Old homes

[Anonymous]

so we are big on walkability and do not care for big homes in the suburbs. Something like this seems perfect in terms of size, neighborhood, accessibility to the metro. However I wonder if we are taking on too much by looking at older homes - we ahve always been condo /townhome dwellers and know nothing of home maintenance. so everything i hear about the amount of time you need to invest in home maintenance for an older home seems overwhelming. Or is it okay with a nicely renovated home like this? We love gardening so the yard itself is not a problem. Need some perspective from others who have some experience living in and maintaining an older home.

https://www.redfin.com/VA/Arlington/1621-N-Quincy-St-22207/home/11233974

[Anonymous]

I have a SFH that age my maintenance costs are astronomical. YMMV.

[Anonymous]

It would be astronomical if it needed a lot of work. This house was expanded 5 years ago and the condition is fine.

[Anonymous]

OP here : to add i do not need general advice on old homes, I need advice specifically on older homes that seem to have been well maintained / renovated. like this listing. we will of course do an inspection for any home but also want to understand from the perspective of folks in similar homes what you think something like this will be like

[Anonymous]

I love this house, OP!

[Anonymous]

Honey, you think this is an old homes? Bwaahahaaa!

As someone who owns an old house and been in and out of older homes all my life, this is a heavily renovated baby. It's in better shape than most newbuilds. I don't like this house but it's fine.

[Anonymous]

You won't have much to do for that house other than regular maintenance of HVAC and lawn care. Roof is fairly new and the exterior is low maintenance. You would have to replace things down the road like HVAC, water heater, appliances, roof. You probably have 10 years before any of that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Honey, you think this is an old homes? Bwaahahaaa!

As someone who owns an old house and been in and out of older homes all my life, this is a heavily renovated baby. It's in better shape than most newbuilds. I don't like this house but it's fine.

Yes, but get a proper structural assessment done by a PE if you see any signs of issues (creaking floors, sagging joists, diagonal cracks near door frames, etc). Also realize your electrical might be old school and a mess.

We didn’t do this with our N Arlington home, also heavily renovated, built around the same time, and it would cost $200K+ to fix the issues.

[Anonymous]

Nice original house. Tacky addition. Why modern architects insist on a maximum number of rooflines, I will never understand.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Honey, you think this is an old homes? Bwaahahaaa!

As someone who owns an old house and been in and out of older homes all my life, this is a heavily renovated baby. It's in better shape than most newbuilds. I don't like this house but it's fine.

Yes, but get a proper structural assessment done by a PE if you see any signs of issues (creaking floors, sagging joists, diagonal cracks near door frames, etc). Also realize your electrical might be old school and a mess.

We didn’t do this with our N Arlington home, also heavily renovated, built around the same time, and it would cost $200K+ to fix the issues.

Adding since you asked OP - my perspective is we’ll never purchase an older house again, at least around here. Most of Arlington historically was very MC, which means many of these original homes have “DIY Dad” Frankenstein repairs that compound into bigger problems over time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It would be astronomical if it needed a lot of work. This house was expanded 5 years ago and the condition is fine.

A poorly done renovation exacerbates underlying problems by making them harder to fix.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Honey, you think this is an old homes? Bwaahahaaa!

As someone who owns an old house and been in and out of older homes all my life, this is a heavily renovated baby. It's in better shape than most newbuilds. I don't like this house but it's fine.

Yes, but get a proper structural assessment done by a PE if you see any signs of issues (creaking floors, sagging joists, diagonal cracks near door frames, etc). Also realize your electrical might be old school and a mess.

We didn’t do this with our N Arlington home, also heavily renovated, built around the same time, and it would cost $200K+ to fix the issues.

Adding since you asked OP - my perspective is we’ll never purchase an older house again, at least around here. Most of Arlington historically was very MC, which means many of these original homes have “DIY Dad” Frankenstein repairs that compound into bigger problems over time.

This is my experience too. My ordinary home inspection was totally clean. The sloped floor was described as “normal settlement.” It was very wrong. I wish I’d had a structural engineer. Would’ve saved me hundreds of thousands and pain and suffering.

[Anonymous]

so we are big on walkability and do not care for big homes in the suburbs.

Where are you walking to from this house on a regular basis?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It would be astronomical if it needed a lot of work. This house was expanded 5 years ago and the condition is fine.

A poorly done renovation exacerbates underlying problems by making them harder to fix.

We spent the first two years in our old house fixing what the flippers screwed up. Once we were done, it was perfect. In 20 years, I've had no trouble with the structure itself. It was just shitty plumbing "upgrades" (plastic jacuzzi tub, ew) and cheap finishes in bathroom and kitchen. Ripped that crap out and now it's gorgeous.

I wouldn't touch a modern build house, ever. They're build out of cardboard, low-grade plywood, and tyvek. Look for some home inspector accounts on social media-- horrifying what builders will try to put over on buyers.

[Anonymous]

OP is the realtor.

I do wonder why that house has been sitting so long at that price point.