When Was Your House Built? 7 Easy Ways to Find Out

Determining when your house was built can uncover a wealth of historical and structural information. This knowledge is crucial for renovation planning, understanding architectural styles, or satisfying personal curiosity about your home’s origins.

Discover when your house was built to connect more deeply with its history. Gain insights that can guide your home maintenance and renovation decisions.

How to Check When a House Was Constructed?

The easiest way to find out when your house was built is by looking at your ownership papers or checking a real estate website online.

If you can't get to these documents quickly, you can visit your local county assessor’s office to see records, hire an inspector, or ask neighbors.

In some small towns, the library might have a section on local history with old building plans and photos of historical homes.

These methods can all help you determine how old your property is.

When Was Your Home Built? 7 Simple Ways to Find Out

Learn how to find out when a house was built with these seven easy methods. From checking public records to asking neighbors, these steps will help you uncover the age of any home.

Visit Your Local County Assessor

Finding out your home's history starts with checking local county tax records. These documents often show when the house was built, giving you insight into its age.

County assessors play a key role in this process as they are responsible for appraising properties to set their values. Regular property assessments take place every year or every other year in most states, impacting the amount of taxes homeowners pay.

Maintaining detailed records is part of an assessor's job, making their office a valuable resource for anyone curious about their property's background. Many assessors have made it easy to access information online by digitizing records.

A quick search using your address may reveal when your home was constructed. If online resources don’t provide what you need, reaching out directly through a phone call or visiting the assessor’s office can also yield useful details about your property’s history and value.

Research Online Using Zillow, Redfin or Realtor

Researching homes has never been easier thanks to real estate websites like Zillow, Redfin, and Realtor. These platforms provide a wealth of details about properties you might want to buy.

Information such as square footage, construction materials, and selling history can help you make informed decisions. You also find the year each house was built listed on these sites.

Wondering how they gather this information? Public records from city and county offices are the main sources for data on these platforms.

Trustworthiness is a key feature because users can rely on what they see. For older homes built over a century ago, things may get tricky.

Exact build years might not be available through these online resources due to limited historical records. This limitation means looking deeper into other sources could be necessary when exploring historic properties.

Hire An Inspector

Investing in a house takes a lot of time and money. You want to ensure that the property is worth it.

A home inspector helps confirm that everything is as promised and checks for hidden issues that could cost you later on. Inspectors examine many potential problems, including unstable foundations, roof damage, water issues, plumbing leaks, poor ventilation or insulation, faulty appliances, and unsafe wiring.

Before starting an inspection at your property, gathering information about its history is common practice for inspectors. They also note the year it was built since this knowledge offers valuable insights during their assessment.

Building codes change regularly due to new safety findings; knowing when a house was constructed can alert inspectors to risks like asbestos or lead paint. When considering any renovations done through the years, ensuring they were properly completed matters too.

This thorough approach gives you peace of mind in your home-buying journey while protecting your investment from unexpected costs down the road.

Check Your Homes Construction

If you can't get written records for your house, you might guess when it was built by looking at how it's made. Different building materials and methods point to certain times.

Start by checking old fixtures in your house; they might have dates on them. For example, older toilets often show their make date inside the tank, and metal parts like chimney doors might list a maker and a year.

Doorknobs can also tell a lot about a house's age. Homes didn't have doorknobs until the 1800s; before then, people used leather straps and wooden latches.

As manufacturing grew during the Industrial Revolution, fancy doorknobs became popular. The type of doorknob can hint at your home's era.

For instance, pressed glass knobs were common from 1826 to 1850, and cut glass ones until 1910. Ceramic and metal knobs were trendy at different times too.

Look Around Your Neighborhood

Recognizing the age of your home can be tricky, especially if it has seen many changes or renovations. Exploring your neighborhood offers a clear perspective on when homes were built.

Strolling through nearby streets often reveals similar styles among houses, hinting at their shared history. Neighborhoods usually develop with multiple homes constructed around the same period, leading to noticeable architectural patterns.

If midcentury-style houses fill your area, chances are high that yours was also created during that era. Understanding these connections helps you appreciate your home’s place in time and its story within the community.

Talk To Your Neighbors

Gaining insights about your new home can be exciting. Neighbors often hold valuable information about the area and even details specific to your house.

Many American homeowners stay in their homes for around eight years, but some older residents have lived in the same place for decades. Connecting with those who know the neighborhood well can provide a wealth of knowledge.

A friendly gesture like taking cookies to the elderly woman next door might spark an interesting conversation. You'll likely hear stories from her years in the community along with some fun local gossip, enhancing your understanding of where you live while building new friendships too.

Looks matter when choosing a home, but real connections make living there truly special.

Examine The Architecture

Architectural styles reveal much about the time when they were created. Midcentury modern homes emerged in the 1950s and 1960s, showcasing clean lines and open spaces.

These houses focus on function over decoration, featuring large windows that connect indoor areas with nature outside. Craftsman-style homes became popular between 1900 and 1929.

This style emphasizes handmade details and natural elements. A typical Craftsman home has a low gabled roof with a welcoming front porch supported by tapered columns, often using wood alongside stone accents.

Tudor architecture saw its revival in America from around 1890 to 1940 after its initial rise during the late Middle Ages. Traditional Tudor homes stand out due to their dark wooden beams contrasting against lighter walls made of stone or stucco, along with tall narrow windows.

Victorian architecture lasted over sixty years but is best represented by Queen Anne style houses built between 1880 and 1910. Recognizable features include steep roofs, large dormer windows, inviting porches, and intricate woodwork.

Cape Cod-style homes represent some of America's earliest architectural forms dating back to the late seventeenth century. Puritan settlers designed these sturdy one-story cottages for harsh winters in New England.