Video:Characteristics of a Mission Style Home
with Anita CordellMission style homes have many unique characteristics, which share some similarities with Spanish style architecture. Watch this About.com video to learn more about the features of Mission style homes and how they fare in the real estate market.See Transcript
Transcript:Characteristics of a Mission Style Home
Hi, my name is Anita Cordell and I'm here today to talk about Mission Style homes, for About.com.
Unique Features of Mission Style Homes
Mission style homes are also called Spanish Style homes and they became popular in California first in the late 1890's. They share a lot of features with the Spanish style and the American Southwest style homes. Those shares features are stucco walls, as well as a low pitched red-tile roof. One feature that sets the mission style apart is what is called a curvaceous parapet. A parapet is actually a wall that is higher than the regular roof line.
Some other features that a Mission style home would include would be porches or windows or doorways that would have an arched frame over them. One of the other features would be the square columns that hold up the porches. A lot of times the Mission style will have what's called a bell tower.
Mission Style Home Construction
When you are looking at a mission style home, especially the older versions, compared to the newer versions, be sure to look at, any home, if it's built before 1978, to make sure that there is no lead based paint. If the Mission style is of the earlier original time frame, make sure that the foundation is in good order, make sure there are no cracks, or no leaks, things like that.
Mission Style in the Real Estate Market
One really neat thing about the mission style home is that the mission style influences are everywhere. You can find the Spanish flavor in many different styles. Since you can find the mission style, or the influence of it in many markets, one thing you can look at to determine it's value would be that it is always going to come back to the location. Due to the fact that mission style properties have many unique features they can tend to be a little more expensive. Things such as archways and the Spanish flavor to it can make it a little more expensive when purchasing it. So keep that in mind when you are looking at properties.
Thank you for watching, and for more information be sure to check us out on the web, at homegarden.about.com.