Are you going to buy your first home soon or maybe move? Then you have probably come across the point that two types of owner-occupied houses are offered on the housing market, new construction and existing construction. But which house are you going for? In this blog we have listed the advantages and disadvantages of both new construction and existing construction for you.

The benefits of new construction

A new-build home is often sold before the home is even there, so construction has yet to begin. You are the first owner of a new home. No one else has lived in your house yet. These houses are also very modern and have a favorable energy label. The house is also free in name and you have little maintenance. You decide how everything will look like and what goes in from the very first moment in terms of floor, wallpaper, furniture and so on.

The advantages of existing construction

The supply of existing construction is many times greater than the supply of new construction. Simply because this house already exists. So there is a large and varied offer. In addition, you do not have to wait until the construction is finished because this house already exists, so to speak, you can still move in next month if the current owner can then leave the house. In addition, many existing homes still have character and a certain atmosphere from the past. Today’s houses are no longer built as they used to be. For example, if you like a high ceiling, you will only find it in existing buildings. There is also an option to negotiate the asking price.

The disadvantages of new construction

Of course, there are also some disadvantages to a new-build home. Because the house is already sold before it is built, you can’t move in right away. Sometimes you have to wait up to six months or a year. Very annoying of course if your other home has already been sold. In addition, you have to deal with double charges and a fixed selling price. There are often only a few homes available while the demand is very high, especially in the Randstad. The moment you cannot complete your mortgage completely or there are certain uncertainties due to, for example, the mortgage interest and this process is therefore delayed, it may just be that you misunderstand. You also only have a limited choice because only a few copies are built.

The disadvantages of existing construction

Of course, existing buildings also have a number of disadvantages, such as buyer costs. Another disadvantage can be a less favorable energy label or maintenance costs because the house can get a makeover. In the worst case, some things even have to be rebuilt or demolished. In this way, your costs can be quite a bit higher, especially if you only find out later that something is wrong with the house.

By the way, do you not yet have an answer to the question “how much can I borrow”? Then take a look at mortgageinterest.nl for an estimate of your maximum mortgage.

Last summer I had a lot of problems with aphids on my plants, which actually made them look very sad. When I wanted to get started with chemicals, my girlfriend came up with the idea to use ladybugs. huh? Ladybugs against aphids? Yes, because my plants bloomed beautifully again because of the ladybugs. Everyone knows ladybugs, but what do we actually know about these critters? Apparently I don’t do much myself, so I decided to delve into these critters a bit more. Will you read along with my findings?

General

Ladybugs are part of the beetles and come in many varieties, from light orange/yellow to almost black. A ladybug that has just pupated has no dots, as do the larvae. The larvae are more reminiscent of a caterpillar, including small hairs on the body. A ladybug has a lifespan of about a year, so as is often thought, the dots say nothing about the age of the animal.

aphid

As I said at the beginning of this blog, I used the larvae to get rid of the aphids on my plates, because this is their food. This makes the beetles extremely useful in horticulture, where they are also frequently used.

The most popular in the Netherlands is the seven-spot ladybug, characterized by its red shield and black dots. However, there are 60 species of ladybugs in the Netherlands. The multicolored Asian ladybug is one such species. This has been transferred to various countries to lend a hand in organic horticulture. This animal has now settled in the Netherlands, Belgium and England.

Nuisance

Not every ladybug eats aphids, because there are also species that feed on fungi or plants. The species that feed exclusively on plants, on the other hand, can cause damage to your plants. So don’t just buy ladybug larvae, but be well informed and choose the right species. I bought the larvae myself via redwith black dots.nl so be sure to take a look there.

Most ladybugs do not damage materials or foodstuffs, but they can be experienced as extremely annoying in large numbers. This is especially common when there have been a lot of aphids the year before. In the autumn, ladybugs often try to invade a house, to be able to hibernate in a warm place. An easy solution to combat this is to purchase a mosquito net.

Ladybugs are therefore seen as a useful organism, so the use of pesticides (chemical pesticides) is not necessary and certainly not desirable.