Inspecting Old Houses

This week I had an inspection of one of my listings that was built in 1930. As would be expected, the inspector found a lot of things that wouldn't be up to today's standards. However, just because it is not the way they do it today, does not mean it's not perfectly functional. A great example of this is the bathroom downstairs does not have a ceiling fan, it has a window. Very common for the 1930's. The inspector made a comment along the lines of: 'While it does have a window, it would be better if it had a ceiling fan as you're not going to want to open this window during the winter when it's cold outside. A ceiling fan will help to avoid a moisture problem.'

My train of thought is this: It's worked fine since 1930, what's wrong with it just having a window??? In speaking with my client, I explained that you could put a fan in but you'd have to cut holes in the ceiling, and to the outside for it to vent, and finally, you'd have to run power. This is perfectly feasible, but it's a double hung window. Just drop the top one down about an inch and you'll have ventilation.

I guess my overall thought process is just to use a little common sense. There are definitely some issues with buying old houses. You need to work with someone that can point those out to you. I would always recommend getting a home warranty on an older home so you are at least covered for the first year. However, like in life itself, DON'T SWEAT THE SMALL STUFF!