Buying an older home?

Question

I am thinking about buying a home that was built in 1925. There has been a addition to the home and some updating to the plumbing and electric, ch/a. Overall the home is in good repair and has been well taken care of, there are some cracks in the walls, but the home is 80 years old, so a little settling has occured. I would just like any info as to help me make a decision wether or not to buy this old of a home?

Answer 1

Once before I answered someone that had a good deal on a old house that had problems and was looking for some support. They had already make up their mind as what they were going to do, just a waste of time for people to answer.
Follow the advice in some of the other answers on getting someone to go over the house and give a report on their findings. You might overlook problem areas because of the excitement of buying this home. After having someone inspect the house, figure the cost of making the repairs by a contractor, don't think to yourself if I do it it will cost less,.There just might not be alot of time for you to get involved in making the repairs, days can become weeks, and then weather becomes a factor, then the time for repairs are put off. Figure it this way, the cost of the house plus the cost of the repairs, is it worth the price. If you sell this house in years down the road will you recover the repair monies plus more than you paid for the house, it's a deal. Think years down the road, not going with the excitement of today, you could be sorry for your actions by acting so fast. I've always said, if it's to be, no matter how long it takes whatever it is will still be there when you makeup your mind. Good Luck with your project.

Answer 2

Some of the obvious things in buying an old home is understanding that homes back then were designed with a different mindset and with different goals. Today we have better insulation in all components that make up a house such as thermal doors and windows and house wraps to diminish drafts. Typically, old houses had mud rooms and front foyers to contain entryway drafts. In the south, houses tended to have taller room heights so as to increase thermal tendencies. Hot air would rise making rooms more comfortable in the summer. Northern homes tended to have a door in every room allowing you to control heat by opening and closing these doors to contain or vent that heat. When you buy an old house you inherit all these elements of the house design. In addition older houses are in a gray area of structural code conformity. Some communities had building codes and others didn't. Yet the natural course of events was simple. Builders formed a reputation of good work and that's how they survived and got to build again, plus if the house has survived 80 years, it can't be all bad. Be aware that building techniques were not the same back then. There was no drywall, fiberglass bathtubs, stainless steel sinks, piped water for the fridge, or a cutout to put a wishwasher under the kitchen counter. My advise is to have the house well inspected by a licensed inspector and be conscious of what your getting into and buying and go from there. Good Luck.

Answer 3

I've said it a hundred times and, I'll say it again, "get an expert in there to inspect the place" find a inspector or hire an professional. I did this, you'd be surprised at what you might find in there.

Don't you believe this crap that "they don't make them like they used to" they made them just as bad back then as they do now.

Have that wiring checked by an electrician and the plumbing by a plumber if you can't get an inspector, have the roof checked out, Check out that settling and the cracks. The floors, etc.

I've seen some pretty rough stuff even by contractors back then.

Answer 4

They don't build them like they used to.

Since someone before you was kind enough to invest in updating... especially the ch/air, you're ahead of the game.I grew up in a house older than the one you're talking about, and sold it only 5 years ago after Dad died.

Yeah, really old homes have some pimples and blisters, but overall, I'd do it in a heartbeat.

Newer homes I've owned (and do own) have their own faults and no character. Right this minute I'm sitting in my summer house that's only 53 years old, but much more solid than my 25 year old "permanent" house. If it weren't so cold here in the winter, I'd live here all the time.

Answer 5

Hire a home inspector to look at the home before you decide to buy the home.He will probably find many things that you will not find or may not even think about,or know to look for.The money you spend for a home inspector may end up saving you tens of thousands of dollars.