My New Home

Over the years as a rental agent, I have seen many people leave to buy a home or come to rent because they have lost their home. Some have been in transition between homes. I have bought and sold 3 homes over the years and am now in the process of purchasing another home, one I hope will be my final home, a place to retire. What really amazes me is the number of people who just don’t do the homework needed in buying a home. Most people have more knowledge about buying the car they last bought than in making what is possibly the biggest investment of their life.

I am not an expert in real estate, I am an observer and inquirer. I am one who likes to understand the ins and outs before commiting. I will look long and hard for exactly what I want and only accept that which I truly need. I am a sceptic who asks questions. I have given my thoughts and experiences on dealing with real estate agents, financial institutions and banks, house inspection and home inspectors, real estate lawyers and notaries. From looking for a home, to purchase, to closing.

There are many websites with information regarding buying and selling real estate, all written by professionals and most are very good and I have included links to many of the best. They are written from the professional point of view. I want to give an unbiased assessment and summary from the consumer experience and viewpoint.

Whether you are buying a home, selling a home, or just interrested, read it and give me your thoughts.

So You Wanna Buy a Home

Moving can be one of the most stressful, frustrating and intimidating times of your life. Being a residential manager for the past 17 years, one would think that all the procedures involved in moving would become second hand by now. I have observed some 200 moves during that time and even moved on several occasions myself. I should know what to do and how to do it and what not to do. My problems arise from moving to another province.

I have the list and the moving agenda but the problem arises with some of the companies I have to deal with during the move. Especially; Telus and Shaw. Probably had I only one of these companies to deliver all four services they would have just transferred the “Bundle” over to my new address. In our area of North Vancouver, Telus TV service has been quite problematic with many of the tenants who signed up for Telus TV, so I decided to stay with Shaw Cablevision. Likewise Shaw phone service wasn’t the best and they themselves don’t provide cellphone service. Shaw internet was great, in the morning. When the kids got home from school, the service was reduced to a crawl. They just didn’t have enough volume capacity in their lines for our part of North Vancouver unless you signed up for an ultra high speed. Then it became a matter of cost per month. Not being a massive down-loader or online gamer, I didn’t need that much capacity so I switched to Telus at half the price.

Satellite TV

Warning! Do not try to order or change any services with either Shaw or Telus over the Internet. The form will drive you nuts. Phone their service dept. But then; Why is their customer service dept always “receiving an over abundance of calls at this time.”? Ask for the call back service. If you wait on the phone your time is interrupted with blurbs tempting you to increase your service bundle. All the money you will save by paying more.

So I wait on the phone switched to speaker for 45 minutes just to find out that Shaw doesn’t service Wetaskiwan. They tell me it is serviced by Northern Cablevision. Really! Try to find a phone number on the web that works for them. Northern Cablevision doesn’t even have a website. Two locations in Edmonton, one phone number is an answering service and the other location says telephone but it is really a fax number.

So I cancell my home phone service with telus for the day I will move and ask for service at my new home before I move in. They can arrange that but they can’t tell me what my new phone number will be until the connection is made and I am in Alberta. I can travel to Alberta again and sign up for service but that is an extra expense I don’t need. Without a telephone number for my new address, it makes having the other utilities more difficult to have connected, Epcor and Atco said they need an Alberta contact to engage the service. Finally got that straightened out.

Still can’t find a television service provider. Telus or Bell satellite seems to be the only two options I have and Bell costs too much to install, especially if you desire two connections.

The one characteristic that best defines Vancouver and the west coast of BC is that it rains. Correct that. It rains a lot. I was told by a Chinese gentleman once that the Vancouver airport code, YVR, stands for, Yes, Very Rainy. The good part about the excess rain on the coast is that trees and plants grow very well, especially when combined with the mild temperate climate all West coaster’s enjoy and is one of the reasons most residents enjoy living here. Never too cold and never overly hot.

My complaint about the rain is timing. We just had a run of sunny weather, almost 4 days (that’s a long spell for spring), and I have been forced to work indoors preparing one of our rental units for new tenants to move in early. This morning it is still sunny. I do my daily chores, and then decide to get on with the spring clean-up, take advantage of this sunny day. I know it won’t last.

Power Washer on Tailgate.

One of my spring jobs is to power wash all the winter grime away and I am already late in starting. I bring out the power washer, dust it off, pump up the tires, check it for oil then give it a drink of gas and start it up. Great, third pull and it starts. Shut it off, take it to where I would like to start cleaning, hook up the hose and nozzle and give it a pull. Oh drat. The starting pull cord breaks. No big deal. Take off the recoil housing and replace the cord, 45 minutes tops.

I drag the power washer over to my truck and lift it onto the tailgate, bring out my tools and proceed with the repair. I like to do repairs of this sort on my pick-up tailgate because it makes for a convenient workbench. Solid, no clutter and easy to clean-up. How-ever, I no sooner loosen the three bolts on the recoil casing and boom – a sudden downpour. What, Why now?

This is not the typical rain or even downpour. This is the start of Noah’s food. Two minutes and my toolbox tray is full, my shoes are soaked and I am drenched to the skin. Throw a cover over the machine, drain out my tools then collect the hoses. It’s all over for today. Mother Nature must hate me.

Almost forgot, this is Vancouver.

Whether you are a home owner or renter, it is of utmost importance to have an energy audit and eco evaluation by a professional inspector conducted on your home. The cost for a complete audit is around $300. Most Provinces, if not all, have an energy save program that will cover all or most of that cost. Contact your electricity supplier and gas supplier. Often they will conduct an audit for free. They want to save energy too.

Home Energy Audit

Having an audit done on your home makes it easier to obtain grants from federal and provincial governments to help defray the costs of any upgrades needed to bring your home to efficiency.

If you are planning any renovations in the near future it is best to have the advise of a licensed inspector before applying for permits or hiring a contractor. You will have the peace of mind knowing before hand what can be done, what needs improvement and what will add to energy efficiency in your home.

If your home is over 10 years old consider having a full inspection in conjunction with your energy audit.

A full Home Inspection should cover:

1. Exterior: Type and condition of siding. Eaves and soffits. Eaves troughs and downspouts. Water pooling areas. Window and door casings. Exposed foundations for condition and water tightness. Exterior woodwork, including transition strips, porches and decks, posts and stairs. Chimney and flue. Exterior power outlets. Hose bibs. Foliage encroachment.
2. Garage: Door efficiency. Air flow. Air transfer to house. Heat loss.
3. Basement and Crawl Space; Basement Walls and Insulation. Basement floors. Basement Windows and Doors. Moisture and mold check.
   Furnace Efficiency. Filters. Leaks in Air Ducts. Wrapping of Air Ducts. Hot Water Heater Efficiency. Hot water pipe wrapping. Washer/Dryer hook-ups and exhaust.
4. Attic and Roof; Amount of insulation in attic, type and efficiency of insulation, air flow in attic, condition of roofing materials and expected life. Moisture and mold check.
5. Kitchen: Appliance efficiency. Cabinet and counter top integrity. Caulking. Taps and sinks.
6. Bathrooms: Tub and tub surround (tiles). Caulking. mold. Sinks and taps. Toilet type and condition. Water use. Exhaust fan.
7. House in General: Wall heat loss. Ceiling heat loss. Floor heat loss. Window heat loss. Window caulking. Exit door heat loss. Door caulking/seal. Weather stripping. Electrical outlets. Heaters and/or Heat vents. Air conditioner. Exhaust fans. Stairs integrity. Electric panel. Fireplace and flue, damper.

An energy audit will also look for electronic equipment and use of surge protection. An energy audit may also take into consideration lifestyle and family members.

Tell us: Have you had an energy audit for your home. Which Province? Are you satisfied with the results?

Going Green – Why Not.

Which is more important; doing one’s part in saving the environment or, saving money? When doing our part for the environment and the ecology of where we live also puts a little extra cash in our pockets, why do people still resist?

Why are many households still averse to recycling their garbage properly?
Why are people still cleaning with chemicals rather than natural solutions which do as good a job?
Why do many shoppers buy imported products over locally produced or homegrown?
Why is there not a composter in every back yard?
Why are outside clothes lines still banned in many neighborhoods? Why are not more households using them?
Why are larger cars and pick-ups still the most popular vehicles in North America?
Why do we still find litter on our streets and byways?
Why do we build 3000 sqft homes for 4 people when 1200 sqft will more than do?

These questions and many more are probably answered by one of two responses, convenience and lifestyle. It takes time and purpose to change our mindsets to living green. Just doing the little things which can make a difference in our lives and our communities takes time out of our day.

It means an extra stop out of our way to take that old cellphone, or lithium battery, or CFL, or Styrofoam to the proper recycle dropoff. Much easier to throw it out with the regular garbage, no one will see it anyway.
Commercial cleaners are specific purposed, come in easy to use dispensers, and many even have an eco-label on them.
One stop shopping at Walmart is much more convenient than actually shopping for the most environmentally friendly product or produce.
It is quicker to buy pre-mixed planter medium than produce our own even though premix contains 20% Styrofoam.
Clothes lines are just too non-atractive and ugly to have in an upper class neighborhood regardless of how much energy they save.
We have grown more comfortable driving a larger vehicle even if we never use the extra seating or cargo space, besides, it is a matter of status.
It is just too inconvenient to carry that coffee cup or burger wrapper to a garbage can.
We used to use the rec-room when we first moved in. We even have exercise equipment down there. That third bathroom, it’s for convenience.

According to digitalhome.ca, Canadians are watching TV on average per household, eight hours and 21 minutes a day. This is a 20% increase over 10 years ago. Computer time per person is over a 100% increase. Can we really use time and inconvenience as an excuse for not fully doing our part in Greening our communities?

If it is not a matter of having the time to go “green” than it must be convenience and/or lifestyle. Even though there are local ordinances in place as to recycling and litter, when the act of going green is a presumed inconvenience, many just won’t bother. As to lifestyle, education is the only avenue to changing peoples mindset to adapting to healthier, less costly communities.

Going Green; not only good for the environment, going green will save you, your budget and your community money.

What was the main election topic 10 years ago has become a non-issue. If the ecology and environmental protection is as serious a matter as many would have us believe, than is it not  important to become acquainted with the facts. Only by knowledge of the truth, can we address the solutions.

Obviously we are all impacted by what happens to the environment in the same way. There is only one planet for us to live on. What happens in our neighborhood, happens to the whole world; and vice-versa, what happens in other parts of our planet, effects where we live. There is no isolation.

Has the global warming scare warn off?

Is the world admitting defeat and ignoring the consequences?

Are we becoming overly self centered and not caring how our personal and communal actions effect others.

To read William E. Rees, the originator of  the ecological footprint, who writes: “…global society is presently wildly unsustainable”, a feeling of pessimism comes over me. Is he saying that society is on the pathway to ruin?

At the community level there seems to be some environmental concern but, without the commitment from our Federal Government, do we have the resources and ability to effect meaningful change?

Pollution Image from: FreeFoto.com/

Who we are will be emulated through several generations and have an effect on countless other people. That being said than, if we want to make a difference in the society we live in for the better, no better place to begin than raising families in good health; healthy in attitude; healthy in emotion; healthy in spirit.

Since our children are reflections of who we are than, if we desire healthy families the only place to start is within our own healthy attitudes, healthy emotional state, and health in spirit.

You Are Symphony.

A symphony is a concord or an agreement of sounds.
During the 18th century when a vast number of symphonies were composed, they were the framework for the vocals and included preludes, interludes, and postludes.

Without vocals they were rarely over 20 minutes in length,
though the symphony may last 2 hours.
The preludes set the theme or structure.
The interludes introduce new variations on the theme
The postludes define the end result.

Now. Imagine yourself as the soloist.
Your song of life follows the prelude, the theme. Those basic teachings that were instilled within you from early childhood. A host of other voices from the choir start intermingling, oft times enhancing, and in others, in counter time and opposing melody.

The interludes, sometimes two, oft times three, changing the tune, the metre and even the rhythm of your song. These are the alterations in life everyone goes through.
Yet, underlying the entire score, the very first song you learned in childhood.

Finally, the postlude with crescendo. Every voice and every instrument in concert.

They are singing your song of life. You are Symphony.