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[Mominohio]

Give me an old home any day. Especially one built before about 1940. Older than that is better.

New homes cannot be built to the standards of the old, and finding older homes that have at least been maintained, if not updated extensively, will cost no more, and get you a more sound and sturdy house, than anything the same money could build today. We know a number of builder, and they all admit, the quality of product that old homes have, is just not available today, at any price.

The biggest problem in finding old homes is the areas that they are in. Many are in run down areas, and not very many available in the country in many areas of the nation.

And as for character, I see some new builds that have it, but just not the same as the old ones.

[GCR18]

I've lived in both. I prefer new construction. Had I not moved to a different state though, I never could have afforded a new house. My sister lived in a house from the 1800's. It was a money pit.

[athenian]

The newest house I ever lived in was 5 years old, so I can't judge. I love our 120 year old Victorian, but I will never live in a house through reno again; 3 months with no kitchen!!!

[Marienkaefer2]

I wistfully drive through the "old town" section of our town and admire the beautiful Victorians and Craftsman style bungalows built from the early to mid 20th century. Some are in disrepair, but most have been beautifully kept. I love houses like that, but I know they are a lot of work and $$$.

[lianne]

My friend used to work for Horton in FL, she said they had so many complaints from buyers due to poor quality construction. They are on the better business bureau list with low ratings. She got so sick of it she went to work for Pulte homes.

All the builders just slap these things up quickly with builder grade quality construction materials. The worst part is they all look the same.

[beach-mom]

DH grew up in a Victorian farmhouse that was built in 1860. When his dad bought it, it had been in one family the whole time. DH's parents were close friends of the family. It's a beautiful house, but there is always something that needs to be done. His sister and her family live there now.

I LOVE old houses, but grew up in new ones. DH wouldn't even think about getting one when we were buying, so we've always had new ones. The one we live in now is a replica of an older home, with a more modern floor plan inside.

We have a lot of friends who live in old homes, and I always love going to see them - and the dumb waiters, pocket doors, stained glass windows, etc!

[151949]

On 1/17/2015 lianne said:

My friend used to work for Horton in FL, she said they had so many complaints from buyers due to poor quality construction. They are on the better business bureau list with low ratings. She got so sick of it she went to work for Pulte homes.

All the builders just slap these things up quickly with builder grade quality construction materials. The worst part is they all look the same.

Our first home in pittsburgh was a built by Moronda 32 years ago and we were always impressed by the quality that went into a house that only cost $62,000. 4 years ago we purchased a Horton home in Florida. It is a good solid home as far as the bones of it -mostly due to the Florida laws that make them build homes here to be as hurricane resistant as possible. However, yes, they certainly did use lesser quality on things like the cabinets and flooring materials. However, the home was priced low too , so it is your choice to pay less and get into your home then upgrade as you want to, need to , or can afford to OR pay a lot more to get into a home with more expensive fixtures up front. We like making a house our own and have upgraded a few things every year to our taste and budget. Meanwhile we are happily living here in Paradise in a home that did not make us house poor.

[Lacey1]

Having been in many, many homes as a home care nurse-and from where I've lived, and what family experiences have been- The newer, 'affordable' homes are built with poor quality materials and construction techniques.

I currently live in the best home, I've ever lived in. It's about 60 years old. Some people might think things are dated, but I have real plaster walls, real wooden interior doors, storage space, large closets, real wooden trim, 2 gas fireplaces and 3 full baths. I may not have a 3 car garage, or a garden tub-but the house is well-built, not drafty, not creaky, it's got a solid feel, and is comfortable. I have a level yard and driveway. The price was 1/3 of some of the McMansions being built. The neighborhood has beautiful, mature trees and wide streets.

My sister lives in Arizona. She always wants 'new construction' homes. Boy, those houses have cost her a fortune, they go up in a few weeks with a bunch of immigrant workers, and she always has lots of problems-mystery leaks, poor attention to details, erosion in the yards, etc.

[Sunshine Kate]

Positively a brand new build.

Older homes can be and usually are money traps. They have lead paint and pipes that have to be renewed; expensive among others.

[kittymomNC]

I've never "built" a new home. But I found out from my insurance company that it would cost more to rebuild my current home (circa 1956) than it would to rebuild a comparable new home, due to the type of materials used and the type of construction. For example, most new homes have plywood roofing (standard, unless it's a "custom" home), mine has tongue and groove boards. Parts of my home were built using Douglas fir, which according to one remodeler who did some work for me, you don't ever find in new home construction, again unless it's "custom" designed and built.

My dream used to be to buy a big older home with all sorts of odd shaped rooms and nooks and crannies and big windows, and re-do it. I never got the chance, but there are some sections of my town where there are many huge older homes and the younger more affluent people who have moved into this area are buying them and completely restoring them. They are creating some of the most beautiful neighborhoods, not like the cookie cutter new neighborhoods going up all over the place where the houses all look almost exactly alike, are on postage-stamp size lots, and if you looked out your window, you could probably read the computer screen in someone else's house! I'm not saying anything is wrong with those neighborhoods, they are very nice homes, nicely kept, and give people a lot of living space for their money.

But I would prefer a home in one of those older neighborhoods any day!