Redlands has a lot of history on its residential streets, and some of it comes with rules. If your home is in one of the city's historic districts, a few checks before you list can save time later and help buyers feel confident.
1. Confirm whether your home is in a district
The City of Redlands' historic district design guidelines (2018) describe nine historic districts. Most are locally designated Historic and Scenic Districts, including Eureka Street, West Highland Avenue, Early Redlands, Normandie Court, East Fern Avenue, Garden Hill, La Verne Street and the Smiley Park Neighborhood. Smiley Park is also on the National Register of Historic Places, and the Redlands Santa Fe Depot district is a National Register district. The City keeps a list of historic resources, and its Planning Division can confirm the status of a specific address.
2. Ask before exterior work
The design guidelines describe each district's character-defining features, such as windows, doors, roofing materials, porches and garages. If your pre-listing plan includes exterior work, talk with the Planning Division first, before anything is ordered. Interior paint, deep cleaning and staging are a different conversation.
3. Gather the home's history
California sellers give buyers written disclosures about the property. Permits, receipts and notes on past work, like a newer roof, updated wiring or an older addition, make those disclosures easier and answer the questions buyers of older homes tend to ask.
4. Fix what buyers notice, and protect what they came for
Buyers of historic homes are paying for character. Fixing peeling paint, leaks, worn floors and broken hardware usually matters more than modernizing original woodwork or built-ins. I'll walk the home with you and separate the repairs worth doing from the ones that can wait.
5. Present the rooms the way they were meant to be used
Period rooms are often smaller and more defined than in newer homes. Furniture scaled to the rooms, a dining room set as a dining room and quiet décor let the windows and trim stand out in photos. Staging is furniture and décor only, so it doesn't change the house.
Thinking about selling in Smiley Park, south Redlands or another historic neighborhood? Request a home value review or call (909) 841-7501.
- City of Redlands, Historic Preservation
- City of Redlands, Historic Architectural Design Guidelines, Chapter 7: Guidelines for Historic Districts (2018)
General information, not legal or tax advice. Check the rules for a specific property with the city, county or HOA.
