You might wonder if any house that looks dated or dingy is old, and while it might be, that is not enough to make it old. The general rule in real estate is that any house that’s 50 years or older is old. Antique houses are any built before 1920.

Regardless of whether the house is old, antique, or just looks extremely dated, the conditions can vary. You might buy an antique house in beautiful condition because the owners kept up with it. You might find a house built only thirty years ago looks decades older, just because of the state of the foundation, roof, or walls.

You can look up the house’s data online, either through the county’s property assessor or sites like Zillow and Redfin. They pull data from other sources, so the information should be accurate.