Seeking a Home? Choose New Over Old
Better construction, amenities provide superior lifestyle purchase
    
Portland, OR (March 1, 2007)  – “Look at buying a home as a lifestyle investment, and only secondly as a financial investment,” advises Jim Chapman, President of Legend Homes/Matrix Development. “You will spend more time in your home than any other single place, so you want a dwelling that provides you amenities that add to your lifestyle.”

New homes offer many of these amenities that old homes simply can’t due to their age, construction, location or all three.

The best way to maximize this lifestyle investment is to look for a new home with quality construction so that you don’t spend time and money making the repairs that older homes require. Older homes suffer from the deterioration that comes with age. Even if an older home has a new roof or furnace, it’s rare that it will have all new appliances and the quality construction that will prevent the new homeowner from spending much of his time and money on repairs. Plumbing in older homes also suffers from the ravages of age, meaning slow draining, increased changes of backups and potentially more expensive repairs as the result of leaky pipes.

Mr. Chapman also recommends buying a home with Earth Advantage® construction – Earth Advantage® certified homes have a fresh air ventilation system, are built with low or no VOC products and include HVAC duct sealing (you should add a bit more description here – whole house ventilation which circulates fresh air and exhausts stale air)  – all designed to promote healthier indoor air. Poor air quality has been linked to a variety of respiratory diseases. In an area like Portland that has high pollen and mold counts, indoor air quality is of paramount importance. Poor air quality is another of the disadvantages of older homes, which have aging building materials and inefficient ventilation systems.

Earth Advantage® certified homes also feature energy efficient appliances, insulation and windows, which pay dividends year after year, especially when energy prices are on the rise. Older homes not only lack the Earth Advantage® amenities, many also have leaky windows, poor insulation and uneven temperatures throughout the dwelling.

Among other amenities to seek in a new home, one which most older homes don’t offer, Mr. Chapman says, is Americans with Disability Act accessibility – wide doors that are wheelchairs can fit through, ground floor entrances, etc. that provide good value as you age and make the home more easy to sell in the future.  As much as I’d like to promote this, it’s a rarity in a Legend Home.  I think it’s much safer to cut this part out.

As real estate agents say, “location, location, location” -- Look for a home in a thriving community that will provide you with a rich lifestyle. Look for a home with proximity to health and exercise facilities so that you can easily pursue a healthy lifestyle.

Also look for homes in communities offering readily available recycling. This keeps the community clean and thriving now and in the future.

Legend Homes’ newest community, the Q, offers the amenities mentioned above. The Q is diagonally across the street from the New Seasons Orenco store. The Q is located within a a mixed retail/residential community based on living lifestyle values. The Q community includes a total of 62 Earth Advantage® condominiums, a comprehensive recycling center I’m still gray as to what we provide with our recycling center?? and an outdoor exercise area with equipment Exercise area is located within Club 1201 but there isn’t anything outside. Residents are eligible for transit mortgages. Legend Homes is providing residents with memberships to Club 1201 and all of its facilities.

Started in Portland, Oregon in 1965, Legend Homes and Matrix Development has developed, designed and built approximately 12,500 home sites, homes, town homes and condominiums.

Contact: Krista Boyd, Legend Homes Director of Marketing and Communication at 503.620.8080 X204 -or- Mara Woloshin, all hours, 503.241.3834; cell 503.310.4504.