1. I like the privacy of larger lots. Our new house is on .60 acres and I won’t have to listen to my neighbors arguing, or their kids screaming all of the time.
2. Many of the new floorplans in Temecula are geared to families of 4+ people. For a married couple, it’s lots of wasted space. We don’t need a “loft” or hobby/game room in addition to 4 bdrms. If we have a master, two rooms for offices and a guest room we’re happy.
3. I’ve heard that older construction is more solid. During the boom, builders put together homes as quickly as possible to meet the heavy demand.
4. I prefer an established neighborhood that is NOT full of owners who did 100+% financing in the last 3 years. The number of NODs/REOs within a 2.5 mile radius of Redhawk is substantially higher than it is for my new ‘hood.
5. The building materials used in the new homes I’ve seen seem cheap.
HOWEVER, Marion, if I were in your shoes – and single – I would probably opt to buy a newer home that doesnt need a lot of maintenance.
There are existing homes out there that are in decent shape. I saw a house in Crowne Hill some months ago (Hussar Ct) that was built in 2005 and NEVER lived in (I think an investor had purchased it). It was nicely done, about 2800 sq feet, 10K sf lot, and the price wasnt bad. I think it’s an REO now.
So much of this is really about your own personal tastes and needs. There is something to be said for being able to choose your own cabinet colors, tile, carpet, etc.
