Historic House Blog

We’ve written before about “preserving” historic homes through subdivision (for a look at some of these cases, see our article “‘Preserving’ Historic Estates Through Subdivision?”).  Usually, this process involves cutting up a large tract of land (usually a historic farmstead) for the purpose of building a new subdivision, with development approval hinging on a caveat that the developer [...]

A few years ago, over my morning coffee, I noticed an interesting new listing in my Connecticut MLS.  Developers were offering for sale a “gutted to the studs” circa 1802 Colonial on less than 2 acres (photo, left).  The agent added that the apparent rehab project was “part of a $500,000 subdivision,” an obvious effort to brag up the [...]

Owners of historic & antique houses know — or should know — the importance of hiring a knowledgable real estate agent to promote their listing properly.  Hiring an agent who “specializes” in historic homes is the way to go, since an agent who truly knows & loves historic homes will be able to convey their [...]

In the eyes of potential house buyers, one strike facing sellers of historic houses is the problem of heating efficiency– especially during the current market downturn, as buyers become more picky and as oil costs prompt them to be suspicious of the “extra” costs of an antique home.   After all, drafty windows and the (assumed) lack of insulation mean that an antique house = higher [...]