I love older homes. If I had a choice I'd move into a Craftsman home from the 20's. If you're handy you can get a lot of parts from architectural junkyards. If you can get a house on the historic registry I think you qualify for some kind of assistance.

I have many friends who have older homes. They all, and I mean ALL, spent between 20-50k on updates. HVAC, floors, and paint are the first things they do.

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You don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows - Robert A. Zimmerman