by carolinaone_marketing
29. May 2014 09:25
If you're looking for homes in Charleston, you have a lot of options available to you. You could easily find a nice condo in the downtown district, or you can find a reasonably priced family home in almost every neighborhood. People have their own reasons for looking for Charleston real estate, but some aren't moving to the city because they want to be closer to their job or to the downtown area.
Charleston has been a prominent city for centuries and, as the years passed, more and more homes have been built. The city is full of historic homes for sale, and people that have always wanted to own a small part of history come to Charleston determined to find one of their own. Owning a historic home can seem very appealing, but before you commit to it, there are a few things you should know:
Limited exterior work
If you fall in love with a historic home, you should find one that you love "as is." Some people don't mind sprucing up a home with a new coat of paint and few new windows, but if you own a historic home, your improvement projects may be severely limited. The goal of every historic district is to preserve the character and look of a neighborhood, and the majority of them do this by having rules about how the exterior of the house looks. Depending on what neighborhood you live in, you may not be able to make any changes without getting approval from a committee.
Major inside repair work
You may not be able to paint your house a different color, but you may have to do some electrical or plumbing work to make the house habitable. This is one of the trade-offs of owning a historical home. Some homeowners have to pay a couple thousand dollars to have their homes re-wired for electricity because they current set up was dangerous. Others have had to install HVAC systems to make the homes more comfortable in Charleston's sweltering summers.
Checking for dangerous chemicals
Today's builders wouldn't dream of insulating a house with asbestos or painting rooms with lead paint, but the home builders of the past wouldn't have given it a second thought. If you're looking into buying a historic home, you should have your home inspected for any potential dangerous building materials (especially if you have children or elderly tenants). Remember, it's possible to get these things removed, but it could cost extra money.
Potential tax breaks
There is a big difference between owning a home in a historic district and owning a home that is registered as a historic place. Local municipalities, state, and even federal authorities all have historic registries, and if your home happens to be on one, you could qualify for some property tax breaks from the state.