Buying a new home or an old home do come with merits and demerits for both instances, albeit there are some vital things to consider when opting for either a new home or an old home. The debate here is, what’s best for you; A new home or an Old home?

Prospective home buyers looking at areas where new neighbourhoods are being developed have a decision to make that’s affected by price, availability, features, and style: Do I buy a new building or a resaleproperty? Here are some thinking points when you’re considering which to buy:

New building

Purchasing a pre-construction house unit gives buyers a chance to personalize it to their needs and their style. The buyer can select layout, finishes, and fixtures.

The downsides…

A new subdivision will likely still be a construction zone when owners move in. Personality may be lacking, both outside and indoors; a resale home often has unique features that add warmth and style, whereas a new building may feel austere. And then there’s the waiting game, buyers may have to wait for some time before the building is finally ready for occupation.

Resale home

A house that has been previously occupied has two advantages that new buildings or houses find it hard to compete with: location and charm. The neighborhood is likely more developed; there will be mature greenery, a sense of community and culture, and an absence of the dirt, dust, and noise that accompany a new-building site. A resale home may also have unique features that make it feel special for the right buyer.

However, a resale home may also be dated and require costly repairs and renovations to make it suitable for a new owner. Because it wasn’t built with the latest materials and practices, it also may be less efficient.

New or old-both have their advantages. But make it all about you and your family, and your decision will be the right one.

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Selling a home is a stressful time for most.  The thought of not knowing when your home will sell, how much it will sell for, or bottom line, if it will sell at all can lead to many sleepless nights. These sleepless nights can become more and more frequent as the days on the market (DOM) continues to increase. This article dishes out 6 reasons why your home lingers too long in the market.

There are many reasons why a home isn’t selling.  Some of the reasons certainly carry more weight than others.  The reason for a home not selling can be solved and sometimes it is a very small and/or inexpensive correction that can make the difference between a home selling or not!  Other times there are reasons that your home isn’t selling and they cannot be corrected.  Here are 6 common reasons why your home isn’t selling.

1. Price
Bottom line, the number one reason a home isn’t selling is price.  If a home is overpriced, the other 4 common reasons below mean nothing.  Even if you hire the number one local real estate agent with the best marketing plan, it won’t matter if your home is overpriced!  The price that a home enters the market at will do a lot of the marketing of the home.  Today’s home buyers are well educated and have access to a wealth of information.  The internet makes it very easy for buyers to see what comparable homes look like and what they are selling for.  If a home is overpriced, many buyers will know this, and won’t even consider viewing the home.

2. Real Estate Agent

Every real estate market has hundreds or even thousands of real estate agents in their respective board.  Just like “no two people are alike,” “no two real estate agents are alike!”  Every real estate agent has different ways of communicating, how responsive they are, how they negotiate, their energy level, and many other characteristics that differentiate one agent from another.  Selecting the “right” real estate agent to sell your home is a vital part of whether a home will sell or not.

3. Real Estate Agents who “Buy Listings”
It’s extremely common that a seller has no idea their real estate agent has “bought the listing.”  What is a real estate agent who “Buys Listings?”  Simply put, it’s a real estate agent who tells a seller what they want to hear not what they need to hear!  This can include the pricing of a home, suggested (or lack of) repair items to make a home sellable, de-cluttering, or depersonalizing.  These “Yes” men or women will agree to anything a seller says just to secure the listing to use as a way to pick-up new business through inquiries, even though they know what they are agreeing to isn’t correct or in the sellers’ best interest.

4. Marketing Plan

Is it important to have a real estate agent who is internet savvy and utilizes online marketing?  Of course it is!  The real estate agent should have a strong internet presence which should include their own website, an active blog, and also social media presence.  With the growth of social media, it’s important that the real estate agent know how each network will benefit their client.

5. Poor Condition
Most home buyers in today’s society do not want to do a lot of “work” and are reluctant to take on a “project.”  A home that may have damaged and/or cracked walls, damaged siding, broken windows, strong odors, mold issues, or other “poor conditions” will take time to sell.  A home, even though priced to reflect the condition, still may not sell.  Once again, many of these “poor conditions” can be corrected and/or repaired fairly inexpensively.  In some cases it can be advantageous to do these corrections prior to listing as it may lead to a quicker sale and for more money.

6. Location
The saying “Location, Location, Location” is commonly heard in the real estate industry.  If a home isn’t selling, location is a difficult one to correct.  A home can be in mint condition, have excellent mechanics, and be a perfect layout but if its location is less than desirable, it can be a reason a home isn’t selling.  A few examples are a buyer who eliminates any home that is on a primary road, corner lot, or located near a highway.  Homes that are located in a less than desirable location normally will have greater days on the market (DOM) and lower sale prices than other comparable properties.

These above reasons why your home isn’t selling are very common.  While some are correctable and inexpensive, others are not.  The number one reason a home isn’t selling though, is price!  Making sure that your real estate agent has knowledge, experience, and the information to back up their suggestions is critical.  What other reasons do you see when a home is not selling?

For an average man building your dream home is definitely a dream come true.

It’s every sane man’s desire to find a worthy place to call home especially when it’s built or bought from their own sweat and not like it’s rented. There is always this sudden adrenaline rush that comes with owning your own house; it’s a dream come true. However there is a need to come off the ‘cloud 9’ feeling and consider for a moment the practicalities involved in achieving such feat. The feeling of owning a house might be exciting, however the work to be done for it to come alive is mind-boggling.

Here are ten things to consider when building your dream home.

1.  BE A STICKY BEAK
Check out a range of houses in your area to get a feel for what you like. The internet is a great tool for generating ideas; many builders have online tours of their homes as well. And if you’ve driven past a home you like the look of, why not knock on the owner’s door and ask them who the builder was?

2. FOR NOW AND FOREVER?
Consider how long you’re planning to live in your new dream home. Will it suit you up until the kids leave home? Will you then need to downsize later on in life? Understanding what type of home you’re building will help you with the layout too. If you’re planning a family, bedrooms close together might be helpful if the kids wake in the night. Think also about where the heart of the home will be where people will come together.

3. MAKE A LIST AND CHECK IT TWICE
Decide what the absolute must-haves are for your new home and what the nice-to-have options might be. Is it a double garage for both cars ? An open-plan living zone where kitchen, dining and living all flow together and become the heart of the house? Or a large backyard with a pool that will keep the kids busy.

4. EXPECT TO HEAR THE WORD ‘APPROVAL’ A LOT!
When it comes to building a home, approval of your building plan is key. Your builder will lodge your house plan with the ministry of lands and it may take some weeks to get approval. The ministry may ask for some changes to your plans and if this occurs your builder will need to re-submit.

5. ROME WASN’T BUILT IN A DAY – AND NEITHER WILL YOUR HOME
Allow up to one year for the whole process to take place – this starts with choosing your builder and home plan, gaining approval from the ministry, preparing the site, pouring the slab, erecting the frame to receiving the keys to your very own home.

6.  THE GROUND YOU BUILD ON
Whether your site is the middle of an urban neighbourhood or in a rural area, make sure the location is right for you. This might seem obvious, but sometimes our heart decides before our head. If your new home will be a second home out in the middle of no where away from all kinds of services and you will only be visiting on the weekends, that’s one thing. But, if your new home is far from everything, and it’s your year round home, it may be worth asking yourself if living an hour from civilization is for you. I’ve heard of people building dream homes and then selling within a few years because the lifestyle was better in their minds than in reality.

7.  AGING IN PLACE
Most of us would like to age gracefully and die at some far off date. We imagine living in our own homes and never having to move to a place that offers assistance. For some of us, that fantasy isn’t reality because most homes aren’t designed for aging in place. A home that is built for aging in place is easy to navigate and is in a location that makes the daily experience of living easy, or a least doable. Examples of easy navigation include a house without stairs, and doorways that are wide enough to let a wheelchair through. Things that are external to your home that make living easier might include being near a bus line or other forms of public transportation, being near shopping and entertainment, and having helpful neighbors. Simple things can make a big difference.

8. SIZE MATTERS

Houses come in all sizes from big Mansions to tiny little huts. Most of us don’t need or want either, rather it’s somewhere between. Of the two extremes, there is a lot to be said for building a smaller home. On the practical side it costs less to build smaller. Regardless it is essential you consider the size of the home you want in terms of long term goals and your financial strength at that moment. Don’t bank on the money from other businesses or expected earnings to cover for other needs that may suffer because of your building projects. Don’t throw all your eggs in one basket; cut your coat according to your size.

9. DON’T DO IT ALONE

There’s no need to feel overwhelmed when building your dream home. A good project management company/real estate company would give you reasons why you shouldn’t carry out your building project alone. It will streamline the whole process and save you time and money.

A good team is probably the most important thing for a successful project. A good team will certainly include your contractor, it can also include designers and engineers. Make sure that you are comfortable with all team members and they have the right experience to build your new home. Get recommendations and trust your gut.

10. BONUS

This may not seem like a bonus, but it’s offered in the spirit of one. Ask yourself if your marriage or partnership can handle a project this big.  With endless decisions to make, money on the line and schedule over runs, building a home can get stressful. Make sure you have a solid foundation, that you can discuss money issues openly and that you have mutual regard and respect for each others decision making ability.

It is important to know the right foundation for your building. Having the right foundation for your building saves you a lot of trouble. This article reveals the components of a common foundation and their purpose to ensure a strong and stable house for years to come

The foundation is the most important element of any building, be it a house or a high-rise. Simply put, the foundation is what everything rests on.

From pilings to piers to spread footings and more, foundations can be built in many ways. The most common, though, is the simple foundation wall made of poured concrete or concrete block, and a poured concrete footing system. This type of foundation is often times favoured by people, relatively inexpensive and there are scores upon scores of tradespeople able to quickly and efficiently build it. Therefore, the focus of this piece is on the typical wall and footing foundation system.

And remember that you should consult a local architect or builder to review any planned foundation and how local building codes will impact the system design and construction

The three structural parts of this kind of foundation:

• A continuous concrete footing
• A foundation wall of either poured concrete or concrete masonry units (CMUs)
• A concrete floor slab

These three elements are the foundation system’s structural components, serving to transfer the gravity load (the weight of the house) down into the ground. While concrete is an ideal material to handle the weight of the house, concrete isn’t very flexible. So steel reinforcing bars are introduced into the concrete to help resist any bending or twisting caused by ground movement.

A very important design consideration is placing the bottom of the footing below the frost line. This line exists at some distance below the surface and is where the ground, or any moisture in the ground, doesn’t freeze. Placing the footing below the frost line is essential to prevent any heaving or other movement caused by the freeze-thaw cycle.

Note that the depth of the frost line varies by location. The frost line is closer to the ground surface in warmer climates and much deeper in colder climates. But it’s essential to know where your frost line is when designing your home’s foundation.

Now you know how to go about getting the right kind of foundation for that house of yours. Don’t settle for less!