HometownGeorgetown.com

In an article titled “Best Places to Buy an Old House,” Georgetown Texas has been named one of the editors’ top 12 picks. The beautiful home they picture in the article is just a couple of blocks from my house, and I admire it every time I pass. My husband and I discuss yet again how we want to add a small area of fishscale shingles to our house someday because the different “textures” look gorgeous on this home. It’s on the market right now for just under $600,000. It’s a showstopper. Incredible.

I searched the MLS for homes that were currently on the market, pending, or that had sold within the past year, which were built at least 75 years ago. There are currently ten homes active on the market that were built in 1933 or prior. These homes are priced from $97,500 up to $725,000. The article says there are homes in Georgetown in the millions, which is true, but not the case for the homes in my search. In fact, when I change the search parameters to look at all homes built prior to 1933 that have sold through the MLS (rather than only looking at the past year), the most expensive sale was just under $800,000 in November of 2005. That same home sold just five years earlier for just under $600,000. Our homes in the million plus range are in exclusive subdivisions, but I’m sure that our highly desirable historic homes will reach that lofty point in years to come. People love to be within walking distance of the square.

There are two homes in pending status, both of which received acceptable offers in less than two weeks. One, listed for just over $400,000, sits on more than a third of an acre right on Austin Avenue. The other is east of the downtown square, which is an area that is most attractive to buyers. The quiet, tree-lined streets and large front porches make that area of town feel like Mayberry.

In the past year, thirteen homes built in 1933 or prior have sold in Georgetown. (I represented the buyer in one of those deals and the seller in another, so I had a hand in 15% of these sales. That’s kind of fun!) The homes have sold for $90,000 up to $365,000. One home was on almost 15 acres, but the other homes were on an average of about a quarter-acre. The average home has 1680 square feet and sold for $132 per square foot.