What are the Best/Worst ages of property to buy?

[Jaydin Perez]

Hello everyone! I hope you are all doing well, and staying safe during this pandemic.

I currently am stationed on Eglin AFB, in Florida. I am new to real estate , and I am currently working on creating my property criteria. I wanted to know what ages of homes would be the worst to buy, so I can be aware of the risks involved. Also, what age of property would you prefer and why?

Thank you!

[Andrew Carlson]

That is a good question! here is my two cents. Before modern construction materials, you had plaster and lathe (instead of drywall), you had aluminum or knob and tube wiring (now it's copper) you had steel pipes for plumbing (now it's copper and/or PVC) and you had stone basements/foundations (now it's cinder block or poured concrete). All of these modern materials listed above came about at different times. As far as I can tell, they all were pretty much standard by the mid 1970's. So anything built circa 1975 and on should have mostly modern building materials, which makes it easier to work on. This information is irrelevant to many investors because they are in cities where the real estate is MUCH older than 1970. But as a handy guy that likes to fix things, knowing what is behind the walls is very helpful. Also I grew up in a house built in the 1800's, so I swore off ancient property long before I could swing a hammer.