Fixer Upper Houses - Tips For 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 uppers 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 houses 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!

Unique Home Buying Information

Now that you know the secret about toilets and fixer upper houses, go to Private Money Lenders because rural properties need special consideration.

You Can Ask Kate Too

What if you could ask a mortgage insider about fixer upper houses? Now you can!

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

You'll also find a wealth of information at Kate's Best Mortgage Rate Blog packed with the latest additions to this website, interest rate updates and a fresh approach to real estate and mortgages.

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