Old House Dreams (OHD) has been around since a smidge before June 2009. It started as a blog where I shared old houses I found while daydreaming. Over time, it slowly became what it is today, a place where folks can "shop" for the kind of home they've always dreamed about.

That shift in expectations pushed me to make sure every post or listing was always as up to date as possible, which is not an easy thing to do. You might be thinking, why not automate it? Believe me, I’ve tried multiple ways. Between the costs and the licensing fees for the more "professional" options, it just isn’t possible for a site like mine.

If you've been here since the early days, you've seen the changes, the good, the bad, and the questionable. If you haven't, count yourself lucky. There were some painful experiments over the years. What made some folks happy made others mad. And no matter what, you have to pick a side. It’s depressingly impossible.

So here comes the part that may upset some. I’m stepping away from keeping every single post constantly updated with current status, prices, and so on. We’re turning this car around and going back to what the site started as, a place to share homes worth remembering. A place that collects and reflects what drew us here in the first place.

OHD has become a kind of time capsule. A record of homes as they appeared when they were listed. How they’ve changed, stayed the same, or sadly been lost. Maybe, in addition to admiring the architecture of the past, this will give future visitors a reference point for how these properties appeared before renovations, neglect, or demolition.

This change is, admittedly, a little selfish. I want to enjoy old houses again. I want to slow down and enjoy the architecture, history, or just that feeling you get when you stumble across something that makes your heart stop and causes you to scream, "OMG!!!! LOOK AT THIS HOUSE!" and freak out anyone sitting within shouting distance.

Another reason is burnout. I went from being a happy go lucky marshmallow to a nicely toasted s’more, then a bit too burnt, then fully on fire, and finally dropped into a bigger fire, turning into a gooey, gross ash-s’more. Then waking up to do it all over again. Burnout is an exhausting loop, and no matter what you do, you keep melting into something unrecognizable.

That’s why I’m changing how things are done. Each post will still include the same details, but the constant updates to status and pricing will no longer be part of the process. This won't change much for those who enjoy seeing properties new(ish) to the market. The newsletters will continue to feature homes that are for sale at the time, along with MJG’s posts that offer a deeper look into the past by using period photos to highlight the architecture and interior design of the era.

Bonus! May as well make this post interesting. How about something from 1833..or 1835... It's been a while since I scanned this, hopefully I got the page order correct (it was front and back of a folded paper, if I recall.)