One of the first steps of buying a home is deciding between purchasing a newly built home or an existing property. Each has pros and cons that need to be considered to make the best choice for you.
Newly Built Homes Pros:
- Brand new construction with active warranties
- Customizable floor plans
- Cost of upgraded features and appliances can be folded into the mortgage
- Green appliances for better energy efficiency
- Financing is available through the builder, making it easier to qualify for a mortgage
- Fewer maintenance costs associated with repairs or renovations
Newly Built Homes Cons:
- More expensive than resale properties
- Location may not be ideal (lack of schools and shopping opportunities, possible longer commute)
- Property values are unknown, and possibly more volatile
- Lacking in character – cookie-cutter design
- Ongoing construction in the neighborhood
- Greater Tax Burden
Existing Homes Pros:
- Typically less expensive, with more opportunity to negotiate price
- More desirable locations
- Known neighborhood dynamics
- Proximity to schools, shopping, and places of worship
- Older houses tend to have more character as compared to modern designs
- Property values can be determined before purchase
- Lower tax profile
Existing Homes Cons:
- Smaller inventory of acceptable properties
- May require extensive repairs and/or renovations
- Fewer amenities/older appliances
- Financing can be more difficult
- Competition from competing buyers
- Neighborhood may be in decline
Today is Labor Day, an annual holiday that occurs on the first Monday of every September. The idea of a labor day celebration came about in the 19th century by the growing organized labor movements of the time. The first celebration, a parade, took place in New York in 1882. However, it took until 1894 for then-president Grover Cleveland to establish Labor Day as a federal holiday. 
The center of tupelo honey production is the Apalachicola River in the Florida Panhandle which makes tupelo honey a local honey star! Tupelo honey is a very special form of honey that has a lower glucose content with a very small harvesting window which makes it a more expensive alternative to the general store-bought honey. It is also known as Ogeechee tupelo due to the popular growing region; there are thousands of hectares of Ogeechee tupelo have been planted in bee farms along the lower Apalachicola River and around swamps where it grows naturally.
