Building new vs buying existing

[leilaniguy]

If you buy existing, even a fixer, you will have a place to live. If you build, factor in the several months to a year of paying rent or living in a tent

[StillHope]

Kani,it looks like you made a good choice.
Of course,you have a perfect real estate agent..

[StillHope]

quote:

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Originally posted by leilaniguy

If you buy existing, even a fixer, you will have a place to live. If you build, factor in the several months to a year of paying rent or living in a tent

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You are right.But if you hire a good project manager

(Kapohocat,I heard,is the best) or have the right builder,you can live in the other state and have a "turn key" house ready for you to move in.

[kani-lehua]

quote:

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Originally posted by StillHope

Kani,it looks like you made a good choice.
Of course,you have a perfect real estate agent..

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well, honestly, our agent was a little miffed with the floor plan saying that it wasn't functional. that may be somewhat true, but we truly love it and it's perfect for our dogs. i mentioned the road, but we can live with that. our offer will be presented to the seller tomorrow. ooh, i got butterflies thinking about it.

"chaos reigns within.
reflect, repent and reboot.
order shall return."

microsoft error message with haiku poetry

[StillHope]

Don't warry about the road,Kani!
Make your dogs run it back and forth twice a day -it will improve!
Of course if cats have any sense of community,they would join the project..But I wouldn't count on it.

Seriously,you can not have it all.I wish I could have couple of acres in my location..[]

[Kapohocat]

quote:

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Originally posted by Hotzcatz...and am working on a major renovation (a rescue of a tear-down) and the renovation has been a lot longer and more difficult process. The renovation has been much less expensive, though...

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I love remodeling a house that had good bones to begin with - the older the better. SB has worked with old victorians for many years so it is cool to match everything up to the old style.

New houses also give you a lot more choices. Too many sometimes? You decide. SB cringes at the thought of all the day to day maintenance type repairs a old house needs.

I think (except for the foreclosure issues which may cause many spec houses etc to drop in price) that new versus old is same as post n pier versus slab. Do what you really like.

Catherine Dumond
Blue Water Project Management
808 965-9261
"We help make building your dream home a reality"

[DanielP]

And NEVER FORGET: LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION

[David M]

Also.. any special needs or features to consider? In our case, wheel chair accessibility was a factor. Can be a challenge with some existing properties, especially post and pier. After concluding that renovations would be a major factor, we gave up on existing homes, found property and then built to satisfy our needs. - Glad we did

David

Ninole Resident

[John S. Rabi]

I think this actually is very easy to answer. If having a house that is exactly what you want is important for you than build because you will not find such a house. If you don't have to have such a house than buy an existing one. There are new homes on the market that are listed for sale for less than it would cost to build.
BTW, building a house is not a big deal regardless of wherever you are. Just make sure you hire the right contractor. I have had nine homes built since 2000 and I have not had a headache with any one of them but one. (And I deserved that one!)[]

Aloha,
John S. Rabi, GM,ARB,BFT,CM,CBR,FHS,PB,RB
808.989.1314
http://www.JohnRabi.com
Typically Tropical Properties
"The Next Level of Service!"

[rc808]

Thanks for your input everyone. Currently i'm on Oahu and visit fairly often. I've had the pleasure of staying for weeks at a time though. I'm in the situation where work is good here but i can barely afford a condo on Oahu. For the same price i could have a nice home in Puna (where i'd rather be) but not the job on Oahu. Although i'm pretty close to being able to work entirely online (computer stuff).

So it's been a dream. I watch locations and prices often. I could technically get some land now and be ok for 10 years til i get around to building. I would truly enjoy having a hand in it's construction. The cost difference seems to vary like the market. It's probably difficult to answer til i'm ready to write a check and know whats available. Mahalos for all of your advice.