Buying a house in Springfield

[9a is my backyard]

I'm thinking about getting a house in Springfield. I really like the neighborhood but don't know much about home buying/owning so I'm not sure if I'm 'ready' for that yet. But given the down market and first-time buyer credit, I figured it was at least something I should look into.

Realizing that this question is vague and leaves a lot to personal preference, are there certain areas I should look at or others I should avoid?  Anything Springfield specific I should consider that I may not have thought of? I've been mainly been looking south of 8th between Broad and Ionia. I'm probably going to meet with a RE agent in the next week but I wanted to get some feedback from the people in the know here before meeting with anyone. Thanks for your help!

[Debbie Thompson]

Well, 9A, that covers almost all of Springfield. :-)  All that's left is 9th to 12th.  We live up that way.  Lots of beautiful homes between 8th and 12th.  Suggest you work with a real estate agent who is familiar with Springfield. 

[Dan B]

You best bet is to just spend time over here. Talk to neighbors in their yards, or at three layers or 3rd and market.

Come over at various times to get familiar with the types of activity, and learn your own comfort levels.

Most of all, attend events. Get to know the people here. They really are what make this community fun and interesting to be a part of.

[floridaforester]

Just be aware that condition issues (especially historic homes) & WDO issues can really complicate the approval process of your loan.  If you're trying to get FHA financing, any kind of a fixer upper is probably out of the question (unless you do a 203k FHA rehab loan).  Those loans will take longer to close and interest rate is usually 1.5-2% higher than a standard FHA loan would be.

A "hidden" issue that you or your agent might not be aware of until your inspection might be knob & tube wiring.  Unless the home has been completely rewired most homes in the n'hood were built with knob & tube and would most likely still have some active knob & tube.  Anything other than conventional financing may be unlikely if that is the case, also insurance may be difficult to procure.  Also, keep in mind that many times a home will be advertised as "updated" electrical, that usually means a newer panel and new service but not necessarily re-wired with new Romex.

Also, after working as a Realtor in Springfield for the last 6 years also be aware that I've seen more drywood termites in Springfield than in any other area of town.  In contrast, although the homes are of a similar era, I have not seen many instances of drywood termites at all in Riverside.  All that being said, there is some fantastic architecture in Springfield but also explore your options in Riverside, St. Nicholas, Murray Hill and also Northshore/Panama Park area.  Hope that helps some and best of luck.

[BridgeTroll]

I was curious...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knob_and_tube_wiring

[buckethead]

Note how beadboard was often used as subflooring (often roof decking/sheathing as well).

What was once considered a utility product is now used as a mid-hi end finish material.

[Dog Walker]

Oh boy is that a familiar sight!  As primitive as it looks, until the advent of modern insulation materials that was the safest form of wiring.  Rather than depending on the integrity of the insulation material, it used physical separation of the wires to make them safe.  The wires could be bare and still be safe.

Rather than using junction boxes, fixtures were actually soldered directly to the wires.

Because most of our houses in Springfield and Riverside are balloon framed, rewiring is actually quite easy.  Pull off a baseboard and you can see all the way from the ground to the attic.  Put the plug outlets in the baseboard and you won't even have to deal with much plaster.

[Dog Walker]

Bucket, that probably isn't sub-floor.  Most of the old houses didn't have one.  That is probably the bottom side of the finish floor.  One side up for porches and the smooth side up for floors inside.  Because it is tongue and groove a sub-floor wasn't necessary.

[buckethead]

DW, did you ver insulate those exterior wall cavities? It sounds like you've done some rewiring.

I would like to know what method of isulation you used (blown, batts (typical fiberglass) or isonene (sp)?

If so, did you remove plaster?

[aubureck]

Its also worth mentioning to you 9A that Springfield, Riverside and Avondale are considered locally-designated historic districts.  This means that any exterior alterations or changes to the site itself (fences, driveways, sidewalks) require a Certificate of Appropriateness (COA) from the Historic Preservation Section of the Planning and Development Department.  The purpose of this protection is to make sure as much of the historic fabric of the structure and neighborhood is preserved and protected.

Things like window and siding replacements aren't typically approved unless the condition is in such a state that it is beyond repair.  If you want more information on what kinds of restrictions you may be facing on a potential new home try giving them a call, they are a great resource.  Their number is 630-1904.

[buckethead]

Bucket, that probably isn't sub-floor.  Most of the old houses didn't have one.  That is probably the bottom side of the finish floor.  One side up for porches and the smooth side up for floors inside.  Because it is tongue and groove a sub-floor wasn't necessary.

I have often seen finish floor only, but never with a bead on the underside. I have seen beadboard used as sub, very often.

The majority of my experience has been in newer construction, with nary a true historic rennovation or remodel in my portfolio. I have remodeled structures more than 70 years old, however.

[Dog Walker]

Bucket, I am very much against removing the lathe and plaster in these old houses as I am convinced that much of the structural integrity of a balloon framed house comes from it.  Drywall just can't have the same structural strength especially if it gets wet which it would in a hurricane.  If the plaster is too far gone to save, then at least save the lathe and put drywall over that and multiply the number of fasteners beyond code into the field of the sheets.

Insulation is iffy too.  The National historic preservation people advise not to use urethane foam or fiberglas that has a liner as they will both hold moisture and cause rot.  Evidently these house breath a lot and have survived because of it.  I would love to be able to pull a siding board up high on my old house and put icynene foam all the way down each wall cavity.  It is an open cell foam that in theory allows for the passage of water vapor.  Don't know if it has ever been tested so I won't do it until it is proven.

The best I have been able to do in these hard-to-heat houses is to stuff fiberglas into the bottom of each wall cavity from underneath the house to stop the wind from blowing up and leaking in around the baseboards and electrical boxes.  The wall cavities can still breath but you get some insulating value out of the dead air space.

My current old house was built in 1910 so we are going to have a 100th birthday party for it this year.  All of the millwork comes from the 1910 Sears and Roebuck builders catalog and it was fun to see how the builder saved money by putting cheaper windows on the back of the house where they didn't show and more expensive ones on the front where they did.

Except for a kitchen remodel, the whole house was still on knob and tube wiring when we got it.

[fsu813]

9a is my backyard,

check out www.myspringfield.org

it's a website just for Historic Springfield....with a forum, photos, interviews, etc for and by residents.

it's just getting up and running now, but it's very helpful.

[buckethead]

Last year I did a remodel which included removing and replacing all the exterior siding. We drilled (hole saw) a 3" hole in each void (spaces between studs) about every four feet, vertically. Insulation was then blown in (the newspaper/fiber/fireproofing type.. forget what it is called) prior to re-installation of the siding. Old house insulated!

This method could work without removing old clapboards, depending on the profile of the siding: (is it atleast 4-5 inches tall?) You would need to save each peice (we taped our plywood pieces to the wall for reinstallation) and putty it back into place then sand 'er down.

A good time to do this would be when considering repainting.

[Karl_Pilkington]

we have a subfloor in my home, it is 1 x 8 heart pine laid on the diagonal with finished 1 x 3 heart pine T&G on top.  We also still have working knob and tube just for the historic lighting fixtures.  No insulation, all lathe and plaster and the windows are all double hung originals.  There is also 1 x 6 heart pine sheathing on the exterior walls covered by 4" beveled siding.  The house does breath and it is because of this that we've not tried to insulate, but it does stay fairly cool in the summer and is pretty  cold in the winter.  Its pretty sturdy and that 100 yr old heart pine is tough to nail and drill.