A. Every year, thousands of people just like you enter the exciting world of homeownership through Wilson Parker Homes. For most, it is the biggest financial investment they will ever make. But it's not something to fear. Owning a home is one of the safest and smartest investments you can make.

When you rent, very little thought goes into the financial ramifications that go along with it. Basically, your rent money goes into someone else's pocket. When you own a home, a sizeable portion of that monthly payment goes back into your pocket, in the form of equity, which is the portion of the home's value you own outright.

Here are some other ways to compare the value of home ownership to renting a home:

A. An older home may have a tad more charm, but that charm often comes with a heavy price tag. Older homes most likely comes with older roofs, older furnaces, inefficient energy components, and outdated plumbing and electrical systems. You need to remember that homes that were built years ago were only built with technology that was available at that time. Think of all of the new innovations that have come along in just the last several years. New insulation technologies make today's home much more inexpensive to heat and cool than homes built just five years ago. Changes in the Internet make old wiring systems obsolete. Warrantees for new homes far exceed those you'll find on used ones.

One agent put it best: You wouldn't buy someone else's clothes to wear, why would you live in their house? Unless you have the exact same tastes as the strangers who lived in your home before you, you will likely have to make sacrifices to the way you live. Used homes are designed for the lifestyles of the people who used to live there. Depending on how old the home is, those differences could be drastic. Have you ever walked through an old home, peeked into one of the tiny closets that were commonplace back then and thought to yourself, "Did people not wear clothes then?"

Finally, if you're the friendly type, or the kind who likes having friends, what's better than moving into a new home community? Everyone's new there, and they all like you want to make new neighbors into new friends. Wilson Parker Homes designs its neighborhoods to encourage good neighbors. Move into an older, established neighborhood and you may be viewed as an outsider. Friendships have already been made and you are the new kid on the block.

A. The length of time it takes to build a home depends on the particular floorplan you've selected, as well as such unpredictable items as the weather. A good rule of thumb, however, is anywhere from 90 to 120 days. Stay in touch with your Wilson Parker Homes agent during the construction process, and he or she will let you know of the progress of your home.

A. Wilson Parker Homes has a strong reputation as a builder who can accommodate quick move-in's. In some of our markets, 65 percent of our buyers are relocating from another city. For those buyers who want to move in quickly, we have homes in our inventory ready for move in. Click on the "Available Homes" link on our community pages or check the option on the community search and you can find homes that are ready when you are!

A. No. In order to keep homes affordable, we only build in neighborhoods we have developed, to keep lot prices low. While our floorplans offer a variety of options and upgrades to help make them unique, we do not customize for each buyer.