8 Reasons why Buying a New Home is Better than Buying a Resale

Before buying a resale house in Austin, you should give serious thought to buying a new home in a community like Spanish Oaks instead. Luxury home builders in Austin have been hard at work, and there are some amazing deals out there on Austin luxury homes. Interest rates continue to be at historic lows too, which sweetens the deal. With so many advantages, there's never been a better time to buy a new home in Austin.

If you're still on the fence, consider these eight terrific reasons for buying a new home instead of a resale home:

• Energy-Efficient Designs - Building codes are stricter about energy efficiency than ever, so your energy costs are sure to be low with a new home. The envelope of a new home, which refers to the way in which it is sealed from the elements, features advanced materials to ensure optimal energy efficiency. The only way to improve the energy efficiency of an older home is by retrofitting it, and that can be pretty pricey.


• Improved Fire Safety - By law, all new homes must have hard-wired smoke detectors, which are a lot more reliable than traditional models. A traditional smoke detector's batteries can die, which renders it useless. In the case of a hard-wired smoke detector, it runs off of a home's electrical system and has a back-up battery in case of power outages.


• Customization - In many cases, you can get in on the design process to a certain extent with a new home. If you're interested in a new home in a specific community, you may even be able to choose a lot on which to build it. As the building process unfolds, you'll be able to make decisions about flooring, interior and exterior colors and much more. This is a great way to get precisely what you want from the very start, and it beats having to remodel everything yourself after moving in.


• Less Maintenance - New homes are designed to be easy to care for, so you won't have to do nearly as much maintenance. Major advancements have been made in construction, so your new home will feature materials and components that stand up well. For example, wood is often replaced with composite materials to eliminate the risk of rotting. When you buy an older home, you could end up doing a lot of maintenance right from the start. That's true even if you have a thorough building inspection performed. Some things just aren't apparent, and other things fail well after closing. With a new home, you'll be able to relax and enjoy it.


• Warranties - In most instances, there is a one-year warranty on all repairs after buying a newly built home. If something needs work, you won't have to pay a dime to have it done. The various components in your home will come with new warranties too. The same can't be said for an older home, so you're really rolling the dice when you buy one. It's reassuring to know that things will be handled for you during at least the first year.


• Energy-Efficient Appliances - In addition to being designed in an energy-efficient way, your new home should include energy-efficient appliances. Since the appliances are new, they should last for a long time too. You shouldn't have to worry about replacing any major appliances for several years. With lower monthly energy bills and shiny new appliances, you will be able to save a lot of money during the first years that you live in your new home. It's the perfect time to build up a rainy day fund to use later when repairs are eventually needed.


• Closing Perks - Luxury home builders in Austin often work closely with mortgage companies and can usually help you arrange financing. As an added bonus, special perks are often thrown in to make the deal work. The builder might be willing to cover all or part of your closing costs or pay points. When combined with today's low interest rates, you may be able to get into a gorgeous new home for a lot less than you expect. It never hurts to ask, so make sure to check with your builder to see if offers like these are available.


• Fewer Repairs - When buying a resale home, repairs are usually par for the course. You can usually get the sellers to make certain repairs to get the deal to go through, but many little things are often left to be handled later. This is not a huge deal if you like doing that kind of work. If you'd rather move into a home that's in impeccable shape, a new home is the way to go. Every last inch of your home will be new, so you'll be able to focus on decorating and getting comfortable instead of making repairs.

There are plenty of new Austin luxury homes on the market right now, and many of them are in great communities like Spanish Oaks. Housing starts are expected to be strong throughout the year too. Interest rates aren't going up any time soon, so now is the time to purchase a new home. If you let this moment pass, you're sure to regret it.