Are you on the hunt for a house right now? One of our readers recently asked on Facebook what they should look for before buying an old house. Other Southern Savers readers responded in droves and had so many helpful tips! Here’s a round-up of the best advice you readers gave to this questioning reader.

Reader Question: “What Should I Look for Before Buying an Old House?”

There are definitely many things you should pay attention to when you are buying an old house, but readers chimed in with many common themes. Any of the house systems—plumbing, electrical, HVAC, etc.—should be thoroughly inspected. You should also pay attention to mold, pest issues, and foundation issues. At the end of the post I also include some miscellaneous tips from readers that I found extremely helpful!

Plumbing is important

• Heather C.: We bought a house that is over 50 years old. We had so many plumbing issues, we had to replace every single pipe below the house. Several family members have had the same issues with their older homes. It’s worth the peace of mind. No one wants plumbing issues!
• Sherri M.: Even houses built as early as the 80’s might have the blue poly pipe that is known to bust
• Leslie B.: I bought a 60s ranch house and have spent a fortune in plumbing!
• Jane R.: We just had to have our whole house re-plumbed due to leak in slab.
• Kathy P.: Run the water in EVERY sink and tub, and flush every toilet. Multiple times. Check the water pressure with the faucets on all cold, all hot, and mixed. Use a good, independent inspector of YOUR choice for everything else.
• Stefanie W.: Our house was built in 1981 and last year we had to replace all the plumbing. It was copper and we ended up with leaks everywhere. Replacing it all was expensive.

Be alert to mold issues

• Amy R.: Black mold. We have just had to rip out both of our bathrooms upstairs because of moisture issues that led to black mold. Get an air quality expert in to ping the tile and do air quality tests. A general home inspection will not cover this. Fortunately our insurance paid for remediation. We are fighting for more money on our rebuild. It will be over $50k when it is all over.
• Barbara T.: Bring a moisture meter! My new to us house has already cost me time and money fixing the previous owner’s “fix” to a moisture issue.

The foundation is key

• Tammy C.: As a realtor, the number one deal breaker is foundation issues. A good home inspection will identify issues and let you know which ones are serious.
• Christine W.: Hire a structural engineer!
• Emily W.: Foundation is the biggest and costliest issue. We looked at a older home and paid to have a private foundation inspection…needed 30k in repairs. Needless to say we walked away from that one! Plumbing and septic, too. Although septic isn’t too crazy. We had to replace ours recently and it was $4000, so not a bank breaker.
• Jeff A.: Our home is from 1942, just check for foundation/structural issues as people have said, all the rest is cosmetic and be can fixed. The old wood they used back then basically turns into steel after 80+ years. I have family with a 20 year old house where the foundation settled and the stucco all cracked; it was a $25,000 to repair.

Examine the electrical system

• Margaret B.: Along with other things mentioned, aluminum vs, copper wiring. Aluminum wiring was used in the older houses. Then they found out that the aluminum will ‘shrink’ over time and will start a fire.
• Stacey B.: [Who] knows how ours ever passed inspection, because we had to replace the AC handler literally a year after buying the house, and the guys were dumbfounded at how jacked up the breaker panel was. Rooms were wired together in the weirdest way. They were overloaded. Plus there’s an entire wall we can’t use because the outlets don’t work—probably due to the crappy wiring.

Read More→