A question about old houses

[Mike D.]

Say a house was built around 1910 and is in a college/low income area, so it takes a beating. How much longer can these houses really stand for? Won't they have to be torn down soon?

[Paul Beauchemin]

I'm not sure if they'll last forever, but I've bought many old (100+) houses. Many have real 2x4's and 2x10's and seem more solid then new construction to me. The main problems have been updating electrical and plumbing to todays standard. Keep the water out and they'll last a long time.