Navigating Historic Home Ownership
April 22nd, 2008 Categories: Architectural Guidelines, Real Estate News
Homes and landmarks with Historic designations are scattered throughout the North Coast and most commonly perched proudly on the hills of Astoria. They continue to be one of the most popular and really exciting parts of our local real estate market , and I am often asked about the responsibilities of owning a home that is considered historic so I recently set out to give myself a “refresher course” on historic home designations and to get the facts and try and dispel some of the myths of historic home ownership. (like the most popular question; does the city really tell you what color you have to paint your house? the awnser is no by the way)
Your first stop in Historic home ownership should be to check in with The Historic Landmarks Commission, which is a seven member branch of the city government that is responsible for reviewing new and existing Historic landmarks. They are there to provide support and guidance to existing Historic homeowners, and successfully guide new applicants through the process . The commission is responsible for only exterior alterations including, but not limited to, decks or porches, siding, windows, removing or adding historic ornamentation, rooflines additions etc. They do not review interior alterations. New construction adjacent to Historic properties is also reviewed to ensure compatibility in scale, style, materials, architectural detail etc. and serve as a protection of the integrity of the Historic property.
There are some great perks that go along with the historic designation for its owners. The city offers design consultation by trained staff to review the history of the structure, characteristics, and suggestions on how to mesh new alterations to the home with the original character. Financial incentives are also avaliable. The state Historic Preservation Office offers a “Special Assessment” which is a freeze on the assessed value of a home for 15 years. (For more information about this program check out this link http://prd.state.or.us ) Along that line the US Department of the interior offers a 20% Federal tax credit on income producing buildings (bed & breakfast, apartments, etc.).
One of the most frequently used incentive programs locally is a tax credit from the National Trust for Historic Preservation which requires you to open parts of your home to the public once a year. The Bank of Astoria, in partnership with the City of Astoria offers a local incentive also, which is a low interest loan, up to $25,000, for exterior improvements of downtown and some Uppertown buildings, regardless of whether or not they are historic.
There are lots of resources avaliable throught the Historic Landmarks Commission to make Historic home ownership a positive experience so get out there, buy that historic home and be a part of history!
For more information about Historic home ownsership visit the City of Astoria website at http://www.astoria.or.us
Jennie
Terri
Jeremy
Miranda
Amy
Vicky
