New Home Construction in Commack: Is New Right For You?

By Craig Axelrod

If you've ever thought about purchasing new construction on Long Island, then now is the time for you to be searching. With the real estate market where it is, it is more affordable than ever to buy new construction. On Long Island, your options are limited. The amount of free real estate available in this once farmland space, is virtuallycompletely developed. Many communities have instituted limitations on construction, preserving the remaining farmland and open areas.

However, new construction is still available and may be perfect for the new homeowner. If you've been searching at real estate, and have considered new construction, you should review this:

1. Older houses, while "charming" on the outside, are, in fact, old houses. Over time they age. Many houses in the40 to75-year-old range have become "knock downs"bought by builders to put up new construction. If you're buying an older home, it could cost you more in the long run with maintenance and repairs.

2. New construction gives you more freedom. Very little people ever locate the "ideal home" of their dreams. Generally, they need to paint, wallpaper, change carpeting, move walls, re-do bathrooms and kitchens and a list of various tasks that become very costly. That older home that looked like a deal becomes very expensive once you've done the repairs and alterations you want.

3. With new construction, you do not have to live through renovations. Kitchen remodeling, expansions and changes to your house can take months-even years. All the while, you are living in a construction zone.

4. You also have the additional costs of doing these upgrades, which must be purchased on top of the asking price of the house. Many families have to save for many months to have the available cash for improvements. Others may try to take 2nd mortgages or home-equity loans, but this can prove unsuccessful-especially with more rigid lending requirements.

You could look to borrow an additional $150,000, but your home is not worth an additional $200,000 today. Therefore, you lack the collateral to support that home equity loan. In contrast, new construction, even if slightly more costly, has the full cost in the home already, which is what mortgage companies want to see.

5. When choosing real estate, and evaluating existing homes, you have very few options. The real estate is "as is"-meaning the lawn is what it is, the plantings are what they are, and the yard is what it is. Usually, with new construction, it is either newly landscaped or in basic form so that you can landscape as you choose (generally, new construction without landscaping is less expensive than landscaped). With new construction, you are purchasing beautiful new property or freshly graded land that is set for landscaping.

When you're ready to choose new construction, be sure to keep all of these factors in mind. As you review the expense of the house, acknowledge the final expenses beyond the purchase price. Many families discover far better values with the newly built houses versus a less expensive existing house that needs upgrades. Even if you are handy, a updgrade are not free. You also need to come up with the money to pay for those improvements (whereas with new construction, those expenses are built into the asking price and are covered by the mortgage). - 31385

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