Is Building a new house the same thing as Buying a new house?

The program is trying to determine if you have RE taxes and/or mortgage interest on your home to deduct so it takes you to the correct section of the program to enter these things so answer yes if you do and no if you don't.

Yes.  Building a house and buying a house are the same thing in the interview questions.  The original questions are there just to help TurboTax customize your interview and ask questions that are appropriate for your situation. 

The questions regarding your home are only necessary to be answered if you are taking the Itemized Deduction or any Home Energy Credits.  If you are not taking 

Itemized expenses include mortgage interest, state and local taxes up to $10,000, medical expenses in excess of 7.5% of your AGI and casualty and losses in excess of 10% of you AGI with the first $100 not counting towards the loss.  Your health insurance and all medical expenses are only deductible for the amount that is over 7.5% of your AGI.  This means if your AGI is $50,000, then the amount that is over $3,750 is deductible.  

Then your total itemized expenses would need to be greater than your standard deduction below in order to benefit from your insurance premium payments. 

The 2023 Standard Deductions are as follows:

• Married Filing Joint (MFJ)              $27,700
• Married Filing Separate (MFS)      $13,850
• Head of Household (HOH)             $20,800 
• Single                                                     $13,850                                

Blind and MFJ or MFS add $1,500

Single or HOH if blind add $1,850

Standard versus Itemized Deduction

Energy Credits