This Old House

As a Realtor, I find that one of the advantages of living in an old home is understanding how houses work.

 My home is particularly old—at least for our part of the country—dating from 1888. Thanks to the St. Louis Park Historical Society, we know that our house was one of the first 10 homes built in our city. 

Originally a farmhouse, there’s hardly anything that hasn’t been repaired or replaced over the last 133 years. And for the last 21 years we’ve owned the home, we’ve taken on all sorts of projects from converting a closet into a bathroom to building a new garage to re-landscaping nearly the entire lot. Some improvements were completed out of necessity, while others were done just for the love for our old house and to create more livable spaces for our family. And of course, as much as possible, Karin and I preserve, or recreate, the architectural details of our old house.

 These experiences are quite helpful when I’m walking through a house with a potential buyer or preparing to list a home. Make no mistake: I always recommend a professional inspection of any house no matter its age before purchasing. But clients tend to appreciate it when I can point out potential pitfalls, share approximate repair costs, or ease concerns about unidentified issues. They also find it helpful to understand which repairs give a home a higher value and which aren’t worth doing before listing.

 My latest house project is to find and install two pocket doors in my dining room. During a past remodel, someone eliminated the original doors, and I’m looking forward to adding them back in. Fortunately, I discovered the four original trolleys and the rail hidden inside our walls! They’re even emblazoned with the date of their trademark, 1886. It’ll be a big project but well worth bringing back to life.