Finally, having the means to have your own home is one of the biggest milestones for you as an adult. It takes a lot of hard work and saving, and now that you have the capacity to decide, you won’t want to do it halfheartedly. Now comes the big question: to buy a home or build one from the ground up?
Making the wrong decision means huge financial consequences, so thoroughly weighing your options is important. To help you make the right choice, we have broken down the top three reasons for purchasing a home and building your own.
The Pros of Buying a House
If convenience is extremely important to you, you may want to consider buying a house. Here is why.
- It involves less work on your part.
Building a home requires a lot of decision-making. Since you start from scratch, you need to reach out to various contractors to design your home and build it. When you buy a home instead, all of these have already been done beforehand.
The bulk of the work you will need to do when purchasing a home usually goes from lender to lender to get the most suitable mortgage rates for your financial status. Of course, the hunt for houses in this current market is also the other big concern.
- The whole process is usually less stressful.
Since building a home requires a lot of moving parts, it can get stressful to coordinate with every contractor and supplier. There is also all the noise and mess that comes with construction. When you opt to purchase a home, you bypass these stressors completely.
Purchasing a home involves making choices where most of the details are already laid out for you. The houses have already been built, sometimes even furnished. If you don’t want to concern yourself with the countless considerations of putting a home together, then buying a home is better for you.
- It is the more affordable option.
The National Association of Home Builders released a 2020 report about the cost of constructing a home, which shows that it requires more than $485,000 to build a single-family property. In contrast, buying a single-family home usually costs above $300,000. This is a difference of more than $100,000 just to build a home.
If you are keeping within a strict budget, purchasing a home is easier to fit into your plans. There will be fewer variables to deal with. You will not have to worry about hidden costs that could derail you from your current budget.
The Pros of Building a House
On the other hand, building a home gives you much more control over what your house will look like.
- There is less competition in the market.
The hot housing market of 2021 has made it harder to purchase homes. As demand is high and houses on sale are low, there are a lot of home buyers competing for the same homes.
If you opt to construct your home instead, the competition is much less intense. Not many people are searching for empty land to purchase.
- You can usually get better furnishings.
Since your home is brand new, you will usually need to buy new items for it. This allows you to buy appliances that use the latest technologies, which means you will have a more energy-efficient home than if you bought a pre-built property.
New homes are also built to follow current building codes and regulations. Constructing a home means ensuring that every aspect is done well, avoiding concerns of repairs and maintenance for faulty appliances and systems early into being a homeowner. Brand new appliances also still have warranties, protecting you from extra costs in case of any issues.
- It is much more customizable.
Building a home is like painting a blank canvas. It gives you so much free rein to make it what you want it to be. If you have a specific idea of what your dream home should look like, then constructing your home is a wiser move.
There are people who find the decision-making involved in constructing a home from scratch too time-consuming and stressful. But if you are the kind of person who thrives off of being involved in the small details such as choosing flooring, paint colors for each room, interior design, and more, then opt to build your home instead.
Conclusion
The better choice really is in what is more practical for your situation. Consider your time, budget, and preferences to know which decision will be most beneficial to you.