Video:How to Identify Your Home's Architecture Style

Transcript:How to Identify Your Home's Architecture Style

Hello, my name is Anita Cordell and I am a realtor in the Kansas City Area for About.com. Today I am going to talk about how you can identify the style of your home.

How Old is Your Home?

The very first thing that you need to be aware of is how old your home is.  This will limit the number of house styles that you will need to research.  For example, a house that was built in 1811 is not going to be a Victorian Home, because they weren't even built yet.   Another thing to do is ask your neighbors, often times house in the same neighborhood are going to be the same style.  There are also historical records and old real estate listings that might hold clues to the style of your home.  If these are hard to come by, or leave you at a loss, you need to start doing more research online. 

Researching Sources for Home Architecture

About.com and a few other websites list multiple types of homes, what years they were built and a brief rundown of some features that a certain home style might have.  Not every home is going to have every feature, but if you're able to check off a few boxes, you're getting close. 

A quick images search online might be very revealing, but be careful because not every home listed is going to be a great example.  If your home was built in the last fifty years there is a very good chance that your home is a neo-eclectic style home with features of many different styles.  This can be a little confusing, but remember this can be a great type, consisting of the best of both worlds. Whether you have a 1950's ranch or a shingle style home from the turn of the century, remember to love your home and embrace it's past.

Thank you for watching and look for us online at homegarden.about.com.