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Fixer Upper Houses - Tips On Buying A Home

If you are looking for fixer upper houses I have a trade secret. Do you know how to determine the approximate age of houses?




How To Determine The Age Of Houses

Use the toilet!

Next time you are previewing fixer upper homes with your Realtor, excuse yourself to the bathroom, remove the toilet tank lid and flip it over.

Assuming you are looking at the original commode, an imprinted date stamp should reveal the approximate year the house was built.

More Tips On Fixer Upper Houses

Sometimes you need alternate methods for fixer upper houses because after 20 years, you can assume the toilet has been replaced.

So I asked real estate agents for their favorite way to determine the age of houses. Here is what they told me.

Realtors determine the age of fixer upper homes by comparing:

  • Preliminary Title Reports
  • Multiple Listing Services
  • Licensed Appraisers
  • Real Estate Inspectors
  • Property Tax Records
  • Contractor's Charcoal*
  • Court House Retrieval Systems
  • Water Heater Serial No.
  • HVAC Serial No.
  • AC Unit Serial No.
  • Roofing Ridge Vents vs. Turbines

*Contractors have been known in certain regions to leave behind a charcoal scribble of year built behind plaster. Please don't even think about pulling down walls to search for the smudged date!

Ask Kate Questions About Real Estate And Mortgages

Ask Kate
What if you could ask a mortgage insider for tips on fixer upper houses? Now you can!

Ask Kate is specifically designed to answer your questions and create dialog regarding mortgage financing.

HUD House Scorecard

For an indispensable tool that helps with previewing homes, print a Home Buying Scorecard and take the sigh out of buying a house.




Valuable Resources For Home Buyers - Meet Your Dream Team

How To Buy A House - Part 1 Meet your real estate agent

How To Buy A House - Part 2 Meet your mortgage lender

How To Get A Mortgage - Part 3 Meet your home inspector

How To Get A Mortgage - Part 4 Meet your real estate appraiser

How To Get A Mortgage - Part 5 Meet your title insurance companies

How To Get A Mortgage - Part 6 Meet your homeowners insurance agent

How To Get A Mortgage - Part 7 Meet your escrow and HUD 1 statement

Unique Home Buying Information You Can Use

Make your home buying a snap with the Home Buying Scorecard.

Do you know this about Fixer Upper Houses? Toilets determine the age of a house and other tips.

Private Money Lenders because rural properties need special consideration.

Low Down Payment Mortgage - The dilemma of a low down payment.

Start your wealth building now by buying a foreclosed home.

The First Time Home Buyer Credit could be yours even if you have previously owned a home.

Learn the differences between Residential Construction Loans - Mortgages designed for building homes.

When private mortgage financing originates between family members, property tax and mortgage interest deductions frequently come into question.

First Time Home Buyer Advice - You decided to buy a house! What's next?

How To Buy A House Q and A's - A complete collection of questions about home buying, each with a individual answer from Kate

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