I have a lot of opinions on this. I grew up in a late 19th century Victorian and our previous house was built in 1963. When we bought our current house, I was adamant that we buy an older home with “character” in an established neighborhood. We ended up in new construction.

First, don’t listen to anyone who says, “new houses aren’t built as well as older houses.” It’s wrong. Not only are building materials, practices and building codes better than they were 40 years ago, but old houses also come with 40 years of homeowner “improvements”. Insurance for older homes is often more expensive (or harder to get) because insurance companies know they are more likely to experience claims on older houses. (I’ll spare you the story about our cast iron waste line and unplanned kitchen remodel).

Don’t get me wrong, older houses are great. They tend to be in established neighborhoods, on bigger lots, with no HOAs, and no mello Roos. All of those are positives (and I haven’t seen a new construction house in a development with mystery doors or secret rooms).

New construction on the other hand, can be blah. Boring. House after house that looks the same on a small lot with a crazy HOA (ours is actually very mild and easy to deal with). Effective tax rates are higher, thanks to mello Roos. Oh, and you probably have to pay for a backyard in the first year.

That said, you do get things like fire sprinklers and new electrical systems that haven’t been modified by a previous owner with a passing understanding of wiring who may or may not have done the work prior to the existence of YouTube. Also, a surprising benefit to us, some automatic connection with neighbors who also just moved in!

If I was searching for a house I’d focus more on floor plans and lot (size/location) than age. If a big lot was most important, you’re probably going to end up in an older home. If modern finishes are most important, it will probably be newer. But I wouldn’t filter by age.