What to Know Before Buying a Century Home | First House | Seattle

The top 6 things I wish I knew before buying a 100 year old home. Knowing these things would have saved us a lot of headache and money.

[@billhaughery3445]

As a home inspector I found this video very informative. The items mentioned are on the top of the list of the things I find in older homes. These homes were built when building codes were less stringent. Eventually all homeowners will have to upgrade their older home to keep them safe and functional. I liked how Shirley communicated in a very matter of fact manner with no obvious emotional tone. Very encouraging without a negative attitude. A pleasure to listen to.

[@MarkeySlaughter]

I'm currently going through a home inspector course!

[@shavoyr6978]

Not even halfway through the video and I had to hit the like button. Finally a detailed video on this topic.

[@Theultrazombiekiller]

My house is a Victorian style built in 1924. The character, beauty, and elegance of a house like this is just unmatched. From the original door knobs, to the original wood floors and wrap around porch. And the beautiful, old wood smell inside. I would not have it any other way.

[@Noneya2224]

Omg! I am looking at a 90 year old home. This is really informative 😅😅😅😅

[@jessicatrue1617]

Thank you! We’re looking at a 145 year old home.

[@melissaromero6567]

This really helped me know what questions to ask our inspection agent. We're in the process of purchasing a home built in 1972 so this was SO helpful. Thank you so much for your insight!

[@zanesutherland406]

Great video. If you have windows that don’t need to be opened for ventilation regularly you can put in either an exterior or interior storm window to basically make a double pane window. It’s just as energy efficient and maintains the character of the original windows. Also heavy thick curtains are great for keeping in heat or blocking out the sun. Sometimes you can also install a fan system that draws cold air from your basement or crawl space up through the house for a cooler home.

[@TheGav0071]

My 1912 home had root intrusion into both sewer pipes (I have 2). One cost $2500 and the other $3200 to replace a section of each. not to mention the costs of all the plumbing visits we had having the pipes snaked out. Get it done right the first time. It saves you money in the long run.

[@shirleylane1057]

That’s a big expense. Ours did too- the sellers fixed it before we bought the house.

[@mattjames6038]

Great video, but a $500 home inspection would have had ALL that info and put in the report! DONT SKIP THE HOME INSPECTION!!!!!!

[@andreslabra8766]

Found this channel from keyboard reviews/comparisons and found great life advice. Thanks!

[@amandawilliams677]

This was so helpful! We are looking at historic homes in our city. Thank you so much for sharing your lessons learned with us 🙏🏼😊💜

[@karmcy]

Thank you for your tips! We’re looking into an older home in NYC and your lessons were very valuable!

[@shirleylane1057]

Glad it was helpful!

[@mattbrodacki4980]

Great video. Also of note any home before 1968 will likely have lead paint (became illegal). When small children are sleeping close to the wall (most cribs and toddler beds) children in close contact and health issues can surface.

[@shirleylane1057]

Thank you Matt! Added to my list of things to check!!

[@grumpyschnauzer]

Can this be painted over?

[@nathanscandella6075]

This is fearmongering. Lead based paint needs to be sanded, peeled or scratched off to pose a hazard. It doesn’t simply vaporize or offgas after decades, especially if it’s encapsulated under newer, non-lead paint

[@williamsmith8041]

ALWAYS have a home inspection done before purchasing ANY house

[@matthew2570]

Not a big comment dude, but just wanted to thank you for the info. It was well laid out, to the point, and gave me numerous things to think about while house hunting around our old town

[@shirleylane1057]

Thank you Matthew, that means alot! I hope you find the home of your dreams!

[@matthew2570]

@@shirleylane1057 As it happens, we found a wonderful 1887 victorian, were closing on Monday!

[@josephb9597]

Wow, this was amazing. I’m thinking about buying a home next year and this helped a lot. Incredible amount of information. Thank you‼️

[@TheJoyofTrucking]

Thank you! Hope you are enjoying your home after all those challenges!

[@JaninesMaquillage]

Super informative thank you! Especially since most of the homes here in Seattle are 100+ 😂

[@alliphil1]

I researched century old homes before watching this video as I was considering purchasing one. Wow, all the issues I read about, sounds like you experienced ALL of them. - knob and tube electrical and insurance refusing to cover it - the costly switchover to upgraded wiring - old plumbing vs pvc or copper plumbing - drafty single-pane windows without screens - age of water heater Sorry you had to go through that but I do appreciate you sharing. I’m wondering why a home inspection didn’t reveal all of this prior to purchasing? I’ve read you’d have to use a building inspector who specializes in century old homes so they know exactly what to look for. The list you mentioned seems to be common concerns with century old homes. That said I don’t know how easy it is to find a building inspector who specializes in century old homes.

[@shirleylane1057]

I feel like I'm half way to a home inspector after dealing with all this. They covered knob and tube, but in terms of water pipes, the bath tub pipe couldn't even turn on during the home inspection and they wrote it off...only after did I realize it's probably from those old plumbing that's become narrow from years of use.

[@timothykentlawson9822]

Very informative! Thanks for sharing your insights on how to buy an old house. 👍

[@jackwilson8051]

My home was built in 1940 with the original windows. I added storm/screen windows & by doing that they are just as efficient as newer replacement windows. Plus newer windows will never last as long as the originals. The old windows can be easily repaired.

[@backinblack0676]

Really helpful information! As a prospective first time homebuyer of an older home, this is a good reminder that I need to do some more research.

[@shirleylane1057]

You are so welcome! Good luck in your house hunt!!

[@grumpyschnauzer]

This was really helpful. My partner and I are looking at a 1952 home (also 2Bed 1 bath) to buy and we are in escrow. My partner and I are on the fence bc the house still needs some work like you mentioned. It might be too expensive of a house for us but we really want it. Thank you for mentioning price too.

[@pikakac2441]

Great video! I used to live in a century old building that had many of the problems you covered

[@anmolrastogi2884]

Amazing Job Shirley ! Great Content

[@smokestaxx7479]

Glad I kept searching the topic and came across your video!

[@zhuochen4987]

There are beautiful views from the windows

[@JasonJones-br3or]

Nice rundown, thanks for sharing… very helpful!

[@thomasduffyjr]

I am 14 years old. I’m no where near buying a house. Why do I find these videos so interesting 😂 I’ve watched like 4 videos about the costs of living in a old house over the past hour 😂

[@shirleylane1057]

You'll be prepared for when you are close!

[@globalbutterfly]

You’ve taught me so much!

[@sleepyl3227]

Very informative, thank you so much!

[@7PercentSolutionBlog]

Love this video and your channel! We are looking to buy an home but the older ones just have too much risk for us, Your home is gorgeous though!

[@shirleylane1057]

Thank you! I've become a handy-woman, from repairing steps to cleaning gutters and fixing dryers!

[@rpradhan1494]

This is great. Thank you so much !!!

[@IronPriest82]

Great video, helped a lot!

[@amykim4216]

Thanks Shirley, I'm looking into buying a house 110 years old. LOL Thanks for the headsup!!

[@shirleylane1057]

Best of luck!

[@dat1phoenix173]

This was very helpful

[@LifestyleGardener]

Wow, thanks for telling us!

[@canadadesk56]

thanks for sharing this very important video. life saving video. I made same mistake. Now we will follow.

[@drewrowe]

thank you for this video.

[@vicmarc4984]

What U wish you knew, BUT your REALTOR did not tell you! Because REALTORs are basically just out to make commission, and basically NOT worth 3% of the transaction. Real estate is Such a SCAM.

[@aarongupta93]

this helped me. Liked

[@teonaka632]

Thank you!!

[@Ramnik72]

What a great job

[@lechatchateau6941]

Your house is so cute and I love it's vibe. I can feel the positive ambience. I have been getting tired of all these completely gutted and renovated old home videos... When I was house hunting last summer It was my goal to get a Craftsman that wasn't all renovated but now, I am not sure if I like my old and musty and mildewy house. For a taste of what a virtually un-renovated Craftsman looks like inside (with the exception of the kitchen which was a very low budget remodel), I just posted an intro to my new-old house on my channel. I'm hoping to make a series about this house I just bought, but come prepared for low production values with a lot of authenticity. Hopefully, my video/editing skills will improve with more experience. I welcome any feedback about what to do with my house!. It was suppose to be my retirement dream house, but it's feeling a little bit like a nightmare.

[@majoni143]

Thank you

[@StallionFernando]

I want a Victorian house for my first house, they're so beautiful but houses that old are often a huge gamble and potential money pit, thank you for this and God bless my friend.

[@shirleylane1057]

I totally agree, they're gorgeous. Good luck with your search!

[@Hello-zf5lq]

But hey the walls are painted nice so it looks good?

[@angelabenally8068]

That’s is great! I am in the process of purchasing my first home, it is 83yrs old. Monday I was informed a have a portion of clay pipe that needs to be repaired & I also have knob n tube wiring that should be replaced. Idk what to do, I wanna buy this house but not if I have to repair everything the same year is purchased. I need to figure out how long it could last before these things need to be replaced. No way to know I guess. Do you have any updates on your home repairs? Thanks for the video

[@shleebeez]

thank you for sharing. do you know if you are able to add screens to your windows to prevent the bugs from flying in? also, is it possible to replace the windows themselves with double panes? i have heard the windows are not standard sizes these days typically

[@Ramnik72]

Plumbing 10-20k Sewer 10k-20k Electrical 10-20k water heater replacement-4k Earthquake proofing-no idea Double pane windows 20k She is lucky I would Add 25k -40k for water proofing and draining water around foundation and repair of foundation cracks.. especially if ure in water table…

[@idiotonbike]

Thankyou :)

[@Gotdam]

keep the old windows! Biggest part of the charm and they'll last forever if maintained

[@passion830217]

I guess it is not right to say that a person should replace a water heater that is more than 12 years old. The one in my home was a 1984 unit with a pilot that must be lighted by actual flame. I was thinking about replacing it in 2019 when I bought the home.However, after I replaced the sacrificing node and checked the structure by using a small hammer to slightly tap the bottom of the tank, that thing was solid. It still functions perfectly today, then I asked one of my neibhor about the age of his water heater. Guess what, it is almost the same age. It is prudent to check the water heater every year if it is an old unit though.

[@davidlampe4153]

I’m going to guess that you have not previously owned a house. I’ve owned four homes and have had most of the problems you have outlined. No sewer surprise! You have a cesspool. Knob and tube is okay but if you have it you should plan to replace it. Old circuit breaker’s such as pacific electric they don’t pop right away instead they buzz.

[@davidporterrealestate]

You can double those prices only 3 years later

[@LandofFreedom85]

How do you mean double! Appreciation? Or more cost down the road?

[@Hello-zf5lq]

Hold on. So your real estate agent and house inspector did not tell you this? I wander if they were working as a tag team to just sell you the home.

[@XinFloridaLife]

weird. does inspection reports in washington state not show you how old the appliances are?

[@iDigress77times]

Did your home inspector check anything? hahaha

[@shirleylane1057]

I think it's pretty easy to become a licensed home inspector, and we just used Flyhome's in-house ones, who are both real estate agents and home inspectors. Definitely learned the lesson there.

[@iDigress77times]

@@shirleylane1057 I feel for ya, but thank you so much for helping me. I think karma will pay you back with positivity for sharing this information. It’s really helping me right now as I just started the process of buying an older home that I kinda just jumped into. I started escrow Monday and I didn’t even think about the topics you presented in your video. Thanks again!!!

[@KB-ok5ob]

ty, i am going to see a (almost ) 100 year old home today

[@turbobuick33]

Never knew a bad worn out water heater would cause a flood

[@bossudude420]

Pex plumbing is terrible. It leaches out petroleum chemicals. Not something you want. Copper is best.

[@micheleemcdaniel389]

You have unsafe, choke hazard window shade cord that should be updated.

[@leilanidoofy90]

Need a mic