Searching For The Best Place To Buy An Old House?

Believe it or not, Yes! There is such a market.

I’ve said before. If home buyers are looking for new construction they have lots of options. If they’ have an appreciation for quality vintage housing in a quality neighborhood with proximity to center-city amenities, services and life style their options are much more limited. Supply/demand. Many people moving into the region from larger urban centers know of and/or have experienced quality historic districts & neighborhoods. We’ve an underutilized resource here.

[stepping off soap box] 

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As part of the ongoing commitment to the preservation community, PreservationDirectory.com has once again teamed up with This Old House magazine to promote their search for “The Best Places to Buy an Old House”.  An upcoming issue of This Old House will feature the 2nd annual “The Best Places to Buy an Old House” article, which strives to identify affordable homes in historic neighborhoods and districts across the United States.

According to This Old House Associate Editor, Keith Pandolfi, “We want to spread the word about neighborhoods where the astonishing old houses are rivaled only by the community spirit. We especially want overlooked places with affordable houses appealing to old-house-loving buyers and are very interested in places where the momentum for preservation is just getting started thanks to pioneers who have begun moving in and rehabbing houses.”

In order to most effectively accomplish this search, This Old House and PreservationDirectory.com are seeking the help of dedicated preservationists, neighborhood boosters and heritage travelers!  To nominate your historic district, town or city, please submit the following information:

• The name of the neighborhood, town or district you wish to nominate
• A brief history of the area
• A brief description of the types of houses available, including architectural styles, the period in which they were built; and their estimated cost.
• A short paragraph on why you think the area deserves to be included on our list.
• The top picks, as determined by the This Old House staff, will be published in a future issue of This Old House and will be featured on the homepage of PreservationDirectory.com.  Past “winners” include Centre Park Historic District in Reading, PA; Old Louisville, KY; Albany, OR; Washington, GA; Victorian Flatbush, Brooklyn, NY; and Georgetown, TX.

Nominations are due no later than March 15. Please send information outlined above to This Old House Associate Editor, Keith Pandolfi at keith_pandolfi@timeinc.com.

NPA Editor’s Note:
I think it  worth pursuing. I think we’d have a good shot.

“We especially want overlooked places with affordable houses appealing to old-house-loving buyers and are very interested in places where the momentum for preservation is just getting started thanks to pioneers who have begun moving in and rehabbing houses.”

Here’s the link for OHJ’s inaugural listing of “Best Places to Buy An Old House In The Midwest” The neighborhoods selected for 08′:

• Galena IL
• Madison IN
• Sherman Hill, DesMoins IA
• Lawrence KS
• Pleasant Ridge MI
• Dayton’s Bluff, St. Paul MN
• The Shaw Neighborhood, St. Louis MO
• Near South, Lincoln NB
• Cathedral District, Bismarck, ND
• Lakewood OH
• Brady Heights, Tulsa, OK
• West Boulevard, Rapid City, SD
• Third Lake Ridge, Madison, WI

Even if we did not make the cut it would certainly raise awareness for Beloit.

About PreservationDirectory.com:
PreservationDirectory.com is a primary online resource for historic preservation, building restoration and cultural resource management in the United States & Canada. Our goal is to foster the preservation of historic buildings, historic downtowns and neighborhoods, cultural resources and to promote heritage tourism by facilitating communication among historic preservation professionals and the general public.  Founded in 1999 and headquartered in Portland, Oregon, PreservationDirectory.com has continually expanded and evolved to cover a comprehensive array of topics and resources of most interest to the historic and cultural resource community.