New Homes in Austin, TX
6/7/08 - Why Buying a New Home is Better than Buying a Used One
Buffington Signature Homes offers 10 reasons you should consider buying new.
Austin, TX -- June 7, 2008 -- Every homebuyer faces an early and important choice: purchase a newly constructed home or search out a used home that meets your needs. This decision can be made even tougher by the many misconceptions potential buyers have about new home construction. Too often, they believe that new homes will be too expensive or that the purchase process will be too complicated. Others believe a new home won’t appreciate as fast as one in a more established neighborhood. But that’s not always the case, says Grant Whittenberger, Vice President of Sales for Buffington Signature Homes.
"Buying a new home from the right builder can make a tremendous difference in what you get for your money," explains Whittenberger. "With new construction, you can often customize important aspects of the layout and design, plus you can get better energy-efficiency, modern features and appliances, even incentives on pricing or financing."
To help explain the benefits of buying new versus buying resale, Mr. Whittenberger shared these important factors to consider when choosing your new home.
Energy Efficiency
With drastically lowered monthly utility bills and a smaller impact on the environment, energy efficiency is an important consideration for many buyers. With the latest Energy Star technology and construction methods, as well as new strict codes on materials and insulation, new homes can provide enormous cost-cutting benefits to their buyers. From the kitchen, to the garage, to the laundry room, household appliances continue to improve every year. More than just looks or fancy features, these new appliances often use less energy and water, and they provide better performance than older models found in used homes.
Every Buffington Signature Home comes with a standard collection of state-of-the-art features, including Whirlpool Energy Star kitchen appliances, efficient gas water heaters, and Carrier, 14 SEER, Puron HVAC systems. Today's best air conditioners use 30%–50% less energy to produce the same amount of cooling as air conditioners made in the mid 1970s. Even if your HVAC is only 10 years old, you would save 20%–40% of your cooling energy costs by replacing it with a newer, more efficient model.
Buffington’s homes feature highly efficient house wrap seals and insulation, insulated glass windows and extra seals around doors and windows to further reduce heating and cooling costs. This is an important factor, considering utilities can add hundreds of dollars per month in bills on top of your mortgage payment.
Appreciation
Another important factor to consider is your home’s appreciation. 84% of all homes sold are 3 years old or newer. The first seven or eight years of a home's "life" are usually its formative years, where the most appreciation can occur. A typical home needs updating and remodeling after 20-30 years, a costly and difficult process that’s necessary to maintain its value. As a general rule, the newer your home, the higher the appraisal value, and a higher price tag on your home when it comes time to sell it.
Low Maintenance
From the moment a home is completed, the wear and tear begins. Even the best quality used homes require maintenance and upkeep, but new ones require significantly less than those that have already been lived in, even if the previous owner did the required yearly maintenance. With the latest in construction techniques, quality materials and high-end fixtures, a new Buffington Signature Home will be virtually maintenance fee for many years. Whittenberger adds, “Don’t forget about the remodeling savings. We just installed that new kitchen, master bath and mechanical units, and you even have the ability to select the paint colors and flooring in your new Buffington Signature Home.”
New Home Warranties
Even with the low maintenance of a new home, a warranty can provide important coverage and peace of mind for homeowners. New homebuyers are assured at least a one-year warranty on the home itself, with other warranties on major appliances and features. And in Texas, builders are required to guarantee the structure of the home for a full 10 years. With Buffington Signature Homes, you’ll have the peace of mind of comprehensive coverage through the company’s partnership with Bonded Builders Warranty Group, one of the state’s oldest and largest providers.
Home Location
As they say, location is the most important factor in the value of your home, and new home construction offers you endless possibilities for the perfect location. “Homebuilders put a lot of time and research into seeking out new up-and-coming areas or established neighborhoods that have some available land to build,” says Whittenberger. “This research shows us where we can provide extra value to our customers in the home and lifestyle they want to live. Shopping, schools, recreation and traffic flow are just the tip of the iceberg of information we use in choosing where we would like to build homes.” This offers more choices in the general area or neighborhood for your home, as well as the opportunity to choose the specific homesite within that community. Buffington currently offers prime homesites in some of the area’s premier communities, like Silver Leaf in Round Rock, Forest Oaks in Cedar Park, and the Bridges at Bear Creek and Southpark Meadows in south Austin.
Floor Plans
It’s easy to overlook the importance of floor plans. As our lifestyles change, so do the ways we use the space in our homes. Many older homes feature impractical layouts that leave wasted or unusable space throughout the home, while contemporary floor plans can make even modest homes much more livable. Buffington’s innovative floor plans are designed to maximize livable space. “We’ve talked to homebuyers,” says Whittenberger, “and we designed each home’s layout in a way that gives space in the areas where families need it, with open, island kitchens, more storage, closet space and high ceilings.”
Design Options
When you’re shopping among existing homes, the design options in your home are ultimately at the mercy of the previous owner’s tastes. Buyers are often left with the choice between paying more money to redecorate or to live with someone else’s choices. With Buffington’s Signature Selections, you can choose the designs and features that will make your new home truly your own.
Latest Technology
As with everything else in our space-age society, newer and better ways of constructing homes are always being generated. Fiber optic services are being installed in some new communities to offer faster and more reliable services in the future. Buffington Signature Homes installs additional phone and cable lines in all bedrooms, studies, home management centers, living and game rooms. They also pre-wire for projection screens over fireplaces with a recessed electrical outlet and conduit for future cables, so there is no need for exposed wires on the exterior of the home or costly sheetrock repairs from retrofitting future lines.
Financing Options
As the requirements for securing a new mortgage get more demanding, many potential buyers begin to worry about the stressful financing process. Many homebuilders can simplify this process by partnering with established lenders and offering significantly easier qualifying or reduced rates. Through a partnership with MyHomeMortgage, Buffington can ensure that their buyers receive the most competitive financing options available.
Competitive Pricing
Compare the prices of existing resale homes with comparably-sized new homes. With so many new home builders in Central Texas, builders are competing for your business. When you combine these already competitive prices with incentives on closing costs, financing options or special offers, it’s tough for an independent resale to compete.
About Buffington Signature Homes Buffington Signature Homes is dedicated to building homes that will last a lifetime. A locally owned company with a wealth of experience, Buffington Signature Homes combines innovative floor plans, skilled craftsmanship and an exceptional buying experience to deliver homes with value that each and every customer is proud to live in. Proudly building fine communities and new homes in South Austin, Round Rock and Cedar Park. Home prices vary per community, from the $210’s to the mid $300’s, ranging in size from 2000 to 3700 sq ft with new plans in the works to go over 4000 sq ft. www.mybuffington.com/aas
These are just a few of the ways you can get more for your money by making your next home a new one.
About Buffington Signature Homes
Buffington Signature Homes is dedicated to building homes that will last a lifetime. A locally owned company with a wealth of experience, Buffington Signature Homes combines innovative floor plans, skilled craftsmanship and an exceptional buying experience to deliver homes with value that each and every customer is proud to live in. Proudly building fine communities and new homes in South Austin, Round Rock and Cedar Park. Home prices vary per community, from the $210’s to the mid $300’s, ranging in size from 2000 to 3700 sq ft with new plans in the works to go over 4000 sq ft.
Media Contact:
Grant Whittenberger
Vice President of Sales & Marketing
512.762.1315
gwhittenberger@mybuffington.com
