How to Date a House: A Field Guide to Mid-Century Features
A buyer's field guide to dating a postwar California house by its windows, garage doors, roofing and plan, with an Eichler timeline and the records to check first.
Repair Requests After a Home Inspection: A Guide for Older Homes
How to sort an inspection report on a mid-century house, when to ask for repairs or a credit, the California and EPA rules that apply to the work, and how to write a request a seller can answer.
Supplemental Property Tax in California: What Home Buyers Should Know
Why a California home purchase triggers a separate supplemental tax bill, how the county calculates it, when it arrives and what to file after closing.
Pricing an Architectural Home When the Comparables Don't Match
A method for pricing a mid-century or architect-designed home when comparable sales don't line up, built on Fannie Mae's appraisal rules, quality ratings and the reconsideration of value process.
Renovation Loan for an Older Home: Options for Mid-Century Houses
How FHA 203(k), Fannie Mae HomeStyle and Freddie Mac CHOICERenovation loans work for a mid-century house that needs a roof, glass or heat, plus home equity options for current owners.
Lead Paint Disclosure for Pre-1978 Homes, Plus Asbestos Testing
The federal lead paint disclosure steps for pre-1978 homes, how California's disclosure form treats hazards, where asbestos may be in a mid-century house, and renovation rules.
Section 1 and Section 2 Termite Reports on Post-and-Beam Homes
What Section 1, Section 2 and further inspection mean on a California pest report, where post-and-beam homes tend to show wood damage, and how buyers and sellers use the report.
How to Check Permit History on a Mid-Century Modern Home
Where permit records for Bay Area mid-century homes live, how to search them step by step, how to request original plans, and what to do when the house and the records don't match.
Insurance for Older Homes in California: A Mid-Century Owner's Guide
How to insure a 1950s or 1960s post-and-beam home in California: rebuild limits, code upgrade coverage, wildfire mitigation discounts, the FAIR Plan and nonrenewal notice rules.
Mid-Century Home Inspection Checklist: What to Check, System by System
Which inspections to order for a 1950s or 1960s post-and-beam home, and what to check on the roof, slab, wiring, glass and original materials before your contingency ends.
How to Read a Mid-Century Floor Plan Before You Tour
Find the original model, then read the zones, the shape, the glass and the slab. A six-step method for reading an Eichler or post-and-beam floor plan before a tour.
Mid-Century Tract Homes vs. Custom Moderns: What Buyers Should Know
Tract moderns came as sets of models; custom moderns were drawn for one lot. How to tell them apart and why it matters for research, historic value, rules and remodels.
Mid-Century Modern vs. Ranch: How to Tell California Houses Apart
Both are low, one-story postwar houses. Here is how framing, roofs, siding, windows and garages separate a Contemporary-style modern from a California tract ranch.
How to Tell If a House Is an Eichler: A Six-Step Check
Eichler is a builder, not a style. Use records, the street face, the structure and the original model to confirm a true Eichler, and learn which remodels don't change the answer.
Post and Beam Earthquake Retrofit: Slab Homes, Programs and Checks
Why slab post-and-beam homes differ from raised-floor houses, which California retrofit grants and insurance discounts fit, what an engineer may check, and the earthquake disclosures in a sale.
Slab Leaks in Mid-Century Homes: Signs, Tests and Repair Choices
Why slab-on-grade post-and-beam houses hide leaks, how to tell a supply, drain or radiant leak apart, how leaks are found, and the trade-offs between repairing and rerouting.
Mid-Century Home Electrical Panel and Wiring: What to Check
How to read an older electrical panel, what federal and city agencies say about older breakers and aluminum wiring, two-slot outlets and GFCIs, and how to plan all-electric upgrades.