October 30, 2015
How valuable is new construction?
Being at Merit Real Estate, our specialty is new construction.We pride ourselves in the quality of our new construction, and the volume of new projects we are bringing into the neighborhood. However, I have found that most of my clients are first time buyers, and do not have the luxury of being able to purchase new construction for their first home. Do not be discouraged if you fall into this category. I hate to say it, but the attention to detail and finishes in older homes brings about a type of character that you will not find in a brand new home.
I constantly have buyers that are discouraged when they see the year built of a home. “That house was built in 1921?!? Gross, it is so old.” Quite the contrary. Homes built before the 50s with lath and plaster and sheetrock were built to last. There’s a reason that those Spanish style homes you see in certain neighborhoods of Los Angeles are still standing. They were built to last. They have survived El Nino, the Northridge earthquake (amongst countless other earthquakes of the past decade), and are still in tact! So my message to buyers, keep your options open! Do not let the year built discourage you! Some of the older homes will last forever with proper maintenance (unless it was built in the 80’s, let’s just pretend that decade never happened, just kidding). But seriously, old does not equal bad. Learn to appreciate the craftsmanship that went into building homes of the earlier and mid 20th century, and you will open up the doors to many more options in your house hunt. That’s my 2 cents… take it for what it’s worth.