What is Your Home and Property Really Worth? Making Sense of the BC Assessment It’s that time of year again. Every first week of January, BC Assessment, a Crown corporation, sends out its annual notifications of property assessments for owners throughout the province. And every January, homeowners scramble to make sense of the assessment. What … Read more
With a wealth of information available, it’s clear that today’s consumer is quite capable when it comes to buying a home. The irony is that too many smart people are still buying homes and having problems. It’s common place to purchase a home and then discover that there’s something wrong with it after the fact. … Read more
Since there was no remaining meaningful consumer protection activities or responsibilities being conducted at the Homeowner Protection Office (HPO), it is no surprise to learn that the HPO is quietly closing its doors. HOMEOWNER PROTECTION ACT RESPONSIBILITIES TRANSFERRED The announcement last summer that the HPO interest-free loan program (designed to keep Leaky Condo owners in … Read more
Information savvy consumers have long expected a builder to provide specific maintenance and warranty details in a format that is easy to use and access. Besides, the warranty coverage itself will be dependent upon the homeowner being compliant and doing proper maintenance, which usually requires being able to refer to the manufacturer’s instructions, and regardless … Read more
This is not the place to cut corners in construction When I read this today it reminded me of what became clear during the Barrett Commission hearings over a decade ago in British Columbia. The many engineering assessments being conducted on leaky condos were turning up dozens, and sometimes hundreds, of building code violations. At one … Read more
Times Colonist June 24, 2009 Condo victims deserve better The leaky condo debacle remains one of the greatest consumer ripoffs in Canadian history, costing British Columbians between $1.5 billion and $2 billion. Lives were devastated when people bought homes and found themselves facing huge repair costs. Now the provincial government, without warning, is halting an … Read more
We recently learned of “The Future of Housing”, an upcoming conference being hosted in Metro Vancouver on May 8, 2009, by the Canadian Home Builders’ Association’s BC chapter. The conference will be bringing together a diverse group of builder and real estate insiders to focus on the issues facing the housing market today and into the … Read more
Homeowner advocate and local Realtor, John Grasty, offers Tri-City area homeowners (and buyers) relevant property information, including comparable sales data and the most up to date and accurate picture of activity and trends for a particular market. “This is simply neighbourhood intelligence”, says Grasty, one of the first 50 Realtors (out of over 98,000) in … Read more
One year ago the following article which I wrote was published in the “pros & condos” section of Western Living Condo. Since then I have made it available to the public and other Realtors through my website and seminars. From feedback received I know it has already helped buyers so I thought it would be … Read more
Letter to the Editor: Homebuyer beware – Coquitlam NOW – Friday, June 06, 2008 Re: “MLA wants regulations for home inspectors” Friday, May 30. The “neglect in protecting homebuyers” is widespread, and Coquitlam-Maillardville MLA Diane Thorne’s concern is shared by many. Home buying is fraught with risk and claims far too many victims; whether resale … Read more