Buying an Older Home in Midtown Memphis: What to Know

Walk a few blocks almost anywhere in Midtown Memphis and you will see front porches, deep eaves, brick chimneys and big old trees leaning over the sidewalk. Much of the housing here went up in the early 1900s, when streetcar lines and the city's parkway system pushed Memphis east of downtown. If an older home has caught your eye in the 38104, 38112 or 38107 zip codes, a little background on the houses themselves, and on the rules that can come with them, will help you shop with clear eyes and fewer surprises.

What the Housing Stock Looks Like

Midtown is really a patchwork of named neighborhoods, and each one has its own personality. Cooper-Young, south of the old L&N rail line between East Parkway and McLean, grew in waves between roughly 1880 and 1940. Bungalows and Craftsman homes make up most of its streets, with Colonial Revival and Tudor Revival houses mixed in and a handful of older Queen Anne cottages still standing.

Central Gardens, roughly between Union and Central and stretching from Cleveland toward Rembert, saw most of its building between 1900 and 1930. There you will find American Four Squares, bungalows, Colonial Revival homes and some earlier Queen Anne and Greek Revival houses, many of them set on generous lots along tree-lined streets.

North of Poplar, the Evergreen district runs from Watkins over to McLean and up to North Parkway, with homes built from the 1890s into the 1930s. Bungalows and Four Squares sit alongside Colonial Revival and a few grander Beaux Arts designs. A little farther north, Vollintine-Evergreen was built mostly in the 1920s and 1930s and offers a wide mix of Craftsman, Colonial Revival, Tudor Revival and Minimal Traditional homes, along with some cottages from around 1905. Hein Park, Idlewild, Lea's Woods and Speedway Terrace round out a list of Midtown areas with historic roots.

Historic Overlay Districts and the Landmarks Commission

This is the part that trips people up most often, so it is worth slowing down. Being listed on the National Register of Historic Places is an honor, but on its own it does not usually limit what a private owner can do. A local Historic Overlay District is different. Memphis has a number of these overlays, and several are in Midtown, including Central Gardens, Cooper-Young, Evergreen, Speedway Terrace, Lea's Woods, Annesdale Park and the Vollintine-Evergreen districts.

Inside an overlay, exterior work that can be seen from the street, such as new construction, additions, replacing windows or siding, demolition or major site changes, generally needs a Certificate of Appropriateness from the Memphis Landmarks Commission before it starts. Each district has its own design guidelines that spell out what the commission looks for. Interior updates are typically not part of that review. If you are dreaming about a second-story addition, a new porch or swapping original wood windows, read the guidelines for that district before you write an offer, and confirm the property's status with the Memphis and Shelby County Division of Planning and Development. Boundaries do not always follow the neighborhood names people use, so checking the specific address matters.

Inspecting an Older Home

A home that has stood for a hundred years has usually been updated more than once, and not always by the same hands. A good general inspection is the starting point, and older Midtown homes often call for a few extra looks. A sewer scope can show the condition of the line running to the street, which in older homes may be clay or cast iron. An electrician can tell you whether any original wiring is still in use and whether the panel has room for how you live today. It is also worth having someone look closely at the foundation and crawl space, the roof and chimneys, any older galvanized water lines, and the age of the heating and cooling equipment.

Because many of these homes were built before 1978, lead-based paint disclosure is part of the process, and it is smart to plan for safe practices if you intend to sand or strip old finishes. None of this should scare you away. It simply helps you understand what you are buying and budget for the care these houses deserve.

Utilities and Property Taxes

Memphis Light, Gas and Water, known locally as MLGW, provides electricity, natural gas and water inside the city, so you will usually set up all three through a single account. Starting service ahead of closing day keeps the lights on when you get the keys. With older homes, it can be helpful to ask the seller for a year of utility history, since drafty windows and older insulation can show up on the bill.

Midtown sits inside the City of Memphis, which means two property tax bills: one from the City of Memphis Treasury and one from the Shelby County Trustee. Values are set by the Shelby County Assessor of Property. Rates can change with each budget year, so rather than lean on a number you saw online, look up the actual parcel on the county and city sites and ask your lender to use current figures when estimating your monthly payment.

Living Close to Overton Park and Overton Square

A big part of Midtown's appeal is what sits just down the street. Overton Park covers more than 340 acres and was laid out by landscape architect George Kessler in the early 1900s. It holds the Old Forest, a rare stand of old-growth woods with walking trails, along with the Memphis Zoo, the Levitt Shell outdoor stage, a nine-hole golf course, Rainbow Lake and the open lawn of the Greensward.

A short walk or bike ride south, Overton Square along Madison Avenue and Cooper Street is home to restaurants, bars, shops and live theater, including Playhouse on the Square. Farther down Cooper, the Cooper-Young business district offers its own coffee shops and restaurants and hosts the long-running Cooper-Young Festival each year.

If an older Midtown home is on your mind, I would be glad to walk through a few with you, point out what to look for and help you sort through overlay questions and inspections at your own pace. There is never any pressure, just a conversation whenever you are ready.

Kelly Day, SRES, SRS, AHWD, PSA, RENE
Multi Million Dollar Club
Broker Lic # 365811
simpliHOM
901-289-9227
855-856-9466
[email protected]
https://memphishouselistings.com