Historic House Blog

There are many reasons that buyers choose to buy a historic home. It may be for the character and ambiance of a time long past, for the sturdier construction of an earlier century, or for the prestige and prominence that comes along with owning and living in a local landmark. One reason frequently mentioned, though, is that [...]

One of the hottest trends in new construction today is “building green.”  Builders and their real estate agents all across the country are gearing their marketing to tap into a growing environmental awareness and energy consciousness. Builders advertise that their windows, doors, and appliances are Energy Star compliant. Developers plan their house sites to be sure that [...]

So . . . what do you call those structures on top of some historic houses & buildings?  Well, the answer is both simple and complex at the same time.  The fact is, most people simply call all of them “cupolas” (pronounced CUE-puh-lah).  However, most of these structures are probably not cupolas.  Instead, many of them are [...]

How many types, or styles, of roofs can you name?   (And how many times can you say “roofs” without thinking it is a really weird word?  Maybe it’s just me.).  Anyway, there are a lot of combinations of roof styles, shapes, & sizes, but there are not many basic roof shapes if you want to learn [...]

Just after the New Year, we wrote about how more & more REALTORs host tours of historic houses as a unique marketing tool, as a way to attract buyers of historic homes.  (Read that post here).  
Next week, near Chicago, five real estate agencies are collaborating to host an impressive historic house tour in the swanky North [...]

Many states are starting to digitize their historic map collections and make them available online. Old maps are invaluable for researchers of course, but they also make for great additions to any property marketing package. Having some idea of the history of the neighborhood, and of the local context of a house for sale, gives the marketing effort a [...]

One thing I was never very good at was identifying the different types of wood floors in historic houses.  Was that old, reddish plank floor pine?  Chestnut?  Cherry?  Stained oak?  Looking at pictures online can help you get a knack for identifying types of wood, a skill that is impressive to sellers as well as buyers.  It [...]

When I was a real estate agent who marketed historic houses, there were a couple of times I thought it appropriate to use a good poem to help enhance the emotional appeal of the property, whether on my website or in the marketing materials I left at the house.  As my wife & I now prepare to [...]

The earliest type of doors constructed in colonial America were almost always “batten” doors, which were quite basic. They were built with vertical wood planks, and were reinforced on the backside with a few horizontal boards that held everything together. These batten-style doors are sometimes also called “plank” doors, for obvious reason, or “frontier doors,” [...]

Last week, we posted a discussion on the differences between the different kinds of historic districts, and about some of the benefits of owning a property in a historic district. Having a property listed on the National Register lends a certain air of dignity and importance to a house that can be very useful in marketing. There [...]