I don’t claim to know everything but some people say the dumbest things. A few days ago someone told me they knew someone who thought the following: “It’s better to buy an older home than a newer home because older homes were better built.”
Somebody pulled this out of their ass because there is no way this is even remotely true. Of course, everyone believes that bullshit phrase “They just don’t build ‘em like they used to.” Tell gramps to get a clue. There is a reason people don’t walk 5 miles to school in 10 feet of snow too… its called innovation. “They don’t build them like they used to” because their are better ways through technological advancement. Trust me, a shit home built today is better built than a shit home built back in the day. It’s all relative. Trust me, I love character…but hate old pieces of shit.
I have been present for hundreds of property inspections. From single family to big commercial buildings and everything in between. I have been around so many inspections I only do inspections for my own purchases if I see that I need I need to further negotiate the price and terms. I can look at a property and it will take me 5 min to know if its a good property or not. I know what to look for so you don’t have a capital improvement headache soon after your purchase.
From my experience this person is way off. The above statement is far from true. This is like saying… doctors had better equipment to diagnose to treat illnesses years ago compared to now. Everything done in years past have been refined for better results. Therefore, homes built today are without question are planned, designed and built better than in years past.
I am not an expert by any means but I have seen a lot throughout the years. Real estate is in my blood, literally. Here is a little factual info that will dispute this persons claim that old homes are built better. This is not rocket science.
Old homes
- were not built to be energy efficient.
- were built with plans that used very basic technology… if any at all.
- insulation used back in the day is known to have caused cancer.
- roofing: most have 2-3 layers of shit shingles. It’s a sloppy short term solution to a big problem. One layer of quality shingles is ideal.
- were not built with building codes in mind to protect people from mother nature. (hurricanes)
- electrical systems are not sufficient and often undersized for today’s electrical needs… aluminum wiring, ungrounded outlets, no GFI’s.
- etc…
My head is spinning. I could list so much more but its a waste of my time. Take my word for it… when you compare apples to apples homes are built better today then those built back in the day. Disclaimer: just because you hire a home inspector doesn’t mean they are good at what they do. Find yourself a broker who gets it. It kinda sucks to have a terrible inspection and waste a few hundred dollars to find out the obvious. Very few good brokers exist because everyone wants to just sell you something. Unfortunately, you will not know if you had a good broker until 2-3 years pass. If you find yourself spending lots of money during these first few years on capital improvements there’s a good chance you worked with a shit broker. I see it all the time. Caveat emptor.
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Ugh, i bought an older house and the roof went, its cold in winter and i think my broker sucked now that you mentioned it. Should have listened to my wife. Its the money pit.
those old adages dont always ring true but they sound good. im not old but catch myself telling my little cousin when I was a kid we….. scary.
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