When my husband and I found our “new” older home, we weren’t even actively looking. You see, I have an obsession with old farmhouses and historic older homes. For fun, I look on real estate apps and day dream. While day dreaming a few months ago I came across a property and fell in love. I asked our realtor to show it to us. It had a ton of character and had just the right amount of land. As soon as I walked through the front door I knew I wanted to call this place Home.
Our “New” Older Home
The home we are buying was built in 1908. With all the character come a few challenges and I wanted to share our experience with those of you considering purchasing an older home.
They say that buying a home is one of the most stressful things in life and I totally agree. This will be the second home we have purchased in 6 years and I hope it will be our last. I am in no way trying to convince my readers not to buy a new home, I just wanted to share some tips and tricks we’ve learned along the way and things to consider before taking the leap!
First to Consider
The first to consider is of course the age of the home and the utilities. Meaning, is it gas? electric? fireplace? This home has all 3. Before we were very far into the financing side of things and during our “option period” we wanted to have everything checked out that we could so we would know what we were getting ourselves into.
We contacted our local propane company and had them come out to make sure there were no leaks in the propane lines. This was an added expense on our part. Repairing lines from the tank to the house is not cheap. At this point we should have filled the tank to test the propane heat, which we didn’t. Lesson learned because this was an additional expense later to test. Come to find out, the heater needed some repairs to work properly. Glad we did this because moving into a home in the end of December with no heat does not sound like my idea of a good time.
Hiring Inspectors
We also had an electrician out to look at the wiring in the home. This is SUPER important because rewiring a home is also very expensive. The upstairs in our home had been updated but the downstairs needed a few updates. I was so happy to hear our homes wiring had been updated as an entire rewire just isn’t in the budget. Super old wiring is a major safety hazard and you want to make sure this is taken care of prior to moving in.
I love the character an older home has!
We also had to have the house inspected. Now this is required when buying a home for lending purposes but we went ahead and had this part done before the lender even asked for it. Again, a lot of this stuff was done while in our option period so that we had the option to back out should the house need too much work.
This property has a well for its water supply instead of city. We had a well company out to test the well head and pump to make sure that it was functioning properly. New pumps and wiring for a well head can cost a lot. The main issue we will have is the bladder and holding tank. In order for there to be enough water pressure, you have to have a big enough holding tank for the pressure. This is something we will have to upgrade shortly after moving in. Just another expense.
Appliances
If you have all electrical appliances and the house runs on gas, you may have to purchase a new dryer, stove etc which will add to your initial expense when moving in.
This home has been sitting vacant for over a year and when you have a well, natural bacteria is usually present. But, on a home that has set this long, it can build up in the pipes. In our county we had to have the water tested for said bacteria (another expense) and the septic system inspected. The water came back with elevated bacteria levels (totally normal for homes that have been vacant) but this meant we had to have the well treated and then tested AGAIN at our cost. Another expense.
Wrap Around Porch
An appraisal was ordered by our lender but was paid by us. Price of appraisal can be high as we have technically two houses on this property, which also had to be inspected , well tested, electrical inspected.. You see where I am going with this. The cost adds up quickly.
Having a plumber out to check all your pipes is a great idea. Older homes usually have cast iron plumbing and with the slightest vibration, they can crumble. If you’ve ever had to update plumbing on an entire house you know that it’s not cheap. And no one likes to go without hot showers, or a dishwasher or clean laundry.
Speaking of dishwashers……. This house doesn’t have one. (insert sad face here). The kitchen is tiny and has limited cabinets. So immediately I know that a kitchen reno is in the near future which means a lot of money and living in a constant state of construction. It’s not my favorite but it will be necessary.
Love This Character on an Older Home
This home has 2 fireplaces. These can be a HUGE safety hazard as many house fires are started this way. We had to pay for a chimney inspection and as I figured, they will need repairs prior to having fires. Normally this would be something we tackled later, but there is no central heat and air in the downstairs of this home so those fires are an absolute MUST. You give up a lot of modern conveniences when buying older homes but those can all be added later.
Selling While Buying Can Be Stressful
During this process we are also selling our home. Which means showings, updates have to be made, scheduling. We have a buyer but there have been some delays. But, as of today, I finally have a closing date! We wanted to close on both properties the same day. There are many reasons for this but mainly to ensure that I wasn’t selling my house before I was for sure able to buy this house.
Would love for you to check out how I updated the living room before listing our home!
I found a book with great reviews on buying your first home as well! affiliate link
Have you ever purchased an older home? Would love to hear all about your experiences!
We also had to check with the county on property taxes. This is something to consider when figuring your mortgage on what you can afford. I would also call and get many quotes for home owners insurance. The age of the home can sometimes cause a longer underwriting review process and items like old dearborn heaters can cause the premium to increase.
A few added costs were mainly just the updates we had to do to our existing home to get it ready to put on the market. Because of all these expenses, I estimate we are at over $5,000 already. This is no small amount for a house that lives on a budget. It has been a stressful and expensive process but one that I know will be all worth it in the end.
Thanks so much for stopping by today!
Check out how we have updated the living room so far in this house!
Great post! We purchased a 1949 home that had been vacant for over two years and had a structural engineer check the foundation since we planned on renovating. Among the other things that we had inspected so that we knew what we were getting into: Plumbing (iron water lines which we have now replaced with copper). Electric wiring: the service wasn’t adequate and the lines were above ground (subsequently upgraded the service and had it buried. The cloth wiring had been replaced but the outlets were not grounded), Insulation: wasn’t up to current code for our state (we had to pay to upgrade), Sewer line (mercifully, they were okay), Lead paint (there was), Asbestos (there was not..which is nice because asbestos removal is expensive). Heating and air conditioning systems (needed to be replaced), Water heater (ditto), Fireplace chimneys (checked out okay), Radon testing in the basement (also okay). The windows were rotting out of the frames, the roof (needed to be replaced). The foundation was sound and had no cracks. There was only 1 smoke detector and no carbon monoxide detection both of which are code in our state. I would strongly recommend familiarizing yourself with state and local codes or hire someone who is. We still purchased our home and have spent the last three years rehabbing.
yes! ours is pier and beam and was good. We will be adding smoke detectors and carbon monoxide dectectors as well! Roof is metal and checked out ok. Hot water heater works but could probably use replacing. Thankfully, hubby was a contractor for years and knows “people”. Do you have a blog or page that I can look at? Would LOVE to see your remodels!
So excited for you! Buying an older house isn’t for everyone, but when you got the “historic love bug” it is a dream come true! We bought an 1850’s colonial farmhouse 2 years ago now, and although we are always working on a project, it is so worth it putting your heart and soul into a home! You appreciate everything so much more! So congrats and welcome to the club! If you ever need any old house advice, we have pretty much tackled every hurdle an old house can have, so feel free to reach out! We blog about our renovation as well if you ever need some inspiration or motivation!
Thanks so much for your kind words of encouragement! I would love to see yours!