How to Find out the History of Your House

Be it a modern new build or a century-old farm dwelling, there’s no house without history. You never know what fascinating things you might learn about your home by delving into its past. You will uncover its architectural history, previous owners and inhabitants, and maybe even the stories of their lives. We can’t blame you for being curious. Here are some ways to explore. 

Start With a Title Search

Perform a property owner search if you want to find out who lived in the house. You’ll probably do this anyway if you’re buying a new house. Many buyers choose to pay for a professional search. By looking through tax records, these searches show prospective buyers who has owned the house from when it was first constructed to the present. A buyer really has no other way of knowing if the person selling the house is the actual owner. 

Many publicly accessible sites can be used if you want to do a title search. You don’t have to pay someone to do it! The process is very simple. Just enter the last and first name, ex. Watson James. There shouldn’t be a comma between them. 

Check With the National Park Service 

You would do this if your house is old and you suspect it could be considered historic. The National Registry of Historic Places, managed by the Park Service, will reveal a list of officially historic homes. They are categorized as historic because of their general significance, style of architecture, and/or age. 

Visit a Preservation Center, Historical Society, or Library 

A collection of historic pictures should reveal a lot about your house. Get in touch with your local library as you research the history of an area or home. Make an appointment to look at their archives’ historical reports, newspaper articles, maps, and photographs. Preservation centers and historical societies save and archive important documents and photographs. Occasionally, they host events and exhibitions related to the city or area. Preservation centers work to beautify, protect, and preserve historic areas and homes.

Ask Your Real Estate Agent

You’ve probably thought of this, but more specifically, they should be able to tell you the names of any previous owners. Keep in mind living in historic districts comes with certain regulations and rules. Normally, they are related to the exterior of a house. They help maintain the overall appeal and look of the neighborhood. These rules can be quite restrictive. Before buying the house, make sure you’re prepared to take the responsibility. 

Look for Clues on the Premises 

There could be some clues about the house’s history on the premises, from the backyard to the basement. These include any items buried in the yard or under the house, additions to the house, the style of architecture, wallpaper, or other décor associated with a given historical epoch, any plaques on the house, and the style and age of the flooring. There could also be personal clues around the house. For example, you might find mementos or photos of the previous owners in a box in the basement. You might find items belonging to former owners in the attic or buried in the ground. It’s never too late to start exploring. 

Census Records can be Telling 

You might be able to find the names, places, and dates of birth, marriage status, jobs, personal belongings, and even the year of immigration of some of the people who lived in the house by searching old census records. Remember that not all of this data is listed for each census year. 

Finding out more and more about the history of a house will make the owner increasingly appreciative of its historic charm. We hope our suggestions will help you explore it.  



Gaming Chairs - Is It Really Worth It?

We’ve all seen the pictures of Formula 1 legends racing online F1 games during the lockdown in their gaming chairs and twitch professionals laying back looking super comfortable whilst gaming, but not as many of us have our own gaming chairs. Whether you’ve been thinking about it for a long time or simply find yourself a little curious about them, you might be wondering whether they are really worth the money. We have been wondering that ourselves, so we decided to dig a little deeper. In this article, we will discuss the pros and cons of gaming chairs and decide whether we think they are really worth it.

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Types of Gaming Chair

There are a few different types of gaming chairs that we should quickly discuss before getting into the pros and cons of each and get into whether you can find the best budget chair for gaming. Each of these chairs serves a different purpose and suits different games and consoles better.

  •  PC Gaming Chairs

These chairs are designed for gamers who like in-depth PC gaming. They are upright backed chairs and may resemble a normal office chair, but can also have a slightly more surrounding feel than a standard chair. They may also include speakers and other customizable parts designed to enhance the gaming experience.

  • Racing Chairs

These are designed to imitate race car driving. The position is laid back as if sat in the cockpit of a single-seater but can also be raised to a more upright position if required. Most need add-ons like a steering wheel and pedals to really simulate driving properly and give that honest race-day feel.

  • Rocker Chairs

Rocker chairs are more simple and designed for one purpose – comfort. They sit on the floor and cradle your body to help you relax and enjoy hours of console gaming comfortably. Usually, these are not powered and do not come with any extras like speakers or vibration.

Pros

  • Improved Performance

Many chair manufacturers claim that using a gaming chair will improve performance, but we think it is more down to the user. There are many professional gamers using chairs, but also some who do not. The racing chairs certainly improve realistic feel, and over time may well make you more competitive. With the PC and Rocker chairs, they certainly improve the experience, which may, in turn, lead to your skills improving.

  • Comfort

Certainly, in the case of PC and Rocker chairs, comfort levels are much higher than sitting in a standard office chair or on a sofa. The more you spend, the more comfortable you will feel. If you are someone who enjoys multiple hours of gaming per week, the comfort level alone may be worth the investment.

  • Sound

Another benefit you may find in many gaming chairs is improved sound. Different chairs may or may not come with this option, but the ones that do make such a huge difference. With speakers behind your head or even your back, give a surround sound and a real-feel. 

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Cons

  • Price

If you are looking for a chair with outstanding features like the ones listed above, you will probably find them costing more than any chair you have ever purchased before! Your bank balance may not be pleased with your purchase, as top-level gaming chairs can cost as much as $1500. However, we must admit that you can pick up some pretty decent chairs for around one-third of that price.

  • Posture

Without a doubt, sitting for long periods of time isn’t great for the body, and sitting while gaming is no different. While many chairs are designed ergonomically and encourage good posture, some, such as racing chairs, will have you sat in a rather non-natural position for quite long periods of time. 

  • Space

While rockers are quite small, they are also not able to fold up to be put away. Lots of bigger chairs, such as racers, are able to be packed away slightly more, but they can still take up quite a lot of room. If you are living in a small home, a gaming chair may not be for you. Look into compact or folding chairs if you do.

So, there are plenty of pros and cons when it comes to buying a gaming chair. If you are a big-time gamer, the pros could certainly outweigh the cons, and if you are budget conscious, there are ways to compromise to achieve affordability. We recommend shopping the market, reading reviews, and finding out exactly which type of chair suits your needs. If you do go ahead and invest, we hope you have many hours of happy, comfortable, exciting gaming ahead of you.



Expand Your Real Estate Journey

We are undeniably living through a time of financial instability on a global scale. But this doesn’t have to shatter your real estate goals.

If you are looking to move onto your next property or start investing, there are a few ways you can ensure to achieve this. Moving up the property ladder can seem like an overwhelming step at any given time, but given the right tools, it’s always a step worth taking. Finding opportunities with the greatest amount of potential is an art; a way of altering your perspective in a way that will reap the highest benefits. 

If you’re looking to invest, services such as New Western offer a range of properties which are rich in value. Being part of an exclusive network is one of the prime first steps to make faster and smarter real-estate investing choices.

Why Get Into Investing?

Off-market investing might be the first step in your journey towards becoming a full-time investor. One of the perks is saving on selling costs, with less of the marketing and more of the business. If you are only just getting into investing, it is an excellent way to have an additional reliable stream of income that might lead to an even more incredible opportunity than you initially imagined.

Stay One Step Ahead of The Game.

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If you are already a pro at real estate investing, there are always ways to take it further. In these tumultuous and competitive times, one of the best things you can do is be aware of the trends. Stay in tune with what’s hot in New York by looking at some top listings.

Another thing you can do to stay one step ahead is to take a look at relevant events. While the Covid-19 pandemic is certainly complicating the events side of things, it’s still an important step to keep an eye on what is going on and schedule in any key dates where possible. With the rise of virtual events, there are always new ways of accessing resources and events that you may not usually consider. 

Network.

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Networking with other like-minded investors will help you to share valuable resources and tips, as well as any hidden gems. Whether this is through online events of social media groups, there are several ways in which you can achieve this. One of the benefits of these strangely isolated times is that digitally, we are more connected than we have ever been. This way, you can help to set more precise goals and maybe even make some new friends. 

Now is the prime time to explore off the market properties. Access high-quality, exclusive properties to enrich both you and your investing career. While many industries are beginning to fall short, real-estate will continue to flourish and innovate. As long as you develop a keen understanding of the best areas to invest in, the future of off-market property investment remains bright.