real estate: Spring Into Home Maintenance
- 03/30/17 05:50 AM
(NC) Renovating is great for increasing the value of your home, but regular home maintenance is the easiest way to preserve your investment. As the weather warms, it is a perfect time to do a quick inspection of your home and catch up on simple seasonal chores. With a little effort, you can keep your home looking great and functioning well for years to come. Here's a few tasks you should check off your to-do list:
Outdoors Clean out the gutters and remove any debris. Repair siding and peeling paint. Inspect your chimney and roof. Replace or repair loose or damaged shingles. Trim overgrown … (1 comments)
real estate: Flue Season Is Here!
- 01/18/17 07:09 AM
Furnace flues and chimneys are often neglected. Many homeowners presume that the utility company or their fuel supplier is monitoring them, and don't realize this isn't necessarily true until something goes wrong. As a result, bird's nests and other debris sometimes cause soot and gases to drift back into the house, causing a potentially dangerous situation. All types of chimneys should have regular, professional inspection and maintenance. Most chimney sweeps service all kinds of flues, not just masonry chimneys or those attached to wood-burning appliances. The build-up of soot and creosote on flue walls can loosen and fall over time, aided by moisture … (0 comments)
real estate: Points For Purchasers
- 01/14/17 06:59 PM
What is a home inspection? A home inspection is an objective, visual examination of a home's structure and operating systems, and should result in a report describing the overall condition of the home. Why do I need a home inspection? The main goal of a professional home inspection is to educate yourself about the home you intend to purchase, so that you can make a wise decision and help ensure that there will be fewer surprises later on. Tell me more... The true cost of a home is the purchase price plus whatever it takes to restore or maintain the home in serviceable condition. … (1 comments)
THE 1% RULE When you consider the life cycle of every component of a house, a reasonable annual estimate of the cost of normal maintenance is 1% of the value of the house. One year you may replace the furnace; a few years down the road you may re-surface the roof. Throw in the odd unexpected repair in between and you average 1% per year. It’s incredible but this rule is not far off, both for very expensive and very inexpensive houses.
NORMAL MAINTENANCE If you strip away the cosmetics, a house is made up of the structure, roof, exterior … (1 comments)
Let's start by differentiating between a home improvement and a home repair. A home improvement, as the name implies, means improving something. It is usually a renovation to create more space, change the layout of the house, improve energy efficiency, or to make aesthetic changes. This report will deal with the simpler topic of home repair--basically replacing things that are worn out or fixing things that are broken. Here are some very basic rules to follow.
Know what you want done If you are replacing a worn out furnace, for example, do some research to find out whether you want … (0 comments)
real estate: When things go wrong...
- 12/27/16 07:21 AM
There may come a time when purchasers discover something wrong with the house, and may be upset or disappointed with the home inspection. Some problems can only be discovered by living in a house. For example, some shower stalls leak when people are in the shower, but do not leak when you simply turn on the tap. If there are no clues of a past problem, one cannot presume that the inspector should foresee a future problem. Some say we are inconsistent because our reports identify some minor problems but not others. The minor details that are identified were discovered while looking … (4 comments)
real estate: What the heck is Kitec?
- 12/20/16 05:09 PM
Kitec is a plastic plumbing system installed Canadian and US homes from the early 1990’s until it was initially recalled in 2005, with some installations completed as late as 2007. In addition to hot and cold water piping in homes it was also used for in-floor, and other hot water radiant heating systems. Premature failure has led to a cross-border class-action lawsuit. Widely promoted as an alternative to copper piping, Kitec was pulled from the market because the fittings corrode very quickly. Failure is accelerated with high pressure and high temperature, and may also be affected by the chemistry of the water … (1 comments)
real estate: "Oh, duck!"
- 04/17/16 05:40 AM
If there had been a pre-list inspection, he'd still have them in a row.
Don't let vermiculite, or anything else turn your ducks around. The overall condition of a property didn't always have such a big impact upon a deal however in recent years, especially in major centres across Canada today Realtors are working more closely with home owners, to sell homes quickly while maintaining higher sales prices. The single most effective method applied is Realtors encouraging sellers to get a home inspection before they list their homes for sale. A pre-listing home inspection—one that is paid for by the seller or in some … (0 comments)
Many newer systems also function as heat pumps, providing primary heating as well as cooling. Video: Mitsubishi Electric Mr. Slim: How It Works 4:41
Advantages Easier installation than central systems Air ducts not required Zone control provides balanced comfort and energy savings Quieter than window or thru-wall units More secure than window air conditioners Eliminates losses common in air duct Disadvantages Split-systems cost about $1,500-$2,000 per ton (12,000 Btu/h) of cooling capacity. This is about 30% more than central systems, and may cost twice as much as window units of similar capacity. Qualified contractors may be difficult … (0 comments)
real estate: Nannies, grannies and the Ontario Fire Code
- 04/07/16 10:44 AM
What Realtors need to know about Retrofit Section 9. In addition to granny, a granny flat can contain some dire pitfalls for a new owner and anyone involved in the sale of such a unit. It’s one more thing for real estate professionals to be concerned about, because the consequences of having an apartment declared illegal or closed down can be disastrous to the purchaser, who may seek compensation from Realtors, home inspectors or anyone who didn’t issue all the appropriate warnings. Any separate unit with its own cooking, eating, sleeping, and sanitary facilities in a detached or semi-detached house or a rowhouse … (0 comments)
real estate: Ontario Water Well Regulations
- 04/03/16 01:02 AM
Guidelines for well owners; important facts for Realtors Ontarians deserve access to clean, safe water. This means keeping water free of pollutants and contaminants that could harm the environment and human health. Over three million Ontarians rely on groundwater for their drinking water. There are hundreds of thousands of water wells across Ontario, providing drinking water to municipalities, industries and private residences. The Government of Ontario has moved forward over the past ten years on a series of initiatives to preserve water quality, including new legislation, regulations, standards and requirements. Ontario now has the toughest standards and protocols for drinking water in North America. Wells … (0 comments)
real estate: Moisture Problems in Homes
- 04/03/16 12:35 AM
Why does condensation occur on interior surfaces? Condensation can occur on any surface that is below the "dew point" of the air with which it is in contact. The "dew point" is the temperature at which condensation will occur for a given humidity level.
Inside many homes in winter, the inside of the windows are the coolest surfaces. Condensation will typically appear there before it appears on other surfaces. Condensation is less likely to occur on interior walls, because they are typically warmer than "dew point." Occasionally however, condensation may occur on cold spots such as nail heads, in corners of outside walls where … (0 comments)
real estate: Five Myths About Home Inspections
- 03/30/16 12:32 PM
Many buyers are unaware of what to expect from an inspection or what to do with the results. To separate fact from fiction, here are five major misconceptions about home inspections: Myth 1: All home inspectors and inspections are pretty much the same. The Truth: Only three provinces – BC, Alberta and Saskatchewan currently license home inspectors and even those three don’t require much training. There are variations in the quality of service you will get from each inspector and a license does not ensure a professional inspection. Comparing home inspectors can be difficult and you need to perform your own due diligence … (1 comments)
real estate: More thoughts on fuel oil tanks
- 03/30/16 12:23 PM
Since January 1, 2013 in Ontario, the Technical Standards and Safety Authority (TSSA) has required that all new oil storage tanks, both indoors and outdoors, be installed with a double bottom, double wall or secondary containment. HIGHER COST OF REPLACEMENT When negotiating purchase and sale agreements REALTORS should be aware that the cost of tank removal and replacement with one of these new tanks will be at least $1000.00 more than what you may be accustomed to. * Before finalizing an agreement, be sure to contact at least one local fuel supplier or heating contractor to verify the updated cost of a tank replacement. * ALTERNATIVES If a … (1 comments)
real estate: Let's nail it down, let's get it right
- 03/30/16 11:04 AM
Pre-inspection: A seller who pays for a home inspection will be further ahead than one who has to renegotiate. You might even sell your house more quickly... and for more money! Why? If all parties know the condition of the home prior to the offer, there is no need for renegotiation. As we all know, renegotiation is very difficult. The sellers have already mentally sold the house; the purchasers are suffering buyers' remorse. Egos, pride and frustration can muddy the already emotional waters. An inspection at the time of listing can help a Realtor deal with a seller who has unrealistic expectations. A professional inspection … (1 comments)
(NC) Renovating is great for increasing the value of your home, but regular home maintenance is the easiest way to preserve your investment.
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