Buying new Home or older?

[jwslam]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

Why not get a place in Sherwood park, if you work there?

I would think that similar to the RE market in Airdrie, it's niche. People buy there because they work there or for other reasons. As such, when it comes to selling, you're limiting yourself to a small market as well.

[wooohooo]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

Why not get a place in Sherwood park, if you work there?

All our friends and family are in the SouthWest side of Edmonton. It only takes me about 15-20 minutes drive on the Henday which I don't mind at all. But I might be taking a job in Downtown so we'll see...

[CorsiHockeyLeague]

Originally Posted by afc wimbledon

Always buy old, new home warranty's aren't worth the paper they're written on

Can you explain this statement?

[Fuzz]

Originally Posted by wooohooo

All our friends and family are in the SouthWest side of Edmonton. It only takes me about 15-20 minutes drive on the Henday which I don't mind at all. But I might be taking a job in Downtown so we'll see...

I see. I guess it depends how often you visit. Personally, I'd prefer to keep my family a 20 minute drive away...

[afc wimbledon]

Originally Posted by CorsiHockeyLeague

Can you explain this statement?

New home warranty's are notorious for the amount of things they find a way of not covering, vast amounts of leaky condo's that were sold with warranty's in BC had clauses that made claims against them impossible.

[CorsiHockeyLeague]

I dunno, the ANHWP seems pretty solid to me... Not sure how they'd escape coverage if something actually failed.

[dino7c]

depends how old...I bought a new home in 2007 and it was a piece of garbage...looked nice but back then they were just cranking houses out and hired anybody they could find

Currently I have a home built in the early 2000s and it seems to be a much better quality build.

[puckedoff]

Originally Posted by CorsiHockeyLeague

Can you explain this statement?

New home builds are crap. Can't even stand in the sink.

[Kybosh]

I've had both new and old houses, and the exact same stuff goes wrong or breaks in both of them (leaky foundations, broken appliances, mold, warped floors, furnace problems etc.). I'd base your decision around 1) location 2) how long you'll be there 3) purchase price in that order.

[Buff]

If you decide to buy, you must look at it with a view to sell. If you plan on selling withing 5 years, you'll want to have the house that is easier to sell. Busy road vs quiet road. How much repair or cosmetic repair is required to do now, and can you do that work now? Stuff like that.

[Peanut]

A lot can happen in 5 years. Yeah you need to keep the eventual sale of your home in mind, but it's not the be-all, end-all. What if you end up living there for 10 years? Or 2? You just never know.

Don't totally throw resale to the wind but buy a place you will enjoy living in for 5 (or so) long years. If it was me, I'd go older neighbourhood, smaller home, and shorter commute everytime.

But caveat that recommendation with the fact that I find new build neighbourhoods to be soulless, ugly, and completely overpriced for what you get. (A slapped together house in a former prairie field!! With a nearby highway! And no trees! And fake lakes.)