Phooey - that article looked interesting but it disappeared requiring me to sign in or join....

Sorry! I get a NYT subscription through school, which is a nice benefit from the library. I also bought DH a year subscription for Christmas. You can get so many free articles either per week or month.

The NY Times is a fantastic newspaper. Even if one thought it had a political bias, you should read it for the art, travel, books, popular culture, science, foo, business, etc etc etc. Subscribe!

Here is a crude copy and paste, below.

Spotlight on Old Houses

Instagram and fans of painstaking renovations have given new life to homes with some history, especially if they’re affordable.

• 63

Saving Old Houses

24 Photos

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Stacey Cramp for The New York Times

By Christina Poletto

• Jan. 29, 2021

Old houses, especially those in need of a little T.L.C., have long captured our imagination. Now, thanks to the latest breed of preservationist, one that comes with social media savvy, old houses are getting a fresh spotlight.Elizabeth and Ethan Finkelstein, for example, have parlayed the 1.4 million followers on their @cheapoldhouses Instagram account into an HGTV show called “Cheap Old Houses” that will debut this summer.The eight-episode series will showcase inexpensive period homes from across the country that the Finkelsteins are considering for their Instagram account. It will also highlight homes that were previously promoted on the account and have been restored and “saved.”ADVERTISEMENTContinue reading the main storyIn addition to the Instagram account that they started in 2016 to showcase old homes that typically have price tags of $100,000 or less, the Finkelsteins also run CIRCA Old Houses, a real estate listing site for all sorts of older homes, ranging from neglected fixer-uppers to meticulously restored homes at higher price points.Elizabeth and Ethan Finkelstein have 1.4 million followers on their Instagram account, @cheapoldhouses. They recently bought and plan to restore this 1800s farmhouse located between the Adirondacks and the Green Mountains.Credit...Karen Jerzyk Photography
Image“For me, it’s all about the dream and the potential and the project,” said Ms. Finkelstein, who has a masters in historic preservation, and was formerly a director of preservation and research at the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation in New York City.Late last year, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, a privately funded, 71-year-old nonprofit created to save historic sites across the country, started a partnership with CIRCA, which now lists and socially promotes historic trust properties that are on the market.The Finkelsteins, of course, are not alone in their focus. There are dozens of Instagram accounts dedicated to old houses, and the hashtag for #oldhouselove recently had more than 690,000 posts.All this social media attention may be helping drive sales of older homes, even those that require serious work.Editors’ Picks

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ADVERTISEMENTContinue reading the main storyDemand for single-family homes under $100,000 and 100 years or older has remained steady year over year, according to Realtor.com, but the pace of sales for this niche market has gained momentum in the pandemic, following the national trend in overall home sales.“In January 2020, the median days on market for these homes was 86 days, eight days slower than the same time in 2019. However, as of December, these homes were selling in 79 days, 10 days fasterthan last year,” said Danielle Hale, chief economist for Realtor.com, who added, it’s “an impressive feat considering the diligence required for purchasing one of these properties.”Recent data provided by Zillow showed homes built before 1940 garnering nearly as many saves per housing unit as houses from the early 2000s.Erin DiFazio, a broker with Chrome Realty in Sarasota, Fla., who specializes in historic properties, said she believed that more buyers now want homes that “reflect a more authentic self, individual character, and a bit of story.” The craftsmanship of older homes is often a primary selling point, she said.While legislation pertaining to historic preservation varies from place to place, there are often specific incentives and protections for locally designated properties, including tax credits and exemptions, and flexibility in the building and zoning codes to preserve historic features. Insuring an older home, however, can be challenging depending on the state, Ms. DiFazio said.Sign UpTHE T LIST: A weekly roundup of what the editors of T Magazine are noticing and coveting right now.“More and more first-time buyers are admiring what makes these homes timeless,” said Michael Robleto, a Los Angeles agent with Compass who specializes in prewar homes.Many buyers are tired of the overtly neutral living spaces that seem ubiquitous in flipped homes, he said, adding that in addition to a potential investment benefit, the construction quality of older homes is often unmatched. “The old adage is true: they don’t make ‘em like they used to and you can’t rebuild history,” Mr. Robleto said.ADVERTISEMENTContinue reading the main storyIn the last two years, Mr. Robleto has detected a noticeable change in buyer’s willingness to take on an older home that needs major mechanical work, and to preserve the original elements of a home, including windows, custom built-ins, glass doorknobs and hardwood floors. “Home improvement TV shows and social media profiles have a massive effect on our historic housing stock,” he said.“This Old House,” which trailblazed this category of home improvement television starting in 1979, continues to carry and attract an immense audience on page and screen.“This Old House” and “Ask This Old House,” a long-running offshoot program that tackles home improvement dilemmas with homeowners, are two of the highest rated home improvement shows on television, according to Nielsen data provided by “This Old House.” On YouTube, the brand reaches 1.55 million subscribers, and the magazine has a robust subscription base of 5.3 million monthly readers.The restoration of old homes, to some, is merely eye candy — a chance to ogle beautiful spaces with pedigree. To others, it’s a way of life and, for now, the perfect pandemic hobby.Rebecca Lineberry Galko bought this 1755 Georgian Colonial in Higganum, Conn., last July.Credit...Jane Beiles for The New York Times
ImageMs. Lineberry Galko, here with her son, Hudson, plans to eventually replace the front door with a version that is more historically accurate.Credit...Jane Beiles for The New York Times
ImageThe hand-hewn beams across the ceiling are original, Ms. Lineberry Galko said. The original fireplace features a fireplace crane for holding pots.Credit...Jane Beiles for The New York Times
ImageFor Rebecca Lineberry Galko, who works in the career development office at Yale School of Management, her old house provides endless opportunity for keeping busy. “I struggle with getting over-excited about projects and wanting to tackle everything ASAP,” she said. “But this house is helping me learn to slow down, to manage my expectations, and to go room by room.”ADVERTISEMENTContinue reading the main storyMs. Lineberry Galko, 36, grew up in a house from the 1860s that came with a root cellar and outhouse, and she delights in old details like gorgeous radiators, chilly drafts, single-pane windows and plaster and lath walls.She is slowly restoring a 1755 Colonial-style single-family home in Higganum, Conn., which she bought last July for $265,000 and shares with her 3-year-old son, Hudson. The four-bedroom, two-bathroom house has modern plumbing and heating systems, but also relics of the past, including two beehive ovens, a fireplace crane for holding pots, and a meat smoking chamber built into the chimney on the second floor.It takes you straight back to the 18th century, said Ms. Lineberry Galko, who treasures the fact these elements date back some 265 years.She anticipates needing to budget about $30,000 for house projects over the next three years, for a blend of D.I.Y. repairs she’ll tackle alone, and those she will outsource to more experienced home experts. Tasks include pulling down a ceiling in the parlor to expose hand-hewn beams, and installing a historically accurate front door.“It is a balance of making updates that make sense for the 21st century without disturbing the pieces of the 18th century that remain. You should create a space that helps you absolutely love where you live, but in this case, it needs to be done in a way that is respectful to the house,” said Ms. Lineberry Galko, who goes by the Instagram moniker @my_1755_story.Ms. DiFazio, the real estate agent, said that with ownership of old homes, there comes responsibility. “Old houses carry tremendous significance to their communities, and when you become the steward of a historic property, you are agreeing to care for and maintain the property to the best of your ability.”

I love old houses. I own a 1900 and 1904. My first house was IIRC 1902.

However, cheap old houses have a location problem. IME. Even if you WFH, you want a community that has the kind of grocery store and restaurants you like, and people whose company you'd enjoy.

Oh yeah, Mtn. About 30 min south of where I work in an old textile town, you can buy a fabulous historic home for next to nothing that would easily be $1million here. However, high poverty, crime, etc., lack of amenities. I’ve gone to estate sales there, too. Some of the people who buy there are empty nesters or others with no school-age children who love old homes. If anyone ever watched the Cinemax series Outcast a lot of it was filmed there. They didn’t really have to clear the downtown for filming because there is zero traffic there.

See Oldhousedreams.com

It's nice to see a younger generation reviving some of the old crafts and skills and love of history in their living places.

Inexpensive old houses used to be the love and norm in my small midwestern home town. Gone are the middle class jobs that would bring a new generation here to have the time and money to keep them up. So they languish and decay. So sad. Meanwhile one boxy apartment building after another goes up on the outskirts of town.

Mtn, I'll have you know when I was in high school I was a library assistant for three years, one hour a day. The coolest "class" ever. The librarian subscribed to the Sunday edition of the NYT just for me. Of course it was a couple of days late but I didn't care. :)

Here's an instagram link that's in the article. Cheap Old Houses

Yup, all 3 of my kids have them. Start 'em young.

Oak, my DH often recounts a Prof of his in college saying, the best money you can spend on your education is to buy the Sunday New York Times, your whole life.

FYI, if you are a regular subscriber (not an educator, student or gift subscription recipient) you can share your digital access with another person. They will have their own login and will not be privy to any of your information.

Great article! I’d love to own an older home someday. I dream of buying my great-grandparents’ 1922 Craftsman (it’s on the register) ... but the neighborhood has changed too much, gotten too grown up and busy. The narrow street is now a heavily driven 4-lanes.

Another one on IG is old_house_life. Lots in the Carolinas and Virginia. I think she is Raleigh based.