As an agent who specializes in helping home buyers throughout York County, I am occasionally asked about the advantages and/or disadvantages of buying a brand-new home versus a resale home. Making that home purchase decision will depend on a great deal of factors and will vary based upon the individual buying the home, their family’s needs, long term goals, and budget.

There can be a big difference in maintenance costs, move in and upgrade needs/costs, lending costs and a difference in the quality of amenities within neighborhoods for a new construction home purchase versus a resale home. All of these things should have an impact on your decision making. However, the biggest factor of any real estate purchase, perhaps, should be the location. As the old saying goes, "the three most important aspects of real estate are "location, location, location."…And in my mind there are many great places to live in Rock Hill, Fort Mill, Clover, York, Tega Cay and Lake Wylie depending on your needs. Remember, if you buy a home in the right spot, your investment is bound to grow! So, don’t forget to ask your Realtor®, hopefully one of our real estate agents at the Palmetto Property Pros, where the hot spots are in your home purchase price range.

With good communication between you and your agent, you should be able to find that great location. Remember to make sure that you do your research as not all subdivisions and neighborhoods are growing at the same rate of appreciation. In fact, in down markets, homes in many areas are losing valuable equity. This is the trend that is reflective of a home market with many foreclosures, bank owned properties (REO’s) and short sale homes. Sound familiar to you?

In any case, some research should be done before you buy a new home in one of our York County communities. Further, I always recommend that you have buyer representation in a purchase of a home, whether it is a new home construction of a resale home. In new construction, many people just go to the builder or builder’s agent directly, and this is a mistake. By doing so, you are sacrificing an enormous amount of your negotiating position and could be accidentally giving away information that the builder-home seller will use to their advantage. This could ultimately affect the amount that you pay for the home and the extras that you receive with the new home purchase.

You see, a builder and/or his representative/agent should be looked at just like any other home seller in the market or even more cautiously. They are representing their own interests in a real estate transaction that they have with you. They are NOT representing YOUR best interest. Just like a resale home seller, they want to sell their home and maximize their profit. You, on the other hand, want to buy a home that fits your needs as inexpensively as possible. Do you see the conflict?

Another thing, while it's tempting to assume that any new home is well constructed, that's not always the case. New homes are untested. Just like a used home can have repair needs and latent defects, a new construction home can have incomplete systems, mechanical failure or faulty workmanship. For that reason, I always recommend that a buyer of any home, whether that home is a new construction home or a resale home, get a home inspection from a licensed home inspection. Finding out that a home has problems, after purchase, is never a good thing, and getting the builder to service the repair issues could be a challenge too. Am I recommending against new construction homes? No, just be aware of the potential problems and have the proper advocate on your side when making these or any home purchase in Fort Mill, Rock Hill or Lake Wylie. Just for the record, there are often great deals on new construction homes in our area too.

As a licensed builder, myself, for more than 20 years, I, Ross Harkness, am the perfect guy to walk you through and represent you in either a new construction or a resale home. You see, I am more apt to notice a small defect, or more importantly, a large one in a home than any other agent. I also, have specialized training to assist a buyer in any market situation as I have completed my ABR (accredited buyer's representative) training, have a SFR (short sales and foreclosure resource) certificate and regularly upgrade my education to aid you in a real estate transaction. Finding a great home at a good value for you and completing a satisfactory real estate deal on your behalf is my aim. At the end of every closed transaction, my goal is to get a letter of recommendation from my client, and so far, I've got a pretty good record of accomplishing that!

So, if you have ever considered purchasing a new or resale home, please contact me to assist you. Helping you reflect on ALL of the important criteria of home buying that could influence your final decision; I'm on your side. As a great real estate negotiator with a record of satisfied buyer clients and the testimonials to prove it, I look forward to hearing from you when the time is right for you and your family to make that home purchase. Now is a great time to buy a home in Lake Wylie, Rock Hill, Fort Mill, Tega Cay, Clover or York.

Even if you are not planning on a move right away, call me. Let’s chat or have lunch. I’ll buy! That way when you are ready, we will already know each other.

As real estate agents who primarily serve the areas around Lake Wylie, Palmetto Property Pros serve homebuyers and home sellers in Rock Hill, Fort Mill, Clover, York, Tega Cay and Lake Wylie. This is easily accomplished by our having a real estate office right in the northern part of Rock Hill, SC, which gives us easy access to all of those great York County, South Carolina communities.

Thanks and God bless,

Ross Harkness, SFR
SC Realtor®/SC Licensed Builder
NC Broker
Palmetto Property Pros
Wilkinson and Associates Real Estate