Pre-1950: wiring and pipes
- Knob-and-tube wiring, ungrounded and an insurance red flag.
- Galvanized supply pipe and lead service lines, old metal pipe that clogs or leaches.
- Cast-iron drains, corrode from the inside over 50 to 75 years.
1950s to 1990s: panels, aluminum and poly-B
- Federal Pacific & Zinsco panels, breakers that can fail to trip.
- Aluminum branch wiring, common 1965 to 1973.
- Poly-B plumbing, grey plastic pipe from the late '70s to '90s.
- Oil tanks, a leak is the owner's liability.
Health hazards in older homes
- Asbestos and vermiculite insulation, a risk when disturbed.
- Lead paint, mainly pre-1980 homes; the danger is the dust.
- Radon, any home can have it; a cheap test settles it.
Don't forget the envelope
Check the roof's age, the foundation, the grading and drainage, and the windows. These are the big-ticket items a fresh coat of paint can't hide.
The bottom line
Older isn't bad, it's just a different set of questions. Know which era-specific issues a home is likely to have, confirm insurability, and price the fixes into your offer. That's a smarter first look. And price the ongoing side too: the home maintenance budget estimates what a house of that age and size tends to need every year, which is the number listings never show.