Building a Home vs Buying a Home: 7 Advantages to Building

Take a short drive just about anywhere in St. Charles County, and definitely in Western St. Charles County, and you are bound to find the telltale signs of new construction homes: Homes in framing with house wrap, cement trucks, cranes, and tradesmen. Oh yes, and mud, lots of mud. Some of the fastest growing communities within Missouri, including Wentzville, Lake St. Louis, and O’Fallon, still have undeveloped land that builders are snapping up as new construction homes continue to be in high demand. Recently there has been a boom in new construction within nearby Wright City on the eastern end of Warren County.

It is important for any REALTOR® serving these areas to regularly attend new construction training to be best equipped with building expertise which translates into added value to buyer clients. Because of our commitment to training, our agents are powerful advocates throughout the home-building process; they provide insight during design and selection, expert skill during contract negotiations, and advocacy as the home takes shape.

Our buyers choose new construction for many reasons. Here are the top 7 advantages to building a new construction home vs. buying resale.

#1 - Bypassing Competitive Buyer Market

In the St. Louis metro area, our sellers have experienced a strong selling market for several years. What is a seller’s market in real estate? It means that there are more real estate buyers than there are sellers or homes for sale. In a strong selling market you tend to see appreciating home prices, lower days on market, and multiple offers on homes. Year-to-date April 2020, the average days on market for listed homes in St. Charles County is just 17 days.

So what does that look like if you are planning to buy? Well, it is a competitive market for homes especially at homes at or below the average sale price in the area. Buyers may experience bidding wars, homes going under contract before they can even schedule a showing to personally see the home, and compromising to find a home to fit their wants and needs.

Some buyers choose to bypass the competitive resale market in favor of new construction.

#2 - Customization

Rarely will a resale home reflect all of your preferences, your wants and your needs. Certainly, there is always compromise and a give and take process. If the resale homes’ features don’t match your taste or your needs, are you able to renovate? Many times the answer is no or it would just be easier or more cost efficient to start from scratch.

In building a new home, you have control over every feature, layout, floorplan, subdivision, and so much more. This customization allows you to get what you want the first time around.

#3 - Getting the Newest in Construction Practices, Energy Efficiencies, and Technological Advances

A new construction home provides a buyer with the newest products and innovations to give buyers a connected smart home and an energy-efficient home.

Our homes become smarter every year. Smart home technology is built into many of the new construction homes nowadays. With home automation you have the ability to connect your home to wifi to allow you to monitor your home on the go from your phone. Smart home features include control of lights, thermostats, home security, music/internet, appliances, window shades, irrigation systems and more. Undoubtedly, this list will continue to grow each year.

Other innovative products currently being built into these new construction homes in the St. Louis area are radon-mitigation systems installed to give peace of mind, plumbing manifold system to minimize joints in the water lines, and behind-the-walls pest shield systems. Also, for the techies out there, built-in speakers are also common in today’s new construction home.

Newer building codes and technological advances have led to better home energy efficiency which translates into direct benefits to buyers:

• Saving money on lower energy costs to heat and cool the home
• Saving money on lower water utility costs with low flow toilets
• Increase the peace within the home by decreasing the outside noise

Many St. Louis area builders incorporate the following energy-efficient, behind-the-walls construction techniques, standards, and products into the home construction as they build a high-performance home.

• Insulated window panes
• Window flashing tape
• Insulated homes (better insulation and home wraps)
• Spray-foam insulation
• Duct sealing
• Energy-efficient appliances, including water heaters
• High-efficiency heating and cooling systems

Sometimes these features are standard in the base cost, and sometimes they are upgrades. Make sure to check with your builder for their specifications.

The “pros” of having an energy-efficient home are the energy savings and lower carbon footprint, but the “con” is that these homes can be so tight that the builder needs to have a plan for ventilation and moisture control within the home. Discuss humidity controls with your builder in the new construction process and when living in the home to ventilate the home allowing it to breathe.

#4 - Fewer Repairs and Less Maintenance Costs Early On

The first several years in a new home, annual maintenance and repair costs are much lower because everything is new and many items are under warranty. New construction home buyers will likely enjoy a reprieve from many unexpected home repairs and annual maintenance at least for a few years.

#5 - Modern Designs for Today’s Lifestyle

Home preferences change over time. In an older resale home, you might find less space, storage, and bathrooms. You might also find rooms that were popular in years gone by, but aren’t in demand today like living rooms and dining rooms.

With new construction, you will find modern floor plans that were designed for the needs of today’s lifestyle, like open floor plans, main-floor restrooms, larger bedrooms, main-floor or second-floor laundry, and mud rooms. Rooms that today’s buyers are looking for now are home offices, flex space, and home workout areas. Today’s lifestyle calls for more smart storage options, walk-in closets, larger garages or garages with bump outs. Buyers also are looking for open-concept floor plans and 9’ or higher ceilings. In building new construction, you can opt for any or all of these features.

#6 - Builder Home Warranty

There is a peace of mind in building a new construction home with a trusted builder, as builders in the St. Louis metro area typically offer a 7- to 10-year home warranty for structural defects. Some builders may even offer warranties for basement waterproofing. Oftentimes, they provide for walkthroughs a couple of times during the first year in the home to address small issues that may have arisen that are covered under a 1-year builder limited warranty.

#7 - Emotional Connection

Finally, we find that our clients that build their home often have a stronger emotional connection to that home. The end result is the product of a dream and image they had of their perfect home, and is often a labor of love.

Conclusion

Let us share our expertise with you. Hire us to represent you on your new construction build in a subdivision, on your own land, or in the purchase of an existing inventory home! Or visit our new construction home search pages to view new construction homes near you listed for sale.

• St Charles County New Construction Homes for Sale
• St Louis County New Construction Homes for Sale
• Lincoln County New Construction Homes for Sale
• Warren County New Construction Homes for Sale

Not all new construction homes are listed on the MLS, so without an expert to guide you on local area new construction builders and subdivisions, you might miss an opportunity. Contact us to help you find new construction homes or to put you in touch with area builders.