Before you start shopping, you should sit down with the members of your household to discuss the features you would all like in a new home. You should also determine how much you can afford to pay for a new home.

To organize your thoughts, write each separate feature that you want on a 3X5 card, and arrange the cards in order of their importance to you.

For instance, if you like to cook, you may want a home with a large, well-equipped kitchen. Or you may settle for a small kitchen so that you can have extra space for a library, office, computer room or sound studio.

Some home buyers seek large, open interior spaces, while others prefer traditional rooms that afford more privacy. Some choose homes with large yards. Others opt for condominiums where they can avoid yard maintenance entirely.

While looking for a home, consider whether your needs are likely to change. Also, if you plan to add rooms in the future, find out if there is enough space on your site for such expansion and whether such additions are permitted by your local jurisdiction.


Condominium or Cooperative 

A condominium is a home in a multi-unit complex, such as an apartment building or a townhouse cluster. You own the home, and you and your neighbors jointly own the common elements, such as the land around the complex, the parking areas, building exteriors, hallways, utility pipes and recreational facilities. A condominium owners association is responsible for maintaining the jointly owned elements. The day-to-day business of the complex is generally handled by a managing agency.

The owner of each condominium unit has a vote in the affairs of the community. Each owner pays a fee to cover the operating expenses of the property, and usually contributes to a reserve fund for replacements (such as a new roof) or improvements (such as decorative landscaping to improve the value of the property). Changes and improvements to the complex may be made only as you and your co-owners desire.

You are responsible for maintaining the interior of your condominium unit. Typically, you will not have to perform outdoor chores.

Cooperatives offer lifestyles similar to condominiums, but rather than owning your own unit, you own shares of the stock of the complex. Stock owners are jointly liable for the cooperative's debts.


New Home vs. Existing Home 

New homes are more convenient and have more amenities.
Kitchens have dishwashers and other appliances built-in for convenience. Nearly all new homes are built with convenient central heating and, in warm climates, central air conditioning. Space heaters and room air-conditioners are not needed. There are more electrical outlets, as well as outlets for cable TV and telephone. Bathrooms often have more convenient features such as vanity cabinets, large mirrors and medicine cabinets, whirlpool tubs and easy-to-clean plastic tub enclosures.

New homes are safer.                                                                                                                                                               Occupants of new homes are almost six times less likely to die from fire than occupants of older homes. An NAHB survey revealed that homes built prior to 1970 had a fire death rate of 52 deaths per million housing units, whereas homes built between 1981 and 1986 had only 9 fire deaths per million.

- Many new homes have hard-wired smoke detectors on every level. Usually, they are interconnected so that if one detector alarm sounds, they all sound. In many areas, smoke detectors are required to have battery back-up. This feature allows detectors to function even when the power goes out.

- Space heaters and wood stoves, the second leading cause of fire deaths, are not needed in new homes because of more efficient central heating systems and better insulation.

- Electrical power systems in new homes are properly sized for the heavier electrical demands of today's homes, and wiring systems are less likely to cause fires. There also are more receptacles so people need fewer extension cords which can overload circuits, trip people and start fires if they become worn and frayed.

- Circuit breakers have replaced fuse boxes which can be overloaded by using the wrong size fuse. Ground fault interrupters for bathrooms, kitchens, and outside receptacles reduce the chance of fire and electrocution.

- Glass in tub enclosures and patio doors in new homes must be tempered so that it will crumble if broken instead of shattering into large jagged pieces that can seriously injure people.

New homes are better for your health.
Much has been learned about the health risks of certain home building products in the past 20 years. The industry has responded by building with products and systems that make new homes better for your health than older homes.

- Asbestos has been eliminated from shingles, pipe, cement board, roof tar, floor tiles, ceiling tiles and insulation. If asbestos fibers become airborne, they can increase the risk of respiratory diseases.

- Lead can cause a wide range of physical and mental ailments. It is not used as an ingredient in paint anymore, and it is no longer used as solder for plumbing. Formaldehyde emissions from particle board and hardwood plywood have been greatly reduced in new homes. And urea-formaldehyde finishes on most kitchen cabinets are now baked or cured to minimize emissions.

- Builders are now installing systems to control radon gas, where it is a problem. These systems usually include installation of gravel and polyethylene film beneath basement floors and concrete slabs, and provide for later installation of vent pipes and fans, if required. Older homes frequently have no gravel in which to collect the gas, no polyethylene film to retard movement of the gas through the slab, and no vent pipes. Mitigating radon from an existing home is generally far more expensive than building radon prevention techniques into a new home.

New homes are more energy efficient.
Because of better windows, more efficient heating and cooling equipment, better control of air infiltration, and greater use of insulation, new homes consume half as much energy as homes built prior to 1980. Old homes tend to be drafty and less comfortable, and frost and condensation are more likely to appear on windows, drip down, and cause deterioration of wood trim and walls.

New homes require less maintenance.
New homes are available with siding, windows and trim that never need painting. Wood decks are typically made of pressure-treated lumber resistant to rot and insects. Pressure-treated wood is also used where wood comes in contact with concrete.


Building Codes 

If you are shopping for a new home, how can you be sure that it was built so that it does not cause health or safety problems for the members of your household? The answer can be given in two words: building codes.

A building code is a legal document that sets forth requirements to protect public health, safety and general welfare as they relate to construction and the occupancy of a building. These codes include specific requirements for building materials, fire protection, structural design, light and ventilation, heating and cooling, sanitary facilities and energy conservation.

There is no national building code enforced by the federal government. Different areas of the country have different construction methods; the techniques used to build houses in a cold climate will be different than those used in a warm climate. Building codes are regulated by the state of Michigan and cannot be changed by local units of government.  Local governments have jursidication over enforcement of building codes.

Building homes is a complicated process, so building codes are often long and complicated. To prevent each local jurisdiction from having to develop its own complicated codes from scratch, there are several major model code organizations that draft codes that local areas can adopt.

The local area has total authority for adoption and enforcement. It may adopt a model code as is, adopt only specific portions, or add some of its own changes.

Code writing is a dynamic process, involving constant interaction between the public and private sectors of the construction industry. Federal, state and local governments and individuals involved in code writing and revision represent the views of labor, management, manufacturers and trade associations, contributing much time and technical expertise to the process.

Building codes do not deal with issues such as the quality of the workmanship and materials.

Consumers are protected in these areas through their warranties. For instance, if a building code inspector is examining a home and sees a gouge in a kitchen floor or counter top, that would not be an item affecting health or safety, and as such would not be covered by a building code.

However, it would be covered in the warranty on workmanship and materials.

Information courtesy The National Association of Home Builders