Buying a resale verses a new construction home.

One of the most common debates a buyer may have internally, or actually debate over with a spouse, is whether to buy New Construction or Resale. Purchasing a home is a gigantic commitment, so lets weigh the pros and cons of BOTH. There is no correct answer here, only things that should be considered.

New Construction Pros
New Construction will charm you with its newness and readily maintained associations. It can be exciting to pick your floor plan (or have blue prints drawn for a custom built home).You are also able to choose your building materials and flooring. Modern floor plans better suite today's lifestyle of gathering in the kitchen area, and having a formal and non formal living space. A newly built home will have BRAND NEW EVERYTHING, be built to withstand mother nature, have larger rooms and offer luxury. A newly built home in most cases comes with a builder's home warranty and has up to date wiring ready to suite modern technologies.

New Construction Cons
When purchasing new construction, you can be limited geographically. If you are looking to live in a certain area, or in a specific school district then it may not be an option! Today's home lots are often much smaller than the lot of a resale home. When buying a newly constructed home, you may have to purchase appliances and window treatments because they might not be included in the price of the build-out. Many new home communities do not have mature landscaping yet and the associations are in their infancy, so the condition of the area in years to come will be left up to speculation. Let's not forget to mention that building can create budget and time restraints, which can cause stress until you get to the closing table.

Residential Resale Pros
Finding a house that fits all of your wants and needs in a specific school district or metro area may be easier with a resale home. Older resale homes can have charm, distinction and character that cannot be purchased or recreated in a new home. Often a resale home has existing window furnishings, mature landscaping, appliances and finished upgrades or fencing that would otherwise have to be purchased with New Construction. When looking at resale residential homes for sale, you can see immediately the kind of neighborhood you will be moving into and whether or not the association is actively involved in deed restriction. Another pro to purchasing resale is timing. If you don't have time to build - a resale is waiting for you to move into! Potential 'Sweat Equity' is also a great reason to purchase resale. You may have an opportunity to upgrade or modernize an existing home to increase its equity much quicker than you could increase the equity of a newly constructed home.

Residential Resale Cons
Now that we've discussed all of the 'charm' you can experience with a resale, lets talk about the 'not so charming' realities of resale. Resales can be out-dated, so money will have to be set aside in your budget for up-dating. Older homes can have issues with mold, older wiring and plumbing or need a roof replacement soon. A thorough inspection will outline these concerns for you with respect to the home. Dated floor plans and smaller rooms can really turn a buyer off from an older home as well. Often the most valuable part of a resale home is going to be in its location, location, location.

What does it all mean?
Whether you decide to buy new, or existing, you need representation. A mistake we see too often is a prospective buyer decides they want a NEW home, so they go straight to the builder. Remember, the community sales office represents the BUILDER not you the buyer. Home inspections should be completed on a new or existing home as well.

By Jamie Bullock
www.USA-FloridaHomes.net

Easy Living only minutes from Key West!

Situated on a large lot and fencing all around this house offers open floor plan with separate dining area and split bedrooms. Stainless steel appliances. Spacious backyard, covered patio and above ground pool, perfect for gardening and entertaining. Plenty off street parking for several cars and/or boats and plenty of storage. Great biking and friendly neighborhood.


Offerd $360,000.









To see this home contact me today!

Relocation to the Florida Keys!

Moving to a new location can be tough. To make your move to Key West or the Florida Keys a little easier, Monika created the following list of usefull contacts and phone numbers to help you get settled in your new home and city.

Monika has the experience and knowledge to help you through all stages of your move to the Florida Keys. Whether it's a moving truck, short-term housing or finding your dream home, Monika can help you through the process of getting here -- stress free.


Utilities:

Keys Energy Services 1001 James St.Key West,
FL 33040-6935USA
Phone: (305) 295-1000 (305) 295-1000
www.keysenergy.com

Water:
Key West and Lower Keys
1100 Kennedy Drive
Key West, FL 33041-1239
Phone: 305-296-2454
www.fkaa.com

Phone and Computer connection:
BellSouth
Phone: 1-888-757-6500
www.bellsouth.com

Cable:
Comcast
Phone: 1-800-266-2278
www.comcast.com

Garbage Service:
Waste Managment Garbage Collection
US Hwy 1
Stock Island
305-296-8297

Hospital:
Lower Keys Medical Center
5900 College Rd
Key West
Phone: 305-294-5531

Vehicle Registration:
Moroe County Tax Collector's Office
1200 Truman Ave
Key West
Phone: 305-295-5000
www.monroetaxcollector.com

Schools and Colleges:

Monroe County School District
241 Trumbo Rd
Key West
Phone: 305-293-1400
www.monroe.k12.fl.us

Florida Keys Community College
Phone: 305-296-9081
www.fkcc.cc/


The Citizen (daily Newspaper)
KeysNews.com

City of Key West
City Of Key West Code
Enforcement Jim Young 305-809-3734
Licensing & Permits Carolyn Walker 305-809-3955

Termites
Eddinger Pest Control 305-872-1008
Gulf Coast Extermination 2606 Fogarty Avenue 305-294-3494
Hammerhead 30385 Quail Roost Trail 305-515-2800