New Construction

Start with a fresh slate to make your own

Reasons for new construction

1. Customization: Many homebuilders allow buyers to help design the property, which helps create a living space tailored to the consumer’s tastes. New-home buyers, for example, can often decide where their bathroom might go, choose their favorite flooring or pick the exterior paint color. Buyers moving into a subdivision can sometimes pick the lot they like best.

2. Building envelope: Building codes have mandated higher energy-efficiency standards since they began to address the issue in the late 1970s, says Kevin Morrow, senior program manager for the National Association of Home Builders’ green-building programs. The most recent International Energy Conservation Code came out in 2009 and required about 17% more efficiency than three years earlie

3. Green appliances: The more energy-efficient mechanics of the house also help reduce utility bills for new-home buyers, Morrow says. New homes often include green systems and appliances — such as high-efficiency stoves, refrigerators, washing machines, water heaters, furnaces or air conditioning units — that homes built years ago might not.

4. Fewer repairs: The features of new homes should also hold up better than those of existing homes, which may have experienced years of wear and tear, says Evan Gilligan of Mandrin Homes, which has offices in Maryland and Delaware.

5. Less maintenance: At the same time, today’s new homes are engineered specifically to minimize maintenance requirements. For example, Costello says his company uses composite products for a home’s exterior trim instead of wood, which could rot or need repainting.

6. Warranty: In addition, builders often agree to take care of the necessary repair work in a new home for at least the first year. So if your roof starts leaking or the heater breaks during the warranty period, your builder will pick up the tab for the repairs.

7. Fire safety: New homes often include fire-safety features that may not be in properties built years ago.

8. Concessions: Especially in today’s sluggish housing market, buyers could squeeze more concessions out of a homebuilding company than an individual seller. That’s because individual sellers often have an emotional attachment to their property that can blind them to its true value.

9. Financing: New-home buyers can take advantage of mortgage-financing perks available through their builder.

Contact Reliable Works For You to discuss your new dream home.