An old building could be a bargain, or a money pit. We’ll help you discover which.
My name is Chris Jacobson a Historic Home Realtor. Let me tell you a story.
In 2013 When my wife and I purchased our Colonial Revival, I was told that the foundation was failing. Also, the entire area under the home was flooded. That seemed like a bad combination.
Appearances can be deceiving
After crawling through the mud with a flashlight, I found something amazing.
I brought in a foundation engineer to confirm. The home had an expensive floating foundation hidden behind the “failing” brick foundation. The mud was caused by a broken sprinkler in the front yard. After a quick test, the engineer also confirmed the water had not undermined the new foundation.
Best of all, the new foundation was more expensive than the asking price of the entire home. Score! I found a home I loved, and it was a great value.
What would you do in her shoes?
A client of mine recently purchased a Victorian. As we walked the home, looking at some of the obvious deferred maintenance, I could see how worried she was.
I pay attention to windows, which provide key information for Historic Homes. Every single window on the home was in great shape. That is highly unusual. The exterior paint was old and cracked, but looking at the moldings there was no rot.
Better still, the windows had custom, super high-quality screens. These screens would have cost thousands of dollars. Only an owner who was taking good care of the home would spend that type of money on screens.
The current owner had let the maintenance slide for almost 10 years, but the prior owner had loved and cared for the home for decades. Everywhere we looked we saw the evidence of a well cared-for home.
My buyer started our walkthrough worried about the cost of repairs, but by the time we finished a detailed inspection, she was all smiles.
One detail could make or break a sale
It’s important for me to personally inspect the property. I help my clients understand the benefits of ownership and the potential costs of repair and maintenance.
It’s easy to miss a detail that makes a home worth a lot more, or a lot less, than the list price. We look at records. We cross-reference data. We dig into problems, and often depend on specialists for help.
We are the local Historic Home experts. We have created tools and services to help you succeed. We care about our clients and their success.
One of the best ways to start your Historic Home search is to schedule a day to look at homes. I look forward to showing you around.
