On the other hand, if you are drawn to older houses, to you, the best ones have character that can’t be matched. They have substance in a way that only time can convey. To some extent, they’re all historic!
If you love older houses, a new home’s first-one-in advantages don’t beckon as much as the feeling of a home that’s stood tall through many decades. You’re well aware that its maintenance will be in your hands. You’re comfortable in taking up responsibilities that your predecessors have shouldered in the past. When an older Boise house is in terrific condition, keeping it in top shape is a continuing source of pride—all the more so when it really is “historic.”
Now, about that word: historic. Whether or not an older house carries the official designation, most enthusiasts think of an older Boise house in that light if it fits into one or more of these categories:
- If a previous owner is a significant historical personage—or the home was known to have hosted such persons—it qualifies.
- If it can be linked to a significant event in history, likewise.
- If its construction techniques or characteristics are unique enough to be of historical architectural value, it qualifies.
- If it is old enough to exemplify truly historical qualities (a common example is a house “built with wooden nails”). I think square nails should qualify.
Designated historic Boise homes are few and far in between in the Boise listings, but whether you’re on the lookout for a well-cared-for older house or one ready to greet its first owners, I’m standing by to help you discover it!