- An 1874 farmhouse in Lynn Township is up for sale
- The property has had major updates from the current owners of 29 years, including a copper roof
- The listing has gone viral on multiple sites
NEW TRIPOLI, Pa. — An 1800s farmhouse up for sale in Lynn Township has caught the eye of prospective buyers, and the internet at large.
The property at 5494 Schochary Road dates to 1874 and has been occupied by long-term owners — until now.
And it might not be on the market for long.
The listing on Thursday morning found its way onto the Facebook site For Love of Old Houses, which has 4 million followers. By Friday morning, it had racked up nearly 150 comments and 210 shares.
Realtor Brenda Fortna said the four-bedroom, 1 1/2-bath home clocks in at 2,860 square feet. The first floor has a wood-fired stove and a “country kitchen,” among other features.
"There's buyers everywhere, but we are struggling to find sellers who recognize that it's a great time to capitalize on this low inventory.”Realtor Brenda Fortna
According to the listing, “Upgrades include a true standing seam copper roof, replacement windows throughout, custom woodwork, updated electrical, newer septic system, and freshly painted exterior trim.”
Fortna said the first site to reach out to her about featuring the listing was Circa Old Homes, which according to its website gets more than 2 million monthly pageviews.
From there, she said, it spiraled, with many more websites and social media pages reaching out to share the historic property.
A special place
One of the home's features is a little different than your typical built-in bookshelves or double sink.
“The owner of this home has the full history, which is unusual," Fortna said. "So the house has had 10 or 11 owners.
"And because of its location… the neighbors who lived there, they have a full written history of the ownership of the house with a lot of details that you would never be able to find."
She said such sites draw very specifically interested buyers.
“What happens is, when you look at the following on the website, people who are looking for that specific type of house sometimes don't have a location in mind."Realtor Brenda Fortna
“What happens is, when you look at the following on the website, people who are looking for that specific type of house sometimes don't have a location in mind," she said.
"They might have a style of home or a price range in mind, or a region, but not they would never find, you know, Schochary Road in New Tripoli in their own search. So the exposure is valuable.”
An open house for the property is set for 1-4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 28.
Fortna said there would be no difficulty selling the home — or any other.
“So the frustration for buyers and for Realtors, I believe, is that we can't get the message out that people want to buy your home," she said. "Qualified buyers are everywhere. But there's such a limited amount of inventory.
“So it doesn't matter if it's old. So this year, log homes that were 100 plus years old, this house is more than 200 years old. I sold homes that were more than a million dollars, it didn't matter.
"There's buyers, starter homes, investments, there's buyers everywhere, but we are struggling to find sellers who recognize that it's a great time to capitalize on this low inventory.”
