders are very conscientious of green standards of living, preserving the environment, and lowering the cost your utility bills.  So, not only will you stay cooler, but your budget will also enjoy a little breathing room.  With a previously-owned home, you may or may not enjoy the benefit of these new technologies, and the cost to retrofit a home to the green standard that could actually save you money could be astronomical.  The cost savings of utilities alone could make up for any additional cost or hassle of buying a new home.

Getting What You Want
One of the big arguments about buying a used home vs. buying a new home is that “older homes have more character.”  Here at Bedico Creek, we are dedicated to your new home’s character – more than you could imagine.  If you take one look at our list of Architects and Designers, not to mention Our Builders, you will see that you can DEFINITELY find at least one designer with whom you will be able to work.  Also, we have 6 Neighborhoods where you can choose to buy a lot and build, so your home will be uniquely located and uniquely built – not like anyone else’s home. Building a new home is an exciting challenge, and we want to make sure that you have all the tools you need in order to succeed in building the most beautiful and “full of character” home that you can build.

Community Amenities
Especially in St. Tammany Parish, you will find plenty of well-established communities which offer a selection of amenities.  So, if you purchase a used home in any of these subdivisions, you will not miss the opportunity to have community amenities.  However, if you purchase your home at Bedico Creek Preserve, not only will have community amenities, but you will also have miles of lakes and waterways, acres of parks and green spaces, walking / hiking trails, and if that’s not enough, a wildlife habitat right outside your door.  Some would make that argument that you can buy a used home and still have amenities, but as the only Conservation Community on the Northshore, you won’t find natural amenities, such as the ones at Bedico Creek, anywhere else!

Space – Yours and Theirs
When raising a family, one of the advantages of building a new home is that parents can plan for “play space” for their kids both while they are young and as they get older.  Parents can use the floorplan design to separate the parts of the home that can be used for “kid recreation and entertainment” while not disturbing the rest of the household. When buying a used home, you will have to work with what you can find and either “live with” the space you get or hope you get lucky and find the perfect home with room for your children to grow, while not completely losing your mind!

Technology
With the advent of telecommuting and working from home, as well as the Greater New Orleans Area’s reputation as a hub for entrepreneurship; being able to set up a fully functioning home office complete with Wifi, fax, and networking capabilities requires the right wiring.  Our builders use state-of-the-art electrical circuitry and wiring when building a new home. Not only that, but Bedico Creek’s AT&T users will be able to access Wifi within the neighborhood once the system has been fully installed.  Used homes built in the last 10 years have probably been built utilizing some of this technology, but used homes older than 10 years may have to be retrofitted for a “work from home” environment. It’s always expensive to upgrade and renovate, but technology retrofitting is one of the highest priced commodities out there because of the nature of the business.  Wouldn’t you rather just build it with what you need to begin with?

Advanced Equipment and Safety
Let’s face it, some used homes’ structural setups (electrical wiring, circuitry, and plumbing) are not even up to code anymore.  With the introduction of so many energy efficient and energy saving products on the market today, new homes are more efficient and safer from shorts, flooding, and pipe backups than used homes (depending on the age of the used home).

Low Maintenance Exterior Finishes
Especially in St. Tammany Parish, where homes have a lot of brick and stucco, the exteriors of the home don’t require a lot of maintenance.  Also, because of the high humidity in the area, builders of new homes and their painter sub-contractors have state-of-the-art products which are designed to prevent or lessen the effects of mildew and decay. When buying a used home, your home may not have these types of exterior finishes, and even if it does, it is probably due for a paint job or refurbishment of the outside of the home very soon.

IT’S BRAND NEW!!
If you are a first-time home buyer and have lived in an apartment or a rental, this fact alone should get you excited.  Not having to constantly shell out money for unexpected repairs or expenses for at least the first 3 – 5 years can “ease” you into the home owning experience.  Buying a new home will not only give you a brand sparkly new home, but it will also offer you peace of mind in taking on such an enormous responsibility. If you bought a used home, you could be “on the hook” for expensive repairs which used to be taken care of by your landlord, making you think that renting wasn’t such a bad deal after all.  PLUS, the advantage of buying a new home also gives you the write-off of the interest on your taxes at the end of the year, which you never had as a renter.