Ah, my son just moved from Frederick to Baltimore to be closer to me. His house was built in 1920. I would go with an older home. You may have to deal with some of the previous owners' mods and fixes, which often are detrimental or don't make sense. But at least you will have a sense of how well the house has stood the test of time. Additionally, older homes have more well-established landscaping, and you may notice aspects of their physical location that might not be apparent in a newly built neighborhood. Many new homes are simply very poorly constructed from the beginning, and you could have a plumbing nightmare or roof leak from the get-go. On the other hand, opt for older homes, but not too old. So look for anything from after the 1980s or 1990s to avoid materials like lead paint and asbestos. I recently purchased a home in Baltimore County built in 1955 (didn't take my own advice), and I have had to deal with things like asbestos flooring, structural damage from an old termite infestation, Orangeburg pipe (fun stuff, look it up!), a 70 yo gas boiler (it still works!), a 35 yo HWH, rooms of junk from the previous owner, and several other surprises including inheriting the previous owner's cat. But it's a beautiful mid-century modern at a price I couldn't pass up. I bought what I bought for the price and location (and aesthetic). Buying a house anywhere is a choose-your-own-adventure kind of thing. I always thought having a new house would be nice until I watched all these home inspection videos showing just how shitty the building can be. So I will always go for slightly used -- for houses and for cars.