One of the first big choices buyers face in the Kansas City suburbs is whether to buy a brand-new home or an existing one. Cities such as Overland Park, Olathe and Lee's Summit have both, sometimes on the same street. Neither option is automatically better. The choice depends on your timeline, your budget, how much customizing you want to do and how much maintenance you want to take on. Here are the trade-offs.
What "new construction" means
New construction usually falls into a few categories, and the differences matter for your timeline and how much you can personalize.
- Build-to-order: You pick a lot and a floor plan and the builder builds the home. This gives you the most say in finishes and layout, but it takes the longest.
- Inventory or spec homes: The builder has already started or finished a home. You get a newer home with less customization, and you can move in much sooner.
- Model homes: Sometimes a builder sells the model itself once a community is winding down.
As your agent, I can help you compare what is available across different areas rather than only what one builder is showing you.
The case for new construction
A new home means a current layout, current building practices and finishes chosen recently. Major systems and appliances are new, which usually means fewer repairs in the early years, and builders typically provide a written warranty. If you want input on the design and want to be the first to live in a home, new construction appeals.
What to watch with new construction
- The model is not the base price. Models are often shown with upgrades, so the base price and the price of the home you want can differ a lot. Lot premiums, finishes and options add up, and I help you see what is included and what costs extra.
- The builder's contract. Builders use their own contracts, written for the builder. I review the agreement with you, including deposits, change orders, delays and your right to independent inspections.
- Your agent's pay. Since August 17, 2024, you sign a written buyer agreement before touring homes with an agent, and it states what the agent is paid. That amount is negotiable, so ask the builder whether it will pay some or all of it before you sign the builder's contract.
- The warranty. Ask for the builder's written warranty before you sign, and read what it covers and for how long.
- Inspections. City building inspections check code compliance. An independent inspector you hire can check the home before the drywall goes up and again before closing.
- Property taxes in the first year. In Johnson County, Kansas, the county appraises property as of January 1 and mails value notices on or before March 1, with 30 days to appeal. If the home was a lot or partly built on January 1, that year's tax can be far lower than the next year's, so budget for the finished value.
- The HOA and the plat. A new subdivision may come with a homes association, covenants and recorded easements. In Kansas, the Kansas Uniform Common Interest Owners Bill of Rights Act (K.S.A. 58-4601 and following) sets rules for those associations. Johnson County's AIMS office offers plat services, and the title commitment lists recorded easements.
The case for a resale home
Existing homes have a track record. You can see the actual home rather than a rendering, walk the surrounding streets, and often enjoy mature trees and landscaping that a new lot will not have for years. Resale homes are spread across every part of the metro, which can give you more choice of location, including established areas closer to job centers.
Resale can also mean a faster, more predictable path to move-in, since you are not waiting on a build schedule. And because you can have the home inspected, you get a clear read on its condition before you are fully committed. If something needs attention, that becomes part of the negotiation.
What to watch with a resale home
An older home may need updates, and parts like the roof, furnace and water heater wear out. That is not a dealbreaker, it is information. A thorough inspection tells us what we are working with, and we factor any concerns into the offer. I help you tell the difference between cosmetic items you can change over time and bigger-ticket issues worth addressing up front.
Resale homes also come with disclosures. Licensees in Kansas (K.S.A. 58-30,106) and Missouri (RSMo 339.730) must disclose adverse material facts they know about, such as material defects. For a home built before 1978, federal law requires the seller to disclose any known lead-based paint and give you a 10-day period to have a lead inspection or risk assessment done.
How the buying process differs
With a resale home, we negotiate with the seller, move through inspection and appraisal, and close on the dates in the contract, the standard process in the buyer guide and the home-buying timeline. With new construction, you work within the builder's contract and process, your deposit and selections may work differently, and the closing date can move with the build schedule.
Either way, check the address on FEMA's flood map, new subdivisions included.
Financing works much the same, and you can estimate a payment in the mortgage calculator as you compare. What changes most is the paperwork and who is on the other side of the table. Representation that answers to you, not the builder, keeps the process balanced.
Questions to help you decide
- How soon do you need to move in?
- How much do you want to customize, and how much would you rather move in and settle?
- Do you prefer a newer area still taking shape or an established one?
- How do you feel about ongoing maintenance and future updates?
There are no wrong answers. We can tour both new and existing homes so you can compare them side by side. You can start browsing homes for sale in Olathe, or all homes on the market, any time.
Comparing your options
Whether you lean toward a new build or an existing home in the Kansas City suburbs, I can help you weigh the options and represent you through closing. I'm a REALTOR® with Keller Williams Realty Partners, licensed in both Kansas and Missouri. Call or text me at 913-777-4461 and we'll talk it through.
Common questions
Do I still need my own agent when buying new construction?
It is worth having one, because the sales staff in the builder's model home work for the builder, not for you. Your own agent reviews the builder's contract and represents your interests. Since August 17, 2024, you sign a written buyer agreement that states your agent's pay before touring, and you can ask the builder to cover some or all of it.
Is new construction more expensive than a comparable resale home?
It depends on the home, the location and what is included. The base price of a new home often leaves out the lot premium, options and upgrades, while a resale home may need updates. I help you compare the full cost of the specific homes you are considering.
How long does it take to build a new home?
It varies with the builder, the stage of the home when you buy and conditions outside anyone's control. A finished inventory home can close on a normal timeline, while a home built from the ground up takes much longer. Ask the builder for its schedule in writing before you commit.
How are property taxes figured on a newly built home?
In Johnson County, Kansas, the county appraises property as of January 1 and mails value notices on or before March 1. A home that was still under construction on January 1 may carry a much lower value that year than it will once finished, so budget for the full amount, and ask the title company how taxes will be prorated.
Related pages
Sources
- National Association of REALTORS: Consumer guide to written buyer agreements (2024)
- Kansas Revisor of Statutes: K.S.A. 58-30,106, duties of a seller's agent
- Missouri Revisor of Statutes: RSMo 339.730, duties of a seller's agent
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: Real estate disclosures about potential lead hazards
- Johnson County, Kansas Appraiser: Important dates and deadlines (2026)
- Kansas Revisor of Statutes: K.S.A. 58-4601, Kansas Uniform Common Interest Owners Bill of Rights Act
- Johnson County AIMS: Plat services
- FEMA Flood Map Service Center: Search by address