Toronto Real Estate » Cottages

5 Key Elements to a Good Home Inspection in Toronto – Part 3

AgentSam — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 13:22:49 +0000

Most of the homes my clients purchase were built before 1950 – some of them even older – turn of the last century! Many homes in East York for example – war time bungalows as they are commonly known - were built in the 30s and 40s. So its important to understand the condition of the roof and attic and the basement.

Today, I am going to deal with the electrical component of home built before 1950.

Electrical

The type of wiring in homes built in this era is called Knob and Tube. By today’s standards, its not considered safe. The primary reason being is that this type of wiring is not grounded. This is an important consideration when buying a home as ungrounded wiring could damage the type of electronics we have in our homes these days.

And good luck getting insurance. Most companies won’t even bother. A few of them will – but – on the condition that the wiring be replaced by a certain date – usually 30 days from possession.

When it comes to a home inspection, walls cannot be ripped down to see the wiring! The best an inspector can do is have the right tools for the job. I have seen some homes where the wiring in the basement was visible and it looked like everything had been brought up to code – but looks can be deceiving. Once the inspector got upstairs, none of the wiring beyond the kitchend was grounded!

So a warning to buyers. If you’re considering buying a home in Toronto built before the mid 1950s – assume the wiring needs to be replaced. Unless of course, the seller has verifiable documentation to the contrary.

Part 4 – The Furnace coming on Wednesday

5 Key Elements to a Good Home Inspection in Toronto – Part 1

AgentSam — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 11:00:33 +0000

Now that you have fallen in love with your home, its time to ensure that its not going to crumble beneath your feet once you move in. A house is a living and breathing organism. It’s subject to the external elements of sun, rain, snow and wind but also to the wear and tear of daily use.

Over the years, I have used several home inspection companies including one of the really well known ones in Toronto. All of their inspectors have degrees in engineering apparently.

But I am more confident with companies that have inspectors with building experience.

ROOF and ATTIC

Typically, the home inspector inspects the roof and the attic of a house on his own. He or she reports back to you what they discovered. You have no visual evidence of what they have seen unlike in other parts of the home where you can actually get to yourself and see with your own eyes what they are talking about.

The company that I typically use for my clients – Canspec Building Services - has all their inspectors use a video camera to take a movie of the roof, attic and other crawl spaces that you cannot access yourself. This is a very powerful presentation because now, you have seen with your own eyes the state of those parts of the home.

Apart from a fire, there is nothing worse than water penetration into your home. So when ordering a home inspection, shop around and see if your inspector will be giving you a video presentation of your roof!

Gen X and Recreational Real Estate

AgentSam — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 18:44:41 +0000

In a recent poll, Generation X purchasers are poised to replace aging baby boomers as the major force in recreational property markets across the country, according to a report released today by RE/MAX.

GEN X & Recreational Properties

The demographic shift was noted in the 2009 RE/MAX Recreational Property Report highlighting sales, pricing, trends and developments in 50 Canadian markets. The report found demand from Gen X (those born between 1965 and 1980) has nearly doubled over one year ago. Seventy-four per cent of markets surveyed this year reported a marked trend toward thirty-something buyers snapping up affordably-priced product, ranging from waterfront cottages to resort condominiums, compared to just 40 per cent in 2008.

Listen to Michael Polzler, Executive Vice President, Regional Director, RE/MAX Ontario-Atlantic Canada discuss the results of this poll.

5 Key Elements to a Good Home Inspection in Toronto – Part 5

AgentSam — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 13:38:52 +0000

Leslieville Home

This is the final instalmment on my home inspection series for buyers in the Toronto real estate market. Previous topics included the roof and attic, the basement, the wiring (electrical) and the furnace.

Today, I want to deal with a very scary part of your home inspection. A human home inspector can’t really help you with this part of your inspection. This is a part of home buying in the Toronto Real Estate Market that we talk about but its a challenge to deal with.

Termites

Last year, I had a listing in Leslieville. It was a unique one of a kind home – built at the beginning of the 20th century. For the most part, the home inspection that the buyers did uncovered some deficiencies but nothing out of the ordinary.

However, the termite inspection was a different story. The termite inspector in this case was a German Shepherd. We know that dogs are now being used to sniff out drugs at airport terminals and some apparently can even sniff out cancer cells. This particular canine can sniff out evidence of termites past and present.

He discovered that there was evidence of termites (usu: waste) behind one wall – an outside wall – that was covered in drywall. A human termite inspector would never have found this! And, your property would have been deemed termite free. Yikes!

So I would highly recommend calling on the canine inspector – Kody to handle this part of the inspection as he has the best tools for the job! The company is called Purity Pest Control and they can be reached at 1-877-507-0642. Make sure you have a long home inspection condition as Kody is very busy!

5 Key Elements to a Good Home Inspection in Toronto – Part 4

AgentSam — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 12:41:12 +0000

This is part 4 in a series of blog posts about home inspections. In previous posts, I discussed the importance of the electrical, the basement and the roof and attic.

After the winter we just had, you are going to want to ensure that the house you buy has a furnace in good working order and preferably one that’s not too old!

The Furnace

Furnaces and their heating systems come in all shapes and sizes.

forced air gas
forced air oil
boilers connected to radiators
electric baseboard heating
in floor heating

By far, the most popular choice is the forced air system that uses natural gas. My personal favourite is the boiler connected to radiators as the heated air is not as dry as a forced air system.

Typically a forced air gas system has a life expectancy of 15 years. And I have seen many much older than that. And certainly, the furnace’s shelf life can be extended with regular and proper maintenance.

All furnaces have serial numbers. So during your home inspection, make sure your home inspector has his book which will give him the serial number and date your furnace was built! This is really important information and your insurance company is going to want to know about it as well.

Now if the furnace is ancient and needs replacing, the federal and provincial governements offer great rebates to replace clunkers with new hi-efficient models.

I moved in Novemeber 2007 and not only was the furnace a relic but it was the wrong size for the house! My home inspector Dave advised me that I really needed something smaller. It was the first thing we did when we moved in.

You will have to have an energy audit first in order to qualify for the rebates and its a bit of a process. In the end, I saved about $1,000 on a new furnace. Plus a hi-efficiency model will pay for itself within 3 years!

Final instalment – coming on Friday – TERMITES!

the Toronto Real Estate Market – my POV

AgentSam — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 12:43:11 +0000

As is usual at the beginning of the week, new listings come onto the market some of which are suitable for clients that I am working with. One couple in particular is looking for a home in East York.

A property came up for sale on Westwood Ave on Monday (Pape and Mortimer) and I had booked an appointment for them to see it on Thursday. Last night, I received a page from the listing agent saying that there was an offer registered on the property and that she would be reviewing at 10 pm. No bidding war this time but if I had been able to get my clients in sooner, there could have been one.

So I am a little frustrated that my clients won’t be able to see this home as no doubt it sold last night, but its a good indication that the real estate market in Toronto, especially in this part of the city, is turning over rather quickly.

Bidding wars?

AgentSam — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 13:24:36 +0000

Recession? What recession?

The stock market is still plummetting and the economy is apparently shrinking – but here in Toronto, bidding wars are back!

This past week, a nicely renovated home on a “C” street, accessible via an alley, behind a high school and across from the sports field sold in a matter of days AND over the asking price.

Homes in MLS districts E1 and E3 seem to be flying off the shelf! Homes that come to the market Wednesday have 2 offers registered on Thursday. This happened to me last week.

Someone tell the media!

looking for a cottage?

AgentSam — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 14:38:55 +0000

Part of my weekend was spent with clients who have a house in the city but were looking for a cottage property. Not something I typically engage in but these clients are long-standing clients, so off we went. It would be a place they would use a couple weeks in the summer for themselves and then rent out for the balance of the summer. With some work, they would winterize the cottage so that they could use it all year round to get away from the city.

We didn’t head towards the Muskokas but towards the Kawarthas and Fenelon Falls. The countryside is amazing and I enjoyed the ride there.

One of the cottages was situated on the Burnt River – the setting was lovely!

Now it is autumn, so it was very quiet as there was not a soul around. Hard to say what the summer would bring. Nevertheless – a great find!

I personally have never been interested in going to a cottage for a vacation. I don’t really see what the attraction is. For me a vacation should offer more creature comforts with as few insects as possible! So last year, when I found myself looking for a home to move to, I was drawn to Guildwood Village in Scarborough.

While the house was a great space, it was the backyard that got me hooked. It backs onto the Scarborough Bluffs with views of Lake Ontario. The neighbourhood is serene and there are so many trees – a sharp contrast to the street I used to live on. Granted I cannot swim in the lake but I have never been one for swimming in lakes and rivers unless its the Caribbean. The house is 30 minutes from downtown Toronto. For me, living in this home in this amazing setting has been like having a cottage without the black flies! So if you’re considering a move, take a drive through Guildwood Village – take Kingston Rd east to Markham and turn right – then start exploring! The photo below was taken this morning from backyard.