Buying a Historic or Older Home: What You Need to Know

Older and historic homes can be charming and full of character. As someone who specializes in a market filled with historic houses, I know the allure they can have, especially in vibrant up-and-coming neighborhoods. However, buying an older home involves some due diligence on the part of the buyer. Do you know what to keep an eye out for when buying a historic or older home? If not, this two-part blog post should help!

Older Pipe Materials
Variety may be the spice of life, but perhaps not in the case of plumbing materials. Modern homes tend to use plastic-based materials such as PVC, but this generally isn’t the case in older homes. You’ve probably heard stories about tree roots breeching piping? It’s likely those homes contain older piping materials. Clay piping, for example, is brittle and prone to damage. Cast iron pipes can last a long time, but you have to keep an eye out for rust. Since cast iron piping rusts from the inside out, that can be pretty hard to do! Any signs rust at all are major red flags. Curious about galvanized piping? Over time, the pipes can fill with a rusty “crud” that can make even the best-tasting water repulsive.

It’s totally possible to buy a home with older piping materials and not have any issues at all or for quite a long time. But you just don’t know! Issues can be hard to miss. It’s not uncommon for homeowners to paint over rust or replace bits and pieces of pipe as problems arise, for example. It can be a wise choice to budget to convert a historic home to PVC. But it’s not cheap!

Older Electrical Materials
Think your historic home from the roaring twenties (the 1920s, that is) was built to handle today’s high-tech, high-power devices? Think again. We use a lot more electricity than they did generations ago! Look out for knob and tube wiring when buying an older home. You typically don’t find it in homes built after 1950, but you really want to be sure about not having it. Not only is knob and tube wiring a fire hazard, but many home insurance companies will not provide coverage if your home has it.

Don’t forget to check out my next post for more things to keep an eye out for when buying a historic or older home!

Are you interested in buying or selling a home in a historic area such as Houston Heights, Woodland Heights, Norhill, Avondale, or others? Contact us today at 713-364-5883 or info@angelfultzrealty.com.