6 Common New Construction Myths You May Have Heard

[@shane250]

I disagree with a couple of your points. I work alongside designers and architects. 1. New homes are DEFINITELY more expensive to build. More codes to comply to, wages are dramatically different than 30 years ago, and material costs are about 10X than 30 years ago. 2. New builds DO have lower quality materials in some cases, and higher in others. The young wood used for studs, joists, etc. is less dense and more sensitive. But shingles, for example, are better. Labor shortages created a market where every crack-head is hired as a construction worker, and while inspections are happening, they also don't have enough inspectors, and those also miss things. For example, houses getting foundation cracks after 2-3 years is not rare anymore, and it used to be. The inspector's can't really find that out from looking at the concrete. I always recommend my clients to get a house built no later than the early 90s, because that's where I see most of the issues, and more issues as the house is newer. An 80s house that has been completely renovated is much more robust than a 2020 house. Don't forget that even the bad build examples from the 70s, 80s, and 90s were either demolished, or already fixed. If you have a 6 years old house, YOU'LL be the one to pay for the problems that arise from bad practices. 3. "Upgrades" from the builder are scams. They charge more than hiring contractor that will demo what you want to upgrade and install the upgrade, even though the builder doesn't need to demo, and save on non-upgraded materials in the first place. My point is, builders these days are like flippers. They have no pride in the trade. They just want to slap everything together as fast as they can to make profit, and cut corners as often as possible.

[@JoseSepulvedaSoCalRealtor]

I can't say I've heard from my clients having as many issues as yours with newer homes but I'm sure it happens. I do agree about the upgrades in quite a few cases to be an over charged convenience. Really appreciate your comment and the time you took to go deep into it.