When you’re buying an old home, you should look out for several issues. Things like foundation problems, a deteriorating roof, and outdated electrical outlets and fixtures might be apparent when you’re touring the house.
You can feel if the foundation seems unsteady or is sloping inside the house. You can also look from the outside to see if the house looks even or is sinking on the foundation. Foundation problems are major repairs, often costing as much as $5,000. If you can do them before you move into the house, it’s less intrusive, but it’s still a big investment on top of the house itself.
The roof’s condition might be visible if shingles are missing or askew. Reshingling a roof isn’t too expensive, but if there are further problems in the roof or gutters, you’ll spend closer to $8,000 to bring everything up to code.
Outdated electrical outlets and fixtures can vary in terms of repairs. Many fixtures, like ceiling lights or bathroom lighting, are easy to replace on your own with some DIY tips online. But wiring from 50 years ago is drastically different from the wiring today. It’s worth replacing to prevent fire damage and to keep your house energy efficient and only costs about $1,000.
Some problems with an old house aren’t visible to the untrained eye. You’ll want to get an inspection to find these issues before you make an offer:
- Hazardous building materials
- Toxic air quality
- Plumbing problems
- Old mechanical equipment
Old homes, especially those built before 1978, most likely contain asbestos and lead-based paint. A professional inspection will find traces of both. You can’t just paint over lead paint to lessen the damage, so you’ll have to pay a professional to remove it completely. This can cost close to $3,000.
In the past, builders used asbestos as insulation. It can cause respiratory problems, including lung disease, so you want to get it removed as well. It’s commonly found around old pipes, in the walls, and in crawl spaces or attics. Depending on how much asbestos is in your home, it could cost anywhere from $2,000 to $30,000 to have a professional remove it.
Radon and carbon monoxide are odorless gasses found in older homes. Radon comes from the breakdown of uranium in the soil and can get into the foundation of your home. It causes lung cancer with exposure over time. Hiring a professional to eliminate radon costs about $1,000.
Carbon monoxide comes from a gas leak in the stove, oven, dryer, or HVAC system. Carbon monoxide poisoning causes dizziness and headaches and can lead to death. Buy a carbon monoxide detector at any home store for less than $20 so you’ll know if there’s a leak in your home.
Plumbing problems can range from lead pipes to corroded pipes, both of which leech harmful substances into your water and can break down or burst. Old homes surrounded by trees are at risk of roots growing into the plumbing system, which can cause a backup or low water pressure. Depending on the cause, replacing your pipes could cost $2,500 to $15,000.
Old houses usually have old methods of heating and cooling, unlike the HVAC systems you might be familiar with. Some old houses use furnaces or boilers to heat the home and might have window air conditioning units instead of a whole-house system. Another piece of mechanical equipment that you might notice as outdated and inefficient is the water heater.
You can test these systems when you’re touring old houses by seeing if the rooms heat evenly or listening for a noisy furnace or water heater. Check for humidity in the rooms or puddling around the water heater to determine efficiency.
