t-mins 492 days: To Build Or Buy?

In one of the facebook groups, I recently asked "If time wasn't an issue, would you build or buy?" The answers were interesting. The most compelling answers explained that pools have a horrible resale value. You'll pay a lot of money for a pool, but only get a little bit of money for the pool when you sell the house. Therefore, it is cheaper to buy a used pool instead of install a new pool. Also, if you want a pool in a new house, some contractors will require you to pay for the pool upfront (either the entire thing, or half) in cash.

Other interesting answers were:

PRO FOR HOME BUILDING

• Newer houses are built better to protect from hurricanes (not sure if that is true, but, that is what someone wrote)
• Same price as buying a used house
• You get to pick out everything from door knobs to lighting fixtures
• New neighborhoods do not have large trees that might fall on your house in a storm
• It might be OK if you can customize it
• New home pools are tiny
• It can be more expensive to fix a pool than to build a new pool

CONS FOR HOME BUILDING

• New houses are built ontop of each other with no land. The houses are almost touching each other
• You or a hired home inspector must regularly check on a new house build
• New developments might have to pay a CDD Fee to offset the cost of infrastructure to pay for that development
• New homes settle, which crack titles and requires rugs to be stretched
• New builds often get delayed, which complicate time frames
• Taxes after construction is completed is a lot more than before it starts. People don't always plan for that

PRO FOR HOME BUYING

• You know what you are getting. You know what the neighborhood looks like.
• You don't have to buy landscaping. The landscaping is matured.
• Older homes might be better built because they are throwing up new houses as fast as they can
• Older neighborhoods have character, new neighborhoods are all cookie cutter
• Problems with the home construction have already been worked out
• Established neighborhoods have larger trees which provide shade
• Having neighbors who have lived there for a long time
• They often come with window coverings and appliances