How old is too old?

[Logan Allec]

No, I'm not talking about people. I'm talking about wood frame houses. I am new to all this and have been looking at various turnkey wood frame SFR's built in the 1950s and 1960s (before that scares me). I have never lived in a house that old. I know it's case-by-case and depends on the construction, but in general, at what age does your typical wood frame house in a climate like, say, Indianapolis start giving significantly more trouble than it did, say, 10 years prior?

[Chad U.]

As long as the building envelope (roof, walls, windows, doors) have been relatively water tight since the house was built and not allowed any mold or rot to set in, the wood will last for centuries.  A good inspector will have a moisture detector and can point out any water trapped in behind walls, which could indicate potential mold or rot issues.  Of course the other enemy of wood is termites which can severely diminish the structural integrity of wood in no time.