What to Look For When Buying a Home What to Look For When Buying a Home What to Look For When Buying a Home
Your home
isn’t just a place to live. It is also probably the biggest and most important
investment you will
ever make.
To help you
protect that investment and find a safe, comfortable place for your family to
call home, Canada
Mortgage and
Housing Corporation (CMHC) offers the following list of some of the things you
should look
at before you
buy a home, to make sure you won’t end up having to pay for a lot of expensive
repairs:
■ Brickwork
and chimney pointing—look at the brickwork on the outside of the chimney. If it
is
chipping,
crumbling or, turning to powder, or if the mortar is starting to fall apart, it
could be very
expensive to
have it repaired.
■ Decks and
porches—look for signs of rotting wood, even under a fresh coat of paint. Soft
spots or
places where
the wood is splintered could be a sign of more widespread damage.
■ Electrical
system—if you are buying an older home, find out if the electrical panel has
been upgraded.
If the
service says 200 amps, it is an upgrade. A 60 or 100 amp panel has probably not
been upgraded,
and may not
be enough to meet the electricity needs of your family.
■ Floors—what
shape are the floors in? If the floors are hardwood, do they need to be sanded
and
refinished?
Refinishing isn’t very expensive, but it is easier if done before you move in,
while the rooms
are still
empty.
■
Heating—find out how old the furnace is, and what kind of energy is used to
heat the home. Natural gas
is generally
the least expensive option, but it is not available everywhere. Oil and
electricity are common
sources of
energy in Canada but are more expensive, especially for a house with baseboard
heaters.
■
Insulation—insulation keeps your house warm in the winter and cool in the
summer. If the house has
older plaster
walls, it probably has little or no insulation. Hiring an insulation contractor
to blow extra
insulation
behind the walls can be expensive, but it will save you money on your heating
bills in the long run.
■
Parking—find out where you can park and how many parking spaces come with the
house. Many older
houses in
large cities, such as Montréal and Toronto, do not have a garage or
driveway. If the house
does not have
a driveway, can you get a parking permit from the city to park on the street?
If not, do
municipal
regulations allow you to build a driveway or parking spot?
■
Plumbing—the plumbing system should be copper pipes with copper soldering, or
PVC piping. Lead
pipes mean
that the plumbing is old and will need to be upgraded in the future.
■
Basement/Foundation look for evidence of moisture and or call a reputable licensed
waterproofing contractor click here
