Well, the wife and I built new on five acres, so we have some buffer from neighbors, but the home was new when we moved in. Older homes can be better, or much worse, according to when built, what building codes were in force, how many termites have moved in, etc, etc. An old home does have charm, but someone like me, that knows what can be wrong or go wrong, I opt for new. I don’t want to spend my time fixing the old warn out stuff just for having charm. Old homes on the east coast typically mean old wiring, narrow rooms (no A/C back then, so rooms were narrow for good cross winds through windows), possible termite damage…many things. Of course a good home inspection can bring out most problems and sale price can be adjusted. I guess when I think old, I’m thinking real old. I would definitely not consider a home built in the 40’s, 50’s or 60’s. I think the building quality would be questionable. I’d have to research more on that age home for what building codes were in force and how well they were inforced. If the home is on a well, copper pipe can get eaten up by the minerals in the water. I’ve seen whole copper piping systems in a home start to get pin hole leaks behind walls, requiring everything to be ripped out and re-piped….walls repaired. These flippers that go in, replace the appliances, paint the walls….they sell you a really pretty home and you wonder, what’s under the hood?
