Virginia, being one of the original American colonies, is rich in history. For those who cherish bygone eras, buying a historic house is often the ultimate lifestyle coup - in doing so, one literally owns a piece of the past. Too often, though, consumers rush into this type of home purchase without diligently researching the special considerations involved… and this truly is the type of mistake that homeowners repent at leisure. Decimated budgets, squandered time, and unfathomable aggravation go hand-in-hand with even the best of historic home purchases. In learning about the basics, you can ensure that you have the facts you need.
While commonplace old homes will always hold a certain cache to the buying public, homes officially listed on the National Register are an eclectic, ultra-desirable rarity… to the right crowd. Home repair guru Bob Vila calls the Register pedigree a “particular, upscale amenity that attracts a specific group of homebuyers.” A few buyers will stumble into this kind of purchase, if a historic home happens to fit their other criteria, but most folks are looking specifically for an old house. There are even entire real estate agencies dedicated to helping serve these buyers, and the existing homeowners who have what they are looking for.
With historic homes, preserving the character of the house is priority number one. Keep this in mind before you purchase such a home with the thought of knocking out a few inconvenient walls and adding extra rooms all willy-nilly. Those narrow hallways, strangely-situated living spaces, and cramped bathrooms made it into the 21st century unchanged for a reason - they are legally protected. Many of these homes lack modern HVAC systems, and retrofitting modern units in is a considerable hassle. For this reason, expect that you will have to hire a specialist any time you need even moderate repair or renovation work done - you’ll need to foster a good working relationship with someone whose niche is historic buildings. Something as simple as replacing a drafty window or door can quickly get astronomically expensive when you take into account that code requires you to replace the old fixtures with comparable new ones.
The overriding moral here is to always anticipate much more cost, time, and stress than you’d normally budget for in owning a home. Sometimes, the increase is exponential! Owning a historic home is an amazing experience, and an indisputable bragging point. You’ll always be proud of your home, which stands as a living piece of history. If you take the time to avoid the worst money pits and have the resources to do right by your new old home, your family’s will be only the latest of many generations of happy memories created within those walls.
