Historic
1848 Home in Neil Armstrong's Hometown, Updated Kitchen — $149,900
6
out of 10
HousesUnder150K Score
Property Merit 50% · Condition 25% · Price/Sq Ft 15% · Market 10%
| Category | Wt. | Score | Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property Merit | 50% | 7 | 1848 build, 3BR/1BA, 1,222 sqft, remodeled kitchen, fenced yard, covered patio |
| Condition | 25% | 6 | Kitchen fully remodeled, windows updated, new carpet — HVAC/roof dates unknown |
| Price / Sq Ft | 15% | 8 | Listing $123/sqft vs zip median $174/sqft — ~29% below; thin data (7 comps) but directional |
| Price vs. Market | 5% | 8 | $149,900 vs $269,900 zip median — ~44% below; zip median may reflect newer/larger homes |
| Market Conditions | 5% | 5 | DOM 42 days, sale-to-list 98.7%, price drops 16.3% — balanced, floor applied |
This house is 177 years old. That number is worth sitting with for a moment. Built in 1848, it predates the Civil War, predates the telephone, predates almost everything most people have ever lived in. And it is in Wapakoneta, Ohio, which happens to be the hometown of Neil Armstrong. Neither fact makes the plumbing work better or worse, but they do make this a different kind of house than you usually see listed at this price.
The house itself is modest. Three bedrooms, one bath, 1,222 square feet, single story. The kitchen has been fully redone, with new cabinets, countertops, sink, and flooring. That is real money spent on the most-used room in the house, and it will show. Windows have been updated and the living room has new carpet. So the interior has had work done recently, and the cosmetic picture is reasonably clean for a house this age.
What you do not know going in is the condition of the roof and the HVAC. Those dates are not in the listing, which means you need to ask, and you need to inspect carefully. On a 177-year-old house, that is not a small unknown. The structure has presumably proven itself over generations, but mechanical systems are another matter. Budget for the possibility that one or both need attention sooner than you would like.
Outside there is a fenced backyard with a covered concrete patio. Private, functional, usable in the rain. Nothing elaborate, but a real outdoor space.
At $149,900, you are looking at $123 per square foot against a zip code median closer to $174. The median likely reflects newer and larger homes, but the directional gap is real. This house is priced well below what the surrounding market is doing, which at least partly reflects the age and the unknowns that come with it.
What the price makes possible is ownership of a genuinely old house in a small Ohio city, with the heavy cosmetic work already done. Someone who wants a home with actual history, and who goes in clear-eyed about what a thorough inspection needs to answer, has something to work with here.