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