We have a gardenia that was built in 2006 that has the thermal pane windows, and has the upgraded air conditioner. As others have said, there is room for price negotiation, purchase of furniture package, and I personally think location is the biggest thing. We chose our house because it is much more central in the Villagews (relative to full buildout) than the homes in the villages where they are now trying to sell the new homes. I think a good location, for example on a cul de sac, or near a town square, more central rather than on the outskirts, can add at least $10K. Also, the re-sales will generally have less bond. As others have pointed out too, to do your own landscaping can be very expensive - with a resale you may have much more mature landscaping, curbing, etc. Lastly, with a resale, there are no suprises. You get to see who your neighbors are; if you do your homework, you'll know if the neighbor across the street has two barking dogs that drive everyone crazy; or the neighbor next door is hard of hearing and plays their television so loud you can hear it through the walls(I'm not making this stuff up!) When you buy new, you are taking your chances. Most of the time you'll turn out okay, but there are no guarantees.
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