Originally Posted By: osmith
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Hello all,
Can anyone share with me ways that you determine or estimate the age of a home?
thanks.
Oscar
Hello all,
Can anyone share with me ways that you determine or estimate the age of a home?
thanks.
Oscar
Originally Posted By: troberts1
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I like to go to my county assessors web site this info is public info.
Originally Posted By: rkulla
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I usually go by the MLS sheet.
–
Rex Kulla
Custom Home Inspections
Maple Grove, MN
(612) 799-3093
Originally Posted By: mkober
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If no major bathroom remodel work has been done, check the toilet tank lid (underside) for a manufacturer’s date. If no toilet is present, estimate 150 years old, plus.
–
Michael J. Kober, P.E. and H.I.
"NACHI Member and Proud Of It!"
Originally Posted By: jpope
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| rkulla wrote: |
| I usually go by the MLS sheet. |
What if the house is not for sale?
--
Jeff Pope
JPI Home Inspection Service
"At JPI, we'll help you look better"
(661) 212-0738
Originally Posted By: dhadler
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You can also check for a date inside the thermo-pane windows. This is usually a good sign because they seldom change every window when they do renovations. The bigger they are, the more likely they haven’t been changed because they are so exspensive. (located in-between the panes at the bottom)
If there's a few older windows check them all to get a better clue in case one or two have been changed because the seal let go.
Furnace serial # date, if it appears to be original. ( Some on the blower)
Dates scratched in concrete etc.
Building inspection decals on plumbing and HVAC
While these by themselves are not conclusive, they may point you in the right direction. It also helps to determine when renovations were done as well.
On newer homes check the underside of plywood and OSB for dates as well as on the electrical wiring.
--
Darrell Hadler
Five Star Home Inspections
Medicine Hat, Alberta CANADA
Originally Posted By: rkulla
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Jeff,
If the house isn’t for sale, chances are I’m not inspecting it.
The only problem is if they haven’t listed the home on the MLS. Then I use the toilet tank or give it my best guess and tell them that.–
Rex Kulla
Custom Home Inspections
Maple Grove, MN
(612) 799-3093
Originally Posted By: osmith
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Hey,
Thanks everyone. These tips will definitely help me estimate better.
Oscar
Originally Posted By: phinsperger
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http://www.nachi.org/bbsystem/usrimages/more/timeline2.gif ]
If anyone has anything to add to the timeline I would apprciate it.
--
.
Paul Hinsperger
Hinsperger Inspection Services
Chairman - NACHI Awards Committee
Place your Award Nominations
here !
Originally Posted By: jonofrey
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I use carbon dating. You could also core drill a beam and count the growth rings.
Sorry, I couldn't resist.
--
Inspection Nirvana!
We're NACHI. Get over it.
Originally Posted By: aslimack
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For the toilet, the tank’s rear wall as well as the lid. (if origional)
Adam, A Plus
Originally Posted By: rray
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The absolute best way is to consult your tax assessor’s office. Fortunately, there are now many companies who have done that work for you and you can access that information on line (for a subscription price, of course).
For example, DataQuick, Parcel Quest, and RealQuest.
I've used them all for various businesses in several states. I believe RealQuest is the best.
I pay $106.25 per month for unlimited searches on anything in San Diego County. I can search by anything, create custom searches, etc.
So it doesn't matter if the house is for sale or not. If I want to, I can even check up on my neighbor to see if the tax records have been updated for that 2,000 SF second story that he added a year ago. No? Hmmmmmm. Maybe a little neighborly help is in order. LOL
I pull the public records through RealQuest way before I go to an inspection. This does several things for me:
First, it verifies the square footage (my prices are set on square feet). If the public records are higher than that stated by Client/Realtor/MLS/Etc., then I charge by the public records. If the stated square footage is higher than the public records, then I charge by the stated square footage.
Second, if the stated square footage is significantly higher than the public records, I can make a good guess that there was an unpermitted addition. If permits were pulled, signed off on, and closed, then the property gets a new tax assessment and records get updated. I love this information when the seller has a 2,500 SF house, public records show a 950 SF house built in 1932, and seller states upon our arrival, "I did all the additions myself, to code, with permits." Yeah, right. I already know he's lying.
Third, I can make a very educated guess about what I will be inspecting, and a lot of information is provided for me anyway (pool, type of foundation, type of roof, appliances, etc.). Combine that with the MLS sheet, and one knows about 95% of what one will be inspecting 95% of the time. Those are very high odds for saving time (and time is money).
Fourth, I can make a very educated guess about deferred maintenance. If the last sale was 1947, and the house was built in 1947, they are original owners. Probably lots of homeowner improvements and/or deferred maintenance. Will require more time or more inspectors.
If the last sale was December 5, 2004, and it's now back on the market in late January 2005, it's been rehabbed and is being flipped. Expect a vacant property, no furniture, clean place. But look for problems because many flippers like to do things themselves, regardless of whether or not they have the expertise or experience to do it. One has to start somewhere.
If the last sale was July 2003 and it's for sale in January 2005, sellers are trying to get out from under their mortgage payment (ARM went up, unemployment, whatever). Expect deferred maintenance. Otherwise, sellers would wait until much closer to that 2-year period in order to take all of their IRS 2-year-profits and run.
Public records can tell you so much about these houses that I'm really amazed that all home inspectors don't pull the public records before they go to an inspection.
The other thing is that I look like the most knowledgeable person in the world to my Clients when they ask a question that can only be obtained from the public records and I know the answer (and the Realtor doesn't). A common question, due to the rapid and severe increase in equity here is,
"The sellers said they've been here for ten years. I wonder what they paid for it 10 years ago."
"Well, it's public knowledge and is in the public records. Says right here that they've actually been here 12 years and paid $150,000 for it. They closed escrow on January 12, 1993."
"Really. I wonder why they told us they've been here only 10 years."
--
Home inspections. . . .
One home at a time.
Originally Posted By: rray
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| mkober wrote: |
| If no major bathroom remodel work has been done, check the toilet tank lid (underside) for a manufacturer's date. |
That only works about 25% of the time here. Usually the tank lid has the date, and tank lids get broken and replaced quite often. Toilet tanks also sometimes sit around in the manufacturer's warehouse and/or at the building site for up to two years, so the date could be off by a couple of years.
--
Home inspections. . . .
One home at a time.
Originally Posted By: tcrouch
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Just become friends with a Realtor (or for that matter become a Realtor) and ask them to check the public records which is available through their MLS access. It takes me about one minute to find the year built, owner, liens, sqaure footage, ect.
Originally Posted By: pdacey
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Our county has all of the information online a the Appraisal District’s website. I just have to type in the address and viola!
I usually just ask the owner too.
--
Slainte!
Patrick Dacey
swi@satx.rr.com
TREC # 6636
www.southwestinspections.com
Originally Posted By: dspencer
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Goto the County Auditors website, all properties are listed with address search or by owner.
Originally Posted By: chorne
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Hey Russel
Who the hell is that?
Hey John
are you betting on the super bowl!?
Carla
Originally Posted By: jonofrey
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Carla,
I've made offers. No takers yet. 
I guess Russel and I are the only ones man enough around here to wear feathers!  
--
Inspection Nirvana!
We're NACHI. Get over it.
Originally Posted By: cradan
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GO EAGLES!!!
–
Chris
http://www.inspect4me.com
Chicago Illinois Home Inspections
Originally Posted By: aslimack
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John,
I hear Hooters is hiring in antisipation of the big Super Bowl crowd.
Adam, A Plus