IF YOU WERE GOING TO BUY A CAR, WOULD YOU BUY IT BY LOOKING AT PICTURES ONLY?

I wouldn't recommend it. You would probably want to take it for a test drive, see how it handles, inspect the finishes, kick the tires and check the trunk space. This is because most of us use many senses when we make a major purchase.

  This is much the same when purchasing a home. A resale home allows you to use your senses to experience the home and determine if it is the house you want.  When you buy a resale home, you can inspect exactly what you are buying, including intangible aspects not found on a plan. Features such as the view from all windows, the flow of the floor plan and the overall ambiance the finishes provide. Additionally, you are moving into an established community and can inspect the recreational facilities, transportation links, support services, schools and the shopping centres. 

 In contrast, purchasing a new home it is a far more difficult decision because you have to visualize a home and all of its' finishes from a plan alone.

 Young parents are always concerned about school standards. Schools in established areas have their EQAO standing published on the internet and the purchasers know exactly how far their children will be traveling to school each day.. New schools may be promised in a newly developed area but often are not built right away. This may mean extended travel time to schools in other nearby neighbourhoods. The promised school sites are sometimes reclaimed by the builder and the schools are not opened.

 Many believe they are getting BETTER VALUE buying a resale home, as many improvements such as upgraded light fixtures, fences, paved driveways, finished basements and landscaping are included in the price. Often window coverings, which can be expensive, are part of the purchase price.

 HST is only paid once on a home. Resale homes do not trigger HST as part of the purchase price because this has already been paid by a previous owner.

 If you would like to discuss the differences between buying new and buying resale in greater depth, please contact us.