My FI and are looking for our first home and are stuck in a huge dilemma. We are having a hard time deciding which neighborhood to move into.  Our two options are established homes (age 10-15 years old) in a well known great neighborhood in our area vs. building a new home in a newer area (which may be up and coming). Both areas have good schools.

For anyone familiar with Michigan, it is West Bloomfield vs. Commerce Township.

Any ideas, suggestions, etc.?

I don't know anything about the area, but FI and I are buying a new house at the moment. They were supposed to break ground today but it is -27 today so the ground is frozen :(
We had the same debate about new 'v' old but decided to go for a new one because when we want to upgrade to a larger house (when our boys are bigger) we think it will be easier to sell one that is only a few years old rather than 15 or 20. We might be getting it wrong, but we also loved the idea of being the first ones to live there and getting to choose all the finishes - it was so much fun choosing everything!!
My sister however was adamant that she was going to get a new build, but found one that was 4 yrs old and absolutely fell in love with it, it also meant that all the little 'teething problems' that we might have with our new house were already sorted out.

There are pros & cons for both.......I've been absolutely no help at all have I ??? Lol !!! Good luck whatever you decide xx

There's nothing like making sure you are in a great neighborhood.  Personally, I would totally go for location because you never know who (or what) is going to buy the home next door.  Too many FL new neighborhoods have been purchased by investors so you see lots of foreclosures, renters or empty homes.  The pride is not maintained in their appearance so it makes the whole neighborhood look run down.  Michigan doesn't seem like an investor-heavy area, so I'm not sure exactly, but for me purchasing in FL, I would go with the established neighborhood- just maybe a home that has already recently had their roof replaced :)

Thank you for the advice! @aklovesmc... I completely agree with what you are saying! There is a much better chance that things won't go downhill in a neighborhood that has been established and has all of the amenities. I also agree with @Canooknic that new homes are easy to sell..and it is nice to pick out everything

We found an awesome deal on a foreclosure that was built in 2007 so our home was pretty much brand new, but had been lived in briefly by the people who built it.  The awesome part was that some of the extras- garage door opener, window coverings, deck, etc were already there and we could get a feel for the neighbors bc those homes were occupied.  Maybe you can find something that is newer, but still has many of the amenities that you would get if you build (open floor plan, etc).

I guess it depends on what part of Commerce and whether there is easy access to the rest of your life outside your home.  In my opinion, I could never live in Commerce because it is so far from everything else we enjoy (family, friends, dinner/theater/church in the D, Somerset, downtown Birmingham and downtown Royal Oak, our jobs, etc).  At least with West Bloomfield, you've got Northwestern, Lodge, 696, and M5 all right there so you're much better connected to everything else-- not to mention a ton of shopping plazas and a sense of established community.  Plus, there are some amaaaaaaazingly beautiful homes for ridiculously low prices in WB right now-- better than most of the new builder grade stuff you'll get in a new construction.  That's just my opinion but that's coming from someone who just bought a home in the Birmingham area on a shoestring budget so you know we definitely sacrificed home (edit that-- I should say "size" since the home is just perfect for us) for location!  We've been in for 6 months and have LOVED every minute of it! It's such an amazing walking town, which is a "breath of fresh air" (literally) in Michigan.

@ Lina...I love Birmingham! If my FI didn't work in Milford it would have been high on our list. You are right about Commerce, it is far from everything...which is the complete opposite from West Bloomfield.

We ended up with a "spec" home (under construction home) in Novi. With the economy the way it is, the builders are throwing in so many upgrades. It worked out well for us since our new home is 5 min from my job and we already spend pretty much every weekend in Novi and aren't too far from 12 Oaks Mall and all of the shopping craziness that is Novi Rd. 

Novi is a great community too! I like it way better than West Bloomfield or Commerce.  It's newer than West Bloomfield homes and more "up and coming" than Commerce.  If we did the west side thing, I'd definitely pick either Novi or Northville.  Congrats!!