buying new - the cons

so, what's wrong with buying a new home?  most of it has to do with money, or what your money can get you.  if you want to buy new, you're probably going to be paying a lot more than if you bought used.  and we're not just talking the cost of the home.  new communities tend to have much higher h.o.a. dues.  one cost most people forget about when buying new is the landscaping.  unless you're buying a condo where the landscaping is covered by the h.o.a., you're going to be paying a lot of cash to landscape your new property.  and it's not something you can avoid; most h.o.a.'s require your property be properly landscaped and maintained.  landscaping is a large expense a lot of people don't think of, not to mention the irrigation to keep it alive.  another downside to buying new is that pretty much everyone in the neighborhood will have the same home as you; no character.  all of your character will have to be on the inside, because your brand new home is a cookie cutter cut out.  and your cookie cutter house will be sitting on a small lot.  developers are not generous with their valuable land.  they want to squeeze as many homes as possible into what they've invested.  unless you're buying into horse property, don't expect to have a large yard.  large yards will come at a premium, which brings us back to more money.  the last downside deals with location.  if you won't want to live in the sticks, a new home close to the city is going to obviously cost a lot more than an old home.  for example:  in socal, you buy an amazing home for an amazing price if you buy in b.f.e., "beyond f-ing east", but you will be driving an hour to work, school, or any of the cool places to be in socal.  just know what you're buying in to and what you can afford.  happy house hunting.