New homes typically have a higher sales price than comparable existing homes, and buyers are usually willing to spend more on a new home because of lower maintenance costs. Builders' warranties on new homes, when combined with a new roof, appliances, and major systems, usually make major repairs unnecessary and help to counter a slower initial rate of appreciation.

Census Bureau Housing Surveys suggests that operating costs are lowest for brand new homes and slightly higher for relatively new existing homes. Operating costs per square foot of living space are consistently higher for progressively older existing homes. Utility costs represent the largest factor in operating costs. Energy consumption per square foot depends on the size of the home, the insulation and quality of the windows, air leakage and the efficiency of the furnace.

New homes require fewer expenditures for routine maintenance. The cost of maintenance first increases with age, then declines, so you will generally spend less maintaining a home built before 1960 than for a home built between 1970 and 1975.

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Linda Lombardini
Trillium Real Estate
323 Braun Court
Ann Arbor, MI 48104
Office: 734-302-3011
Fax: 734-302-3099
Mobile: 734-216-6415
Text Me: 734-216-6415
Email: Linda@TrilliumRealtors.com

Call or text Linda at 734-216-6415. Linda Lombardini, a Realtor® since 1991, focuses always on counseling her clients so they may make sound real estate decisions. She is known throughout the Ann Arbor market for the high level of integrity that she brings to her real estate practice. Linda will be serving as President of the Ann Arbor Area Board of Realtors® in 2012. She is also a member of the board's Professional Standards Committees and has served on numerous nonprofit boards and City of Ann Arbor task forces. Linda’s expertise is in helping people buy and sell residential real estate, including homes, condos, new construction and vacant land in Washtenaw County and surrounding areas, including Ann Arbor, Chelsea, Dexter, Grass Lake, Milan, Pinckney, Saline, Whitmore Lake and Ypsilanti.

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