[nradov]

There is no difference in legal expectations. Any negligence by previous owners is legally irrelevant. The previous owners are in the clear regardless of what they did to the property, provided they follow state disclosure laws. They would only be liable in the case of actual fraud.

New construction is a bit different in that some states have a mandatory warranty period for major construction defects. So the new homeowner may have several years to make warranty claims against the property developer or contractor for negligent or non-compliant construction work.