A new study by Realtor.com, powered by Pearl SCORE data, quantifies the long-term savings of buying a newly built home over an older resale property. The analysis finds that buyers of new homes save an average of $25,335 in the first 10 years of ownership, driven by fewer repairs, better safety and comfort, and lower operating costs. The full report is available at Realtor.com's research page.
Pearl, an independent standards and ratings organization, provided the home performance data used in the study. The data powers a new interactive tool on Realtor.com that gives buyers personalized 10-year savings estimates for new construction listings, comparing them to comparable resale homes. The tool estimates future utility, maintenance, and replacement costs before a purchase decision.
“All homeowners want to know what a home will actually cost to live in,” said Robin LeBaron, Pearl's President of Standards and Policy. “Pearl built the dataset that makes that possible, and we’re glad Realtor.com is the first major portal to put it in front of consumers.”
The savings vary by geography, climate, and local building standards. New England states lead in long-term savings, with Massachusetts ranking highest at nearly $39,000 over 10 years due to stricter building codes and higher energy efficiency demands in colder climates. The research identified 16 metropolitan areas where savings from new homes fully offset the upfront price premium, including San Diego, Salt Lake City, and San Antonio.
“Our team has built the industry’s richest home performance dataset,” said Tim Stanislaus, Senior Vice President of Business Development at Pearl. “We’re thrilled to have Realtor.com introduce Pearl to US homebuyers. Today’s new-construction tool is one of many ways our data helps buyers understand how home performance matters.”
The analysis draws on Pearl SCORE, which rates every U.S. single-family home across five pillars: Safety, Comfort, Operations, Resilience, and Energy. Consumers can access their home's rating for free at pearlscore.com. The ratings incorporate utility costs, climate data, maintenance projections, homeowner input, and performance benchmarks to provide a comprehensive view of a home's livability.
Pearl, founded in 2013, is a Certified B Corporation building the national standard for home performance. Its mission is to help homebuyers, homeowners, and real estate professionals understand how a home performs in daily life. For more information, visit pearlscore.com.
