Northern Utah is offering families more opportunities than ever before, making it an incredibly appealing place to live. However, you may not want to live in the much more densely populated Salt Lake County area. Instead, you may find yourself looking elsewhere, including in Tooele County. With its proximity to the city, Tooele County offers the best of both worlds.
However, you may be struggling to determine whether purchasing an older home or new construction in the Tooele County area is the best choice for your family. Both new construction and older homes come with distinct advantages and drawbacks, and you should consider them all before making a final decision.
In this blog, we’ll explore these benefits and drawbacks to ensure you feel confident when choosing between a new construction and older home.
Looking at New Construction Homes
A new construction home refers to any property that is brand new and has never been lived in before. These homes are generally sold directly from the developer or builder to homebuyers, and can be designed to meet your family’s unique needs.
Benefits
There are many reasons why more homebuyers than ever are considering purchasing a new construction property. Some of the most significant benefits of moving into these homes include:
Less Maintenance: New construction properties feature new appliances, roofs, HVAC systems, and more. With these new appliances in your home, you don’t need to worry about frequent breakdowns or constant maintenance to keep them functioning properly.
Better Energy Efficiency: Because these homes are built with energy efficient windows, doors, and more modern HVAC systems, they are less expensive to heat and cool, which is great in Tooele County, where you’ll experience extreme temperatures.
Open Floor Plan: Newer homes feature the open floor plans and larger kitchens that many buyers are looking for, and are a great choice for people who love hosting their friends and family for holidays, weekend parties, birthdays, and more.
Builder Incentives: Some builders offer unique buyer incentives, especially for first-time buyers, that can make it easier for buyers to get their foot in the door for the first time or allow them to invest in upgrades they previously thought were unattainable.
Neighborhood Amenities: Builders have begun incorporating parks, pickleball courts, and other outdoor amenities that buyers may be looking for but worry that they’ll miss out on if they move into a newer neighborhood.
Drawbacks
While there are many benefits to purchasing a new construction home, there are also a few drawbacks to consider before making a final decision, including:
Higher Upfront Cost: Due to their increased energy efficiency, modern amenities, and the generally higher cost of building, choosing a new construction home can mean that you’re going to spend more upfront on your home than with an older home.
Unfinished Landscaping: Newer homes often come with a completed front yard, but this is often where landscaping ends. This means, if you want a finished yard or fencing, you may have to spend thousands of dollars to add this in.
Smaller Lots: Lot sizes have significantly shrunk over the last few decades, which means that if you’re going to move onto a new construction property, you may find yourself living on a lot that has a small yard or cannot fit recreational vehicles.
Construction Debris: If you’re moving into a community that is still actively building homes, you may encounter construction debris. While builders try to limit this debris, it is still something to consider before moving your family into these homes.
Quality Variation: Build quality will vary from builder to builder, and there is always a risk of working with an unreliable builder. If you want to protect yourself, you should always hire a third-party inspector to ensure your home is safe.
Considering Older Homes for Your Family
Although new construction homes are incredibly appealing to some families, they might not initially seem right for you. Many homeowners still find themselves drawn to older homes that are already built, with families that may have lived in them for decades.
Benefits
While many homebuyers have pivoted to the customization of newer homes, there are still so many benefits to purchasing older homes, including:
Lower Upfront Cost: Purchasing older homes can come with fewer upfront costs because they do not always feature the more expensive, modern windows, appliances, and HVAC systems that can lead to the higher cost of new properties.
Bigger Lots: Older homes are often built on much larger lots, which means you’ll have room for children’s play equipment, recreational vehicle parking, and outdoor hosting spaces that newer properties won’t feature.
Established Neighborhoods: When you move into an older home, you don’t just get the benefits of moving into an older space. You also get to enjoy the established schools, old growth trees and other landscaping, finished roads, and more.
More Charm: Older homes aren’t quite as cookie-cutter as their newer counterparts, which many buyers love. If you don’t like the appearance of the same-old homes, moving onto an older property may be the best choice for you.
Build Equity: In addition to the charm of older homes, choosing to make essential upgrades, like more efficient windows, modern appliances, updated flooring and pain, can help you build lasting equity and will make it easier to sell if you ever decide to do that.
Drawbacks
Although older homes are incredibly unique and charming, there are a few drawbacks you’ll have to accept if you move onto these properties, including:
High Repair Costs: When you choose to move into an older home, you may have to come to terms with the fact that they often need more immediate repairs, which can lead to you spending thousands of dollars that you didn’t anticipate.
Lower Efficiency: Because these homes may not have newer appliances, more energy efficient windows and doors, and upgraded HVAC systems, they generally cost far more to heat and cool during the summer and winter months.
Outdated Floorplan: While older homes are incredibly charming and more unique than newer homes, they often feature more closed-off floor plans, smaller bedrooms, and spaces that aren’t great for hosting your family and friends.
Immediate Renovations: It is far more difficult to find an older home that is also move-in ready. Some of these homes may require immediate renovations to fit your family, which can be stressful, especially if you have to move in during these renovations.
Hard to Get Into: If you’ve found an updated older home, you may find that there are far more people submitting offers. This can make it difficult and more costly to get into than if you are choosing to purchase a home from a builder.
Let Us Find You Your Perfect Home
If you’re unsure whether an older home or new construction is best for your family, it is always best to reach out to your trusted real estate professional for support. They will have a much better understanding of how quickly homes are selling, how much inventory is available in the Tooele County area, and which is the best fit for your lifestyle.
At Premier Utah Real Estate, our team understands that every buyer has unique wants and needs, and that new construction or older homes might not be right for you. Trust that when you partner with us, we’ll ensure your new home perfectly meets your needs, whether you’re a growing family or a new professional.
If you’d like to talk to the new construction and older homes in Tooele County or want to work with our team of professionals, don’t hesitate to contact us today.
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