Need some info on Brentwood and Old house VS New house (St. Louis: appliances, established neighborhood)

[stl_001]

Hi,
I recently moved to St louis and thinkning of buying a place in brentwood. I would like to know you personal opinions on the following
if it is ok to buy a house that are 70 years old or should i look for newly built houses in St. charles or chesterfield?

[Carlidin]

It would all depend on the condition of the 70 year old house. A good housing inspector could tell you if there are any issues that would preclude you from having to spend a fortune on an older home. Some people tend to take very good care of their homes and other let maintenance slid.

[johnamus]

A new house will have a brand new HVAC, electrical, insulation, appliances, roof etc etc, whereas the old house most likely will not. Replacing a roof or furnace will run you thousands of dollars, so if everything else is equal (location, size, finish) the new house wins every time.

However since newer housing is rare in established neighborhoods you'll have to make the decision to pay more in maintenance when moving into the older neighborhoods. Be wary of inspectors who are recommended by realtors as often times the inspector will perform a cursory inspection to speed the process along and pickup more referrals. According to contract, most inspectors can only be held liable for their fee and nothing more, so if you have to replace a roof after moving in, that's your $7000 down the drain not the inspector's. So be sure to consider hiring other experts such as structural engineers, roofers or general contractors whenever you have a doubt about a house.

[SouthCityGal]

It will depend on the house, so of course hire a good inspector no matter what. In this market, the seller of an older home will definitely be advertising all the updates they did, so you can still find old homes with newer systems. If you like the neighborhood and find a house that you love (there are very cute homes in Brentwood), go for it. I've heard plenty of contractors say that many newer homes are built so quickly that they don't match the craftsmanship of the older homes, particularly older brick homes.

[boringmember]

St. Charles and Chesterfield are kind of far. Where are you working and what kind of commute is acceptable to you?

[wustu87]

Hey, I prefer the older homes in Brentwood and other neighboring suburbs in the mid-county area! We've owned 3 different 50+ year old homes in the area, and I think owning one of those brick and plaster creations is part of the fun of living here (as opposed to buying a brand new, giant tear down in the area for twice the price.) Plus you get to meet some very charming brick layers, plumbers and electricians along the way, and get to know the local hardware stores very well. And as for location, the Brentwood area is hard to beat, being right much smack in the middle of St. Louis county and just a few miles from the city.

[jlawrence01]

Originally Posted by Carlidin

It would all depend on the condition of the 70 year old house. A good housing inspector could tell you if there are any issues that would preclude you from having to spend a fortune on an older home. Some people tend to take very good care of their homes and other let maintenance slid.

Having owned a couple of 85 year old homes, they are generally a lot better constructed than those of recent vintage. Sure, you may need to so some upgrades but a lot of the housed have been upgraded.

You should hire a qualified home inspector for ALL home purchases, even new construction. One of my friends who inspects houses in the Chicagoland suburbs generally finds as many as 10-15 defects in new construction.