ann m

OK - You font of all knowledge, you ...

I've been entrusted with buying a house - on my own - and I'm coming out to Calgary area next weekend.

I've bought several houses here in the UK - and even built our last one from scratch - so I'm not exactly a novice at this - but I've never bought or lived in (and don't even particularly like!) wooden framed homes (oops!).

Please give me the main flaws or problems I should be on the look out for

Basements - never had one
Roof tiles - shingles? - replacable? how often?
"popcorn" ceilings - something I've read on here - huh?
Boiler/furnaces -any comments
Homes don't seem to have a huge shelf life - is a 1980's home a bad buy, for re-sale purposes? Any common problems with any certain decade of homes ref building codes, etc ?
Fees/any other regular costs that sneak up on you

Thank you folks

dbd33

You can buy properly built houses with brick cavity walls and plaster if you're willing to get one from the 1950s.

Basements - never had one

Dryness is key. Spiders are a good sign, if they didn't come from the seller's pocket. Look for a sump pump, used to bail out floods. If the house needs one you don't need the house.

Roof tiles - shingles? - replacable? how often?

15 years. Not an expensive job.

"popcorn" ceilings - something I've read on here - huh?

Artex. Used to hide shabby work. Scraping it off doesn't really help; it wouldn't be on in the first place if there was nothing to hide.

Boiler/furnaces -any comments

They work for a long time then they suddenly break. If it's oil it's probably worth replacing with gas when it breaks and not before.

Fees/any other regular costs that sneak up on you

Taxes are based on the value of the house. Look to see when it was last valued. Buying a house costs about $5,000 in various fees + the land transfer tax.

MB-Realtor

Here is a short article I wrote for my Blog, I'll just cut and paste it here as I don't have a lot of time today. I'll try to address some of the other points later.

What to Expect from an Older Winnipeg Home - Part 1 Life Expectancy

Older homes in Winnipeg normally have "Character", but they may also have older components and systems, some parts may have been upgraded, others might not. You can never expect perfection even in a new house, but there is always some problems with an older home, you just have to decide what is acceptable to you.

Every component in a home will eventually wear out, some quicker than others:-

LIFE EXPECTANCY CHART:-

Component Average Life, Years

ROOF COVERING

asphalt standard shingle 12-15

asphalt premium shingle 15-30

wood shingle 10-20

concrete/clay tile 20-40

asbestos cement 40-80

slate tile 40-80

roll roofing 5-15

tar & gravel 15-25

metal 60

HEATING

forced air furnace 10-25

oil tank 20

water/steam boiler - welded steel 15-30

water/steam boiler - cast iron 30-50

water/steam circulating pump 10-25

COOLING

central air 10-15

heat pump 10-15

window air conditioning 10-20

PLUMBING

galvanized water pipe 20-25

hot water heater 5-15

septic/sewer pump 5-10

well pump 10



APPLIANCES

dishwasher 5-10

dryer 10-25

garbage disposal 5-12

oven/range 15-20

washing machine 5-15



Thanks to Pillar to Post, Home Inspectors, (www.pillartopost.com) for providing the above estimates.

A house that has been cared for over the years will cost about 1% of the value of the home per year for maintenance, though the bills won't be this each year, normally over say a ten year period, 1% is about the cost per year you can expect, and makes a good budget figure. But with a house that has not been regularly maintained, the cost is going to be much more than this per year untill you catch up

MB-Realtor

Ann, when you pick a home, make it a condition of the offer that it be inspected by a qualified home inspector. You can accompany the inspector and he/she should point out any problems and explain how to solve the problems if necessary.

Go to http://www.cahpi.ca/index.php for some advice and names of qualified inspectors.

Souvenir

Where to start?

I imagine that you are working with a buyer's agent. Ask them to give you names of good house inspectors. When you make an offer, get an inspection done (a few hundred dollars) and be there when it happens. This is perfectly normal and you can pick up a lot of useful tips. I had a couple of inspections done in Ontario, each lasting about 3 hours. The guy looked at everything, pointed out things that were likely to need attention, when and how much it would probably cost. Invaluable.

Things don't last forever. A 1980s house probably contains much that is close to its use-by date.

Basements. Check for any sign of water damage/infiltration. If you see a dehumidifier or sump pump, find out why. If you have bedrooms in the basement, there needs to be an escape route other than the stairs. How big are the windows? Outside, about a foot of the basement will be visible. If you seen any cracks or signs of patching, run.

Roofs. About 15 years, I think. If the shingles are curling, you're due. It's not massively expensive and takes about a day. Look in the attic for any signs of water. The roofing nails may be visible. Check them for rust.

Popcorn. Basically spray-on stucco. It's a quick and cheap way of finishing. Think sandtex. Bugger to clean but it can be removed easily by wetting and scraping. Don't be put off.

Boilers/furnaces etc. They don't last forever. Check on them for dates of manufacture and service records. Water heaters, usually found in the basement last maybe ten years. Check for rust. A hole the size of a pin can cost you thousands. Trust me on this one.

Windows. There is usually a date stamp on the frame between the panes. More than 15 years old is probably pushing it.

Insulation. If the place has urea insulation, run like hell.

Wiring. Many places built in the late 1960s have aluminium wiring. Copper was very expensive at the time. Aluminium is perfectly OK as a conductor but it's hard to work with. Best avoided.

Gutters (eavestroughs). Look at the undersides. If they are spotted/dirty, odds are that they are blocked and water has overflowed. Some of that water may have found its way into the walls. Not good.

Remember that Canadians are big on DIY. Many are not very good at it. When you look at things, like plumbing and electrics, ask yourself if it looks like the work has been done by someone who knows what they are doing.

dbd33

A point on wiring. Houses around here that are old enough to have proper plaster walls originally had knob and tube wiring; you don't want a house where there's still any knob and tube, replacing it is frighteningly expensive.

Souvenir

Did you deliberately fill that with double entendres, or am I one sick puppy?

Judy in Calgary

MB-Realtor has given you a very good piece of advice.

If you do that one thing, you won't need to educate yourself on all those other details. The condition of each element of the house will be itemized in the report that the inspector gives you. That report will flag for you any flaws in the house, any items that are due for replacement soon, any significant expenses that you are likely to incur if you buy that house.

Now, about the costs associated with the house purchasing process itself. Have a look at the Relocation 2 BC website, which is maintained by one of BE's members in Vancouver, Frank 'n Sense. There is one item on Frank's list that is specific to BC, and that is Property Transfer Tax. If you are moving to another province, it won't apply to you. Other than that, Frank's list is relevant to most of Canada (lawyer's fees, survey certificate, building inspection, etc.).

As to ongoing expenses, the real estate sales person should be able to tell you what the annual property taxes on that house are. In Calgary where I live (and I'm guessing in most Canadian cities), you can look that information up online if you have the address of the property.

Another thing that is quite common to request from the home owner is what his/her/their utility bills amounted to over the past year (electricity, water, heating). When we bought our present house, the previous owner volunteered that information without even being asked. He was a very methodical man, and not every home owner would be as prepared with information as he was, but that would not be an unreasonable request for you to make.

dbd33

What me? No mate, knob and tube is an expression I can use without thinking of high speed trains entering tunnels or jackhammers pounding into the pavement, for me the term suggests nothing like sliding a hot dog into a bun. I just think of knobs and tubes as being prone to getting hot, smouldering, presenting a danger to those of us who can resist anything but temptation.

If you're not careful they singe your horsehair, them knobs and tubes.

Hudman

Ring around for Home Inspectors, don't necessarily go with realtors choice. The Pillar to Post is a generic list, other factors make list hugely variable.
With roofing poor attic ventilation may knock 30% off life expectancy.
Water Heaters generally last bit longer than 5 years, but a family of 6 using a 40 gall heater will crap out quicker.
Stucco exterior finishes are generally a higher liability for damage potential than other claddings.
In BC there was a period where literal boxes where being built, try to find home with decent eave overhang.
A new roof may be expensive if there are a few layers to remove or new sheathing is necessary.
Electrics, min 100 amp service, avoid any single strand aluminum or if much older Knob & Tube.
Insulation in attic some older types contain asbestos.

Liana

All good sensible posts and this comment is so sensible too- Calgary wasn't too bad for renos way back not sure now though, but when house hunting we came across realtor described renos that were only basically painted jobs.

NovaBoy

So much good information (as usual) - wherever you intend to purchase!

To all that have replied - Many Thanks!

Steve_P

Some excellent info in MB-Realtors post, for Calgary I would suggest that you might expect 25-35 from a natural gas forced air furnace and I'm not sure I've heard of galvanized pipe being used for plumbing here, it used to be all copper for supply which I'm sure will last much longer than 20-25 years but nowadays it's all plastic of some sort.

As an example our home is 35 years old and has the original furnace which is still working well but we are thinking of replacing it this year with a higher efficiency one, plumbing is copper no problems with it, wiring is aluminum so far no problems (fingers crossed), shingles replaced two years ago with 25-30 year ones and most windows replaced three years ago with more energy efficient ones.

Cheers
Steve

gryphea

Oh - just wanted to say good luck. Very scarey and very exciting all at the same time. My H is way too particular for me to go out and buy something by myself. I am way too slapdash!

Gryphea

Butch Cassidy

Ann,

If your using the realtor we spoke of, no need to worry. I would ring around for a decent home inspector (though again I would trust the realtor to recommend a good one, also my Lawyer is 99.9% reliable for recommending good professionals)

Butch