[itscolduphere]

....but I'm afraid to ask???

Ok, anyone own a historic home? (My idea of "Historic" being 1830 or earlier)
A (not-so-good) real estate agent once told me I didn't want one because they're "in a constant state of decay"). Although he's probably right, and it might be a headache to forever be puttying up sills and re-pointing foundation joints, chimneys, etc.

Plus, I admit to being afraid of ghosts. At the risk of looking foolish to some, yes I DO believe in them.

However, there's something irresistible to me about a big, old 18th c. home in the country.

Comments, personal stories, advice, warnings etc. welcomed. I'm posting this in the CT forum BTW because that's the "target area", and I'm looking for comments from historic CT homeowners... but anyone from NE feel free to post.

[KH02]

My friend owns a historic home and I don't know about decay, but due to the old windows she pays 1000 a month to heat her home... YIKES!!!

[JayCT]

I do not own a historic home but know that they can be a constant upkeep battle. Some people don't mind that, but others do. One suggestion that may be good is to look for a newer reproduction home. There are some around that do not have the issues a historic home would have but still have the charm you are looking for. Some even have modern open floor plans. Jay

[lionandlamb]

Greetings,
There allot of work and money, allot to heat, not unless you use a wood burner. They have wonderful appearances, history and such charm. You can make a modern home look back in the era of 1750's 1890'. Very easy. Save all the heating costs. They have so much out in plastic for this decor, you dont know it is plastic. They have salvage yards stocked with old pieces off those older homes to purchase One big nightmare, is that when an older home starts fire, the wood is very dry, it will go up like match sticks. Watch the news, you will hear the fireman state this.
Are you thinking of registering a Historic Home? If so there is grants and then there are rules they may have you open to the public for tours.
I have been thru all of this.. and the winner is: newer home to be made Historic.
The ghosts are in these older homes, you hear about them all the time. Folks from the past have died in them. BUT there is the Blood of Jesus and the words "I rebuke you in the name of Jesus."
Works great... Ghosts are not from God and they only can stay if you let them.
Be Blessed

[itscolduphere]

All very good points....
They sure are pretty, though! Also, they sometimes come with acreage. But also as I remember looking at a couple in the past, they're also dangerously close to the road. BUT I do know of some very good reproduction routes to take if I ever find any land left around to build on that is affordable! I think that is the biggest challenge.

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by itscolduphere

BUT I do know of some very good reproduction routes to take if I ever find any land left around to build on that is affordable! I think that is the biggest challenge.

Boy do I hear you there. I have been looking for a good piece of land here for years now. They are either very high priced or a builder grabs it quickly. Maybe now that the housing market is down I hope to grab something quick myself. We will see. Jay

[dazzleman]

I have an older home but it's not historic. Historic generally means that it has a special designation and that it can't be changed without approval. This can be a real problem when you seek to update an older home, and definitely adds to the cost of owning it.

Like anything else, there are advantages and disadvantages to older versus newer homes. My house is 70 years old. I like the greater charm of older homes, but they also require you to live with things that are less than optimal. My layout is old style, with a kitchen that was really designed to have servants working it. So it doesn't have that open feel to family rooms that is popular today. The heating and air conditioning systems are not at peak efficiency due to their antiquated design, and the cost and inconvenience of materially improving them is prohibitive.

OTOH, I find that many newer houses are poorly constructed, and the flaws are not always obvious right away. But after about 5 years, problems start to pop up. Many of the contemporary designs are highly impractical, too big, and too difficult to keep up as the house ages. I suspect many of these houses will become white elephants.

For real historic houses, you need to find out if they're subject to a historical commission's approval of any changes. Having this requirement is a real burden. Anything you need to do with one of these older houses will cost you more than with a newer house, and you may have to live with less than optimal conditions due to the impossibility or impermissibility of making major changes. Many of those older houses have virtually no closets, since people had far fewer possessions back then. Often they have very low ceilings in spots, because people were shorter. You just have to look at them and see what the good and bad points are.

[Lincolnian]

A friend of mine bought a historic home despite me warning her of the unforeseen costs associated with maintaining it and keeping her family warm in the winter.

The alluring multiple fireplaces, beautiful antique glass windows, rich history of the past owners, and idyllic setting of living out in country were attractive reasons to purchase the home 3 years ago at the height of the real estate market.

After wrapping themselves in blankets with the heat barely able to maintain 60 degrees in the winter they had little view of outside world as the antique glass windows were frozen solid and no longer transparent a majority of the time. The multiple fireplaces (which all need costly repairs to function properly) are stuffed with insulation to try and block off the cold drafts that elevate the monthly oil bill to $1500 a month in the winter.

Alas, they have been trying to sell their home and the same realtors that touted its charm, one-of-a-kind status, and historic value, now are accentuating the flaws and pushing them to short sell it $150,000 below what they paid three years ago.

Be careful! As my friend says. This is a home that is not for a family with young children but a wealthy older couple who has a lot of money to spend to keep it heated and things working.

[itscolduphere]

Originally Posted by Lincolnian

Alas, they have been trying to sell their home and the same realtors that touted its charm, one-of-a-kind status, and historic value, now are accentuating the flaws and pushing them to short sell it $150,000 below what they paid three years ago.

(... biting my tongue )

I might have looked at their house and/or know these "charming" realtors.

Yeah, I think I'm pretty convinced that I should save the love of these antique homes for open house holiday tours, coffee table books, and wealthier people to keep up for future generations to admire from the road. Thank you for your added perspective!

[itscolduphere]

Originally Posted by JayCT

Boy do I hear you there. I have been looking for a good piece of land here for years now. They are either very high priced or a builder grabs it quickly. Maybe now that the housing market is down I hope to grab something quick myself. We will see. Jay

I love Simsbury/Avon but there is no land, period. I'd have to do a remodel probably, with my budget. The prob. with builders in the area is you have to usually go with their plans, and cannot build something truly custom. A shame as I really love CT but would have to live in NH or ME or remote parts of western MA pretty much, to truly build the house I want.

BUT we will see, as you said... this market is weird, and someone someplace might get tired of hanging on to a decent parcel.