Yes, living in older buildings take a degree of toughness. I wasn't tryng to say older houses are better in terms of creature comforts, but that newer ones are worse because they fail to address problems or improve the environment of the homeowner (plus all the reasons seneiman listed).

At least if you are an old home freak you have a sense of owning something with charater and history and this might helps you put up with the drafts, mold, insects, etc. You expect old homes to be a bit rough.