Victoria BC Community Blog

Navigating the Inspection Process: What to Expect Tag: inspections

Posted by Niels Madsen on August 20, 2024

Estimated Read Time: 4 minutes

Buying a home is one of the most significant investments you'll ever make, and ensuring it's the right decision involves thorough due diligence. The home inspection process is a key step in this journey, offering you a detailed assessment of the property's condition. This evaluation helps uncover any potential issues or hidden defects, providing you with valuable insights that can influence your decision. Here is what you can expect and things to think about for your home inspection.

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10 Essential Tips for First-Time Homebuyers Tag: inspections

Posted by Niels Madsen on August 15, 2023

Estimated Read Time: 5 minutes

Buying a home is an exciting venture, but it's also a decision that requires careful consideration. Before starting it’s vital to be well-prepared, so here are 10 tips to guide you through the home buying process, ensuring that you make informed choices and find the perfect place to call your own.

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How To Be Earthquake Prepared: Tips To Keep Your Family and Home Safe Tag: inspections

Posted by Niels Madsen on November 18, 2022

Estimated Read Time: 5 minutes

When it comes to living in an area that is at risk from earthquakes—as Victoria is—it’s important to ensure you’re prepared and aware of the measures you may need to take in the event of an emergency. 

According to seismic experts, there is a 32% probability of a damaging earthquake occurring in our region in the next 50 years, with many other smaller ones occurring often, so so it’s a good idea to have a plan for what steps to take before, during, and after an earthquake. Here’s our guide to the best safety and preparation advice for earthquake preparedness. 

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The Importance Of Home Inspections Tag: inspections

Posted by Niels Madsen on September 15, 2022

Estimated Read Time: 4 minutes

When it comes to buying a home you want to leave no stone unturned—after all, this is the biggest and most important purchase you’ll be making, and there should be no doubt left in your mind that you’ve found the right home for you. 

This is where a home inspection comes into play. A pre-purchase inspection provides you with the opportunity to uncover details that won’t be apparent to the untrained eye, giving you insight into the future viability and structural soundness of the property, and bringing to light any potential problems or red flags. This not only gives you leverage when negotiating, but it can also help you make your final decision. 

Here are some of the reasons why home inspections are an important part of the home buying process, as well as how you should approach a home inspection as a part of your home buying journey. 

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How To Price Your Home And Deal With Multiple Offers Tag: inspections

Posted by Niels Madsen on April 26, 2022

Estimated Read Time: 5 minutes

Pricing your home to sell is an essential part of budgeting and planning for your next move, and there are several factors that go into the final number. For homeowners it can sometimes be a little difficult to parse the number they’re offered by appraisers and real estate experts, but with a little research and understanding, you can have a better idea of what the market value range for your home truly is. 

Something that’s unique to BC homeowners is the BC assessment, which provides an estimated value for your home. In this blog we are going to to explain a little more about that, and its limitations, as well as providing you with advice on how to understand the true market value for your home, and what to do afterwards should you receive multiple offers.

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How To Make Your Home Appealing By Cleaning And Decluttering Tag: inspections

Posted by Niels Madsen on May 24, 2019

Estimated Read Time: 5 minutes

When it comes to selling your home, having a clean and tidy space can really make all the difference. Selling is all about making a positive impression, and whether consciously or unconsciously, an untidy or cluttered property may influence buyers negatively. It doesn’t take much, often it’s just a few small things and a matter of being thorough with your cleaning, and you’ll have your home dressed to impress. Below we’ve offered our own handy guide to the steps you should be taking in order to clean and declutter your home.  

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Tips For First Time Home Sellers in BC Tag: inspections

Posted by Niels Madsen on March 28, 2019

Estimated Read Time: 19 minutes

Homeowners typically don't think about being a first-time home seller until they decide to buy a new home. Whe the need to move arises because of work, a growing family, or other situations, most of the focus is usually on buying a new house.

But when you stop to think about it, as soon as you need to sell in order to buy a new home, you've become a first-time home seller. Plus, most first-time homeowners don't realize how different selling a home is from buying a home. The process can be daunting and complicated, especially if you don't have a real estate agent on board right from the start.

To help you get a better idea of what to expect, and as a partner to our first-time home buyers guide, we've collected a series of steps and tips that will hopefully make the process of selling your home a little easier.

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Septic Tanks 101: Maintenance & Repair Tag: inspections

Posted by Niels Madsen on November 20, 2017

Estimated Read Time: 6 minutes

Safe disposal of human waste is a concern of any town or city. Wastewater can contain dangerous pathogens like bacteria and viruses (such as hepatitis, salmonella, E. coli, and cholera), and elements like nitrogen and phosphates which can harm wildlife and local water quality.

Municipal sewer systems and water treatment facilities have a number of ways to counteract these dangers, but what about houses that are off the sewage grid? In the Greater Victoria area, houses without sewer service typically have a septic tank system on their property — which the homeowners are responsible for.

In this post I'll be going over the general workings of a septic tank system, and what you as a homeowner might need to know to keep your tank safe and maintained.

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The Bones Of A House: What Makes A Good Home Tag: inspections

Posted by Niels Madsen on July 11, 2017

Estimated Read Time: 10 minutes

As one of the biggest investments one can make in a lifetime, homeowners want and expect their homes to last a long time. But not all buildings — or building materials — are made equal.

Homes of a certain age in BC are more prone to some issues than others. Condos built in the 1990s often have leaking issues, while those built in the 70s can have poor plumbing and elevators. Homes built from the 1960s all the way up until the early 90s can contain harmful asbestos. Buildings constructed prior to the 1950s, the start of official building codes, can have everything from poor foundations to faulty wiring.

Everything is fixable for a price, but many home buyers may not have the budget to replace or upgrade the core "bones" of a house. I'll be reviewing some of the warning signs to watch out for when touring a home, as well as what kind of systems and materials are preferred.

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What To Do In A Bidding War Tag: inspections

Posted by Niels Madsen on May 17, 2017

Estimated Read Time: 6 minutes

In a hot real estate market, emotions often run high and tough situations are common. And more often than not, you'll find a bidding war at the heart of those situations. Bidding wars can be high-stress for both the buyers and the seller, and contrary to popular belief, they aren't always the way to get the best price for your home.

With that in mind, there are ways to minimize the stress and increase your chances of getting the home you really want.

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