10 Advantages of Buying New over an Older Home

Consider the long term advantages and savings that come with buying or building a new home.

Whether you are buying your first home or looking for a new home to suit your current lifestyle, there are many factors that should be considered to make that a decision: your lifestyle now and for the next 10 to 20 years, the amenities available in the community you want to live in, the ongoing costs of home ownership, the resale potential and what your budget can afford. 

At first glance, many people consider an older home to be a more affordable purchase but may not have considered the long term advantages and savings that come with buying or building new.

1. Major savings in operational costs

Ask anyone who has recently bought new about their energy bills. The new construction techniques from the foundation to the roof vents are all designed for maximum savings on energy costs for heating and cooling thanks to the type of insulation, windows, high-efficiency furnaces and heat recovery ventilation systems. A new house is virtually draft-free, it holds the heat in the winter, and often just the furnace fan and heat recovery ventilation HRV system is all that is needed to keep your home at a comfortable temperature in the summer with little or no need for air conditioning. 

2. This is your dream home, not someone else's

New home owners get to choose the lot size and location they want, the house style and orientation that works for them, the building materials, the roofing, windows and doors and those extras like gables, towers, pillars, bay windows, vaulted ceilings that make a house special. At Duvanco Homes, we have a wide selection of house plans that can be modified to suit your needs and budget and three subdivisions. 

3. No more long term remodeling plans

Your new Duvanco home comes with your choice of decor in colours and finishings that compliment your decorating tastes. We offer durable floorings, tiles and carpeting that will withstand normal wear and tear. All the features you wanted in previous homes: dream kitchens, ensuite bathrooms, walk-in closets, open concept or separate spaces, are built to your specifications from the start. We have a decorator on staff to help you make your choices wisely. 

4. Built to suit your lifestyle and circumstances

Parents with young families often want extra storage, recreation rooms, home theatres and protection features for young children. Singles or older families ask for party rooms, home offices, workshops, or even a separate basement apartment for a relative. Seniors look for accessibility features such as wide doors, pull-out shelving, levered handles, grab bars, walk-in baths and showers and ramped entrances. At Duvanco Homes, we keep up with the latest trends in home design for your specific needs. 

5. No costly surprise repairs

With an older home, there are always unpleasant surprises, leaking roofs, faulty wiring, outdated plumbing, and furnace breakdowns. Many of the problems are not visible when you buy. This doesn't happen with a new home. Every house Duvanco Homes builds meets or exceeds current safety and building codes and has been inspected at all stages of construction. Your Duvanco home will be quiet, safe, easy to heat, and low maintenance for years to come. 

6.  Comfort and security are built into the walls

Inside the walls of your Duvanco home are the wires and ductwork for all the systems you will need now or in the future including air conditioning, HRV environmental controls, central vacuum system, cabling for phones, wifi, burglar alarm systems, sound systems, cable and satellite TV. Gas line extensions can be included for fireplaces and outdoor barbecues, outdoor lighting is placed where you want it to ensure safe access to the high traffic areas of the yard, outdoor plugs for garden work and seasonal lighting, outdoor taps to get water to all areas of your garden, and controls for an underground sprinkler systems. Adding these features to an older home would cost tens of thousands in renovations. 

7. Your new home is ready when you are

Buying an existing home can put you in the centre of a chain reaction where everyone is waiting for a buyer for their existing home.  It can take months and potential sales are lost in the process. Price wars can also force you to pay far more than the real value of a house. On a new house, the base prices are fixed and include many extras. If you do not have the three to four months required to build, Duvanco generally has a selection of partially-built homes that we can complete in a shorter time frame to meet your specifications. 

8. Professionalism, reputation and guarantees

Older homes are often referred to as a handyman's dream and as a buyer you have no idea what repairs were done by a qualified trades person or just part of a DIY project by the owner. With a new home, you know that the work has been done by trained professional tradespeople and has been properly inspected. Duvanco Homes have been building homes in the Belleville area since 2000 and have built a reputation for quality workmanship. The homes also qualify for Ontario's Tarion New Home Warranty. 

9. Sleep securely

All new homes come equipped with electrical and battery-charged fire alarms and carbon monoxide monitors. Basement areas include at least one extra large window to allow for emergency exit, garage doors are built with sensors to prevent closure on obstacles or people. All houses come prewired for burglar alarm systems ready to go for minimal hook up costs. You can rest assured that you and your loved ones will be adequately warned of any dangerous emergency and have a choice of escape routes from the house. 

10. Being part of a new community

Most new homes are built in a new subdivision with the advantage of new water and utility services, often buried power lines, new sidewalks, roads and curbs. Your property value will not be lowered by derelict or neglected properties nearby and you experience the fun of building a new community with your new neighbours. Duvanco Homes are currently building in three distinct areas of Belleville: Potters Creek in the west end off Avondale Road, Settlers Ridge, north off Maitland Drive and Harbour Landing, close to Meyer's Pier, the Bayshore walking trails and downtown Belleville.

Any savings on buying an older home end when the purchase is completed. The savings on buying a new home in terms of energy costs, maintenance, repairs, renovation, modernization and resale potential begin the day you move in and will continue to grow each year.