08/17/2026
"Why do so many older homes show they were built in the year 1900?"
I got to investigate this first hand with my own home and it's one thing that I love about old homes!
The stories that come with each home is exciting and each showcases its own adventure.
To answer the above question, it's because older records truly rarely existed. The first Uniform Building Code wasn't published until 1927 and many assessors had to go off of any information they had, which was rare.
So, as a placeholder, the year 1900 was used. As almost to say, we know it's old, but don't know it's exact age.
That's when the investigation begins, and if you have an old home, I invite you to do the same or even ask me for help! I have a passion for history and love to research.
Back to my own homes story.
My neighbor mentioned to me that their home was also listed as being built in 1900 but knew it was older. It made me look into our own home.
While at The Hideout at Maple Street Antique Mall they have this fantastic 1883 birds eye view of downtown Mason.
I captured a photo to investigate further. Finding our street, I could clearly see our neighbors home so they were correct, their home predates 1900. Our home in fact was not built yet but an older structure was there on top of what is now our driveway off the alleyway!
It was exciting to see what may have existed before our victorian style home was created and I am even more amped to start metal detecting our backyard soon.
If you are looking at buying an older home and looking for a passionate agent to work alongside with, I'd be more than pleased to discover all the amazing details with you.
Please share any of your own stories or findings in the comments!
