Five Questions With: Kathy Vaillancourt

KATHY VAILLANCOURT is a licensed broker in Massachusetts and Rhode Island who works with Armory Properties, a boutique real estate agency that specializes in historical properties. / COURTESY ARMORY PROPERTIES
KATHY VAILLANCOURT is a licensed broker in Massachusetts and Rhode Island who works with Armory Properties, a boutique real estate agency that specializes in historical properties. / COURTESY ARMORY PROPERTIES

Kathy Vaillancourt is a licensed broker in Massachusetts and Rhode Island who works with Armory Properties, a boutique real estate agency that specializes in historical properties. Vaillancourt holds a certificate in historic preservation from the Rhode Island School of Design and has a designation of a historic house specialist through Providence Preservation Society.
PBN: If people are looking to buy an older house, why should they hire a Realtor with a background in historic houses? What kind of knowledge is required of older construction, etc. … to help evaluate the house?
VAILLANCOURT:
First of all, a buyer is always well-served by working with a buyer representative, so good question. A Realtor with knowledge of Rhode Island’s rich inventory of historic buildings can provide research assistance, but also can recommend home inspectors with experience in antique homes, lenders who offer rehab loan products, should the building be in need of repair, and contractors who know how to effect those repairs while maintaining the structure’s historic integrity.
PBN: What is on the market this winter, or this month, in greater Providence in terms of older homes? Are they renovated and on the market, or is there still a lot of older, unfinished stock left?
VAILLANCOURT:
As of today, there are 278 single-family homes built prior to 1900 actively listed throughout the state. In the greater Providence area (and I gerrymandered out to Smithfield and East Providence and down to Cranston), there are 63. Of the 63, 11 were built prior to 1860. The two oldest date back to 1802 and 1740, in North Providence and East Providence, respectively. Of course, we are reliant on the municipalities’ records for the year built, which can sometimes be an estimate because of documentation lost over the years, in fires, etc.
PBN: For home sellers with historic properties, how do they determine what a property is worth? Many historic houses on the national register seem unique. How do you find comparable sales?
VAILLANCOURT:
Another good question. Any comp search would include recently-sold similar properties, the criteria being, among other things: proximity to the subject property, year built, lot size, square footage and condition. But with an antique home, other characteristics such as location in a local historic district, listing on the National Register of Historic Places and provenance must also be considered in determining value. It makes a listing agent’s work a bit more involved. With a property that hasn’t changed hands in a number of years, I would probably recommend having a formal appraisal done prior to listing, as well as creating my own [market analysis].
PBN: What is the best town or city in Rhode Island for vintage homes? Is there a place where there is an abundance of older houses?
VAILLANCOURT:
By virtue of being the areas that were settled first, the coastal communities, Aquidneck Island, Westerly, North and South Kingstown, Jamestown, Bristol and Providence have a wealth, if not an abundance, of colonial-era structures. But you can find old gems in virtually every community. We owe thanks to preservation heroes like Antoinette Downing and Doris Duke, as well as organizations like the Providence Preservation Society and Newport Historical Society, Preserve RI, the West Broadway Neighborhood Association and the State Historical Preservation and Heritage Commission. Through their good work, passion and diligence, many of these amazing buildings survive.
PBN: Why do you like working with older houses? And what is the oldest house you’ve had a hand in either selling or buying?
VAILLANCOURT:
I believe the oldest building I have sold was a single-family in Seekonk, Mass., which dated back to the early 1800s. Unfortunately, the interior had been modified, gutted actually, by an investor who did not have an eye for maintaining its architectural authenticity. The elevation, footprint and foundation were original, however, and my buyer clients loved the antique feeling of it and enormous lot size and location. I am fascinated by the history of these buildings and the events they have witnessed. I think of the storms they endured, the political and social conflicts, the very founding of this country. I think of the individuals who built and lived in them. We are truly blessed in Rhode Island and throughout New England to still have these great old houses among us. We have a responsibility to care for them and preserve them for future generations.

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