Golden Home Design

What are the pros and cons of building your own home? What are the pros and cons of buying already built house? How to decide between buying an existing home or land purchase to build one to your own taste?

It may seem like an easy answer, we all want a house to our liking! But before making that decision, there are other aspects that must be considered to avoid negative consequences, such as the budget, the needs of the family, the future projection, the location, job security or the growth of the city, among others.

In this article we talk a little about how to make this difficult decision, some pros and cons in one way or another to get your house, and we give you some tips to think and rethink with your family a decision that will affect you for all life: Build a house or buy a ready house?

Advantages of building your own house

• If you build a house from the beginning, you will have a house according to your budget, which can grow as you increase the budget, even over months or years since it can be projected in stages.
• When building your own home, this will be to your liking and needs, and with good planning, you can think about later extensions for when the family needs to be modified.
• The facade of the house, the materials, even the construction system can be adapted to your tastes and budget.

Other benefits of building your own house

• You choose the location of the land and, hiring an architecture firm or an independent professional, the orientation, distribution, and construction of your house can integrate passive systems of climate adaptation, meaning a great energy saving.
• Customization of details: lighting, floors, quantity of windows, tiles, fixed furniture…
• You can make it much more efficient in terms of energy consumption and air conditioning expenses, artificial lighting, and even in the reuse of gray water.

Disadvantages of building your own house

• The times: the construction of a complete house, from infrastructure and foundations to finishes, takes at least 3 months and up to 6.
• If you want to live in less time, you can project in stages and start with a full-service room maybe in a month, but the habitability will still not be very comfortable, for convenience requires more time.
• Even if your budget is respected, a construction always includes percentage of extraordinary expenses, incidentals and increases in the purchase of materials.
• It also has to carry out the process of procedures and management before authorities, which is cumbersome, although there is the advantage that the professionals in charge of the project can do so.

Advantages of buying an already built house

• When buying an already built house, the process is much less stressful, the house is already there, you can see it, know it inside and out and, when buying it, you will not go through the construction process, unforeseen decisions or the eternal wait until you can inhabit it.
• The purchase of the house already includes the land, you will not have to worry about both at the same time.
• While buying a new house can include most of the finishes, there are also many details that are ready for you to decide, so you can customize the residence but much more comfortable: with your time and respecting your budget, without having to decapitalize yourself, because the house is already habitable.

More benefits of buying an already built house

• When buying an already built house, if you hire a real estate agent, he will look for the best offer for you and can negotiate prices, which cannot be done in the construction of a house once the budget is agreed upon.
• You can move immediately once the sales contract is signed.
• With what you are getting of finishes, remodeling or even extensions, your house is increasing in value, but at your own pace and under your own conditions.
• When acquiring an already built house, you will be in a consolidated colony or fractionation, if you buy an old house. Or if it’s new, you’ll start a community with your new neighbors, from scratch.

Disadvantages of buying a ready-made house

1. When buying an existing house, it is not a house that responds exactly to your tastes and needs, you must adapt to its spaces and conditions.
2. If it is a new house, you will spend on adjustments, if you consider it necessary, such as an extension, air conditioning ducts or new floors before placing the furniture.
3. If buying a house, it is a used house, maintenance is essential, check pipes, electrical installation, finishes, floors quality, fixed furniture, and possibly change some details at the time of maintenance for a longer life of the installations.
4. When buying a ready-made house, an old house implies a greater expenditure of energy for the existing infrastructure.

Some tips to decide if you build your own house or the purchases ready-made house

You already have a good list of pros and cons in both cases. What to do to balance? Review the following:

• How much budget are you provided, that covers a quotation of the project and work on the one hand, and a purchase of a comfortable house on the other hand?
• Talk with a professional architect, discuss your doubts and ask for advice, an architect can give you a very general idea of the costs of a house according to your needs and the value of work per square meter, to know how much you need and in how much time.
• You can also approach a real estate agent and ask for advice on locations and types of housing according to your needs and budgets. Take his advice into account.
• Above all, prioritize the needs and opinions of your family, the people with whom you will live, because the house will be for everyone, the idea is to live happily, in peace and harmony, either tomorrow or in 6 months.