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Your home is typically one of the largest purchases of your life. Before you purchase a house, you should know as much as you can about it. Knowing its age may provide important context about potential issues, history, and property value.

While some homes come with clear documents showing their construction date, other homes may have missing records and issues that make it difficult to find the age and history of the property.

In this article, we’ll discuss ways and methods you can use to find out the age of your home. These include using online tools, talking with previous owners, and analyzing property records.

We want you to have a better understanding of ways to determine the age of your home and how it can help you in your home purchase.

Why is your home’s construction date important?

There are many reasons why you may want to know when your home was built. First, knowing your home’s age can help identify potential issues. For example, appliances like hot water heaters and HVAC systems may be nearing the end of their lives and need to be repaired or replaced. Buyers can sometimes negotiate a lower purchase price if they point out that major upgrades are needed.

In addition, many homeowners want to understand the history of their property and the previous owners that occupied the home. In the United States, it’s not uncommon to see homes built in the 1700s or earlier, and exploring the history of your home can turn up some interesting information.

The home’s building materials also play a factor in the safety of your home today. Hazards like lead paint and asbestos present significant health risks, even though these materials were common in the past. The best way to be sure you purchase a home without these health risks is to get the home tested. You are able to test for asbestos, radon, lead paint, and carbon monoxide.

Homeowners considering making renovations or improvements on their home may also want to know the age of their home for several reasons. First, knowing the house’s history may help guide decisions about preserving historic elements or making improvements to outdated features.

Using public records to find out when the house was built will also help homeowners during the resale process. Buyers and appraisers may take your home’s construction date into account when determining the home’s value.

How old is my house?

Unfortunately, there is no easy way to determine your home’s manufacturing date if there aren’t any records of previous construction. However, there are other ways we can find clues to determine the age of the home.

How do I find out how old my house is?

Searching online

The first place you should look when trying to determine the age of a particular property is Zillow or Realtor.com. These websites are industry leaders in public listings of properties for sale on the internet, and the construction date of your home is most likely to be displayed on these websites. Zillow may even have data for off-market homes that show real estate transaction history and other active real estate listings in the area.

Asking previous owners

If you can’t find the house’s history online, your next step should be to approach previous owners to find the age of your home. If the previous owners were the first ones to occupy the home, they should be able to provide you with the year the home was constructed.

Approaching the tax assessor

To find records regarding your home’s history, you’ll want to visit your county tax assessor to view all the tax records the county has on file for your property. The tax assessor may have city directories that provide more information about your plot of land, its tax history, and assessed value over time.

As long as the assessor’s office maintains their records in an organized fashion, you should be able to determine if there was a sudden increase in tax assessments in a given year, which signals the construction date of a new home or the completion of renovations and remodels.

Viewing county records

Visiting the county recorder’s office is another way to find property records after talking with the tax assessor. The county stores public records which can help locate the manufacturing date stamped along with census records, regional data, and previous property owners.

The first thing you should do when viewing county records is to ask the recorder’s office for property records pertaining to your home. These documents may be available online with an interactive map, but it’s a good idea to visit the office in person for physical copies.

>> AGENT ANSWERS: How can I tell how old my house is?

These property records should have the information you’re looking for. Any information relating to the construction date and original building permits will have the year that your home was built clearly listed on the document.

Connecting with a local historical society

In the event you still can’t pinpoint a construction date, you have a few options. You can compare maps available from the local historical society with maps from the past. By doing so, you may be able to determine the year that your home was built based around the construction date of other similar homes in your neighborhood.

Observing your home’s architecture

Homes with distinct architectural styles may be easier to pinpoint their age. For example, Victorian homes started to become popular in the 1830s, which means homes with Victorian architecture were most likely to be built around the same time period. However, looking at the architectural style may make it difficult to determine the exact build date of the home, so it’s best to start with other methods first.

Consulting with a real estate agent

When in doubt, it’s always a good idea to work with a real estate agent when trying to determine how old your house is. Using FastExpert’s proprietary platform to search and compare the best agents in your area is the best way to get connected with a trusted agent who can help comb through county records to determine the age of your home.

Trying your local library

Most libraries have sections for local historical records that you may find useful. These documents include local maps, building plans, and permits issued by the county in the past which may contain more information about when your home was built. Asking the librarian where you can find historical records is the best way to use the local library to find the property information for your house.

Inspecting the building materials

Believe it or not, the building materials of your home may be an indicator of its age. During original construction, certain materials may have been popular at the time but have been phased out with major changes in building materials over the years.

Building materials like cadmium, asbestos, lead, and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBS) are not used in home building today due to the health risks they pose. Homeowners who can’t find the exact build date of the house may be able to use this information to narrow down the year the home was built.

Hiring a building inspector to look at the home construction

Hiring a building inspector is another way you can attempt to find out how old your house is. Although building inspectors charge based on the square footage of the home, hiring an expert to look at your home can help uncover your home’s age as well as any potential health risks that may be present. The inspector will also analyze the home’s architecture and may be able to give you an approximate date when the home was built.

Does the age of your home impact your home sale?

In short, yes. The age of your home impacts the sale price in a number of ways. First, newer homes tend to sell at higher price points than older homes for several reasons, including:

• Newer homes often have modern appliances and amenities that most older homes don’t have. Updated appliances, new heating and cooling systems, and better insulation are all examples of features that impact the price of your home.
• Newer homes may have lower maintenance costs. Old homes often need more maintenance to maintain a safe living space, while newer homes have more advanced mechanical systems which are less likely to break down over time. Lower maintenance costs are often a selling point for first time home buyers and those who want to reduce the maintenance costs of owning a home.
• Newer homes often have contemporary designs that are appealing to buyers today, while older homes may have architecture and designs which are out of style and appear dated. While some buyers may enjoy vintage-style homes, many potential homeowners look for contemporary homes with updated designs for today’s day and age.

While the age of your home is a factor that may impact your home sale, it’s important to understand that this isn’t the only factor to consider. Other important factors that impact selling price include location, square footage, unique features, and market conditions.

How old is my house by address?

Finding out the age of your home by address shouldn’t be too difficult with the online tools we have at our disposal today. We recommend typing the subject property’s address on Google and clicking on one of the top results. Tools like Zillow or Realtor.com are reliable in determining the construction date of your home since they often have on and off-market listings in their database.

Using your home’s age as a selling point

As we mentioned previously, sellers may be able to use their home’s age as a selling point when negotiating with buyers. One way to use the construction date and house’s history as a selling point is to highlight the unique architectural style that your home presents. High ceilings and intricate woodwork are features that may increase your home’s value.

Another way to use your home’s age as a selling point is to point out its historical significance. Owners of homes that were part of a significant era in history or with notable previous owners may be able to command higher prices.

Lastly, older homes are often built with materials that withstand the test of time. Sellers should mention the house was built with durable materials like stone or brick, and point out that the home will continue to hold up well in the future.

The bottom line

Finding out how old your house is may be difficult if the information isn’t readily available online. However, asking previous owners, visiting the tax assessor, and consulting with a real estate agent are just a few of the ways you can find this information before selling your home.

While the age of your home may affect its selling price, it’s certainly not the most important factor. Sellers should focus on replacing outdated appliances, making necessary upgrades, and fixing any maintenance issues before selling to ensure they get the most for their home.

Want more information? Visit FastExpert and find out why we are the #1 platform to connect buyers and sellers with reputable real estate agents in their area.

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