Gloves | 11,760 Administrator · Posted November 23, 2022 Share Posted November 23, 2022 My wife and I are finally in a place where we can start looking at houses (outside of Toronto), so I thought I'd ask around a bit to see if anyone has any tips from personal experience (or general wisdom). We're planning to move from the big city to Atlantic Canada (Nova Scotia specifically), likely in or around Halifax so we still have some city amenities. Hoping for something by the water, but it's a balancing act between having literally our own personal lake and being able to get groceries (we don't drive, currently). Feel free to ask me any questions, and share any tips! 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
a3quit4s | 4,091 Posted November 23, 2022 Share Posted November 23, 2022 Not sure how things are up there but down here in the US electricity and gas prices are through the roof. I’d be on the lookout for something with the most efficient heating and cooling systems known to mankind with double pane windows that are newer. Rooms can be painted and carpet can be changed but HVAC is generally there to stay. Make sure you go to the house at a couple different times of the day and just sit there and see what goes on. I’ve learned over two houses going there for 30 minutes to look at a place doesn’t really give you a picture of the community. Try not to skip a home inspection if at all possible, since we down here at least are swinging back to a buyers market it shouldn’t be an issue. Be realistic if you’re going to try and buy a fixer upper or a “project” about how much you’re willing to do because even houses that are turn key are going to have maintenance needed. Make a list of what you really want and then what you are willing to budge on because no house is going to be perfect. The amount of things you aren’t willing to budge on will make it all the harder to find a place. If your buying for the long term, then think long term when buying; kids, pets, whatever else life might throw your way. Create a realistic budget and don’t stretch yourself thin if something job wise happens, just because you can afford a million dollar house doesn’t mean you should buy one. Good luck and enjoy the experience! 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tabonga | 2,313 Posted November 23, 2022 Share Posted November 23, 2022 (edited) It has been awhile but one thing that Mrs. Tabonga and I found helpful was for each of us to compile separate lists of about 15 houses each from the multilisting (or however they do it these days). Then we would compare lists and discuss them - and then drive by them for an external glance - if we found something we both liked we would have our realtor get us in to look at them. The house we eventually settled on was on the bottom (dead last literally) of both of our lists - we happened to look at some others and didn't like them and this one was on the way to our home. It didn't look like much from the front (it did have some impressive rock work on the front though). The pictures on the website were pretty wretched - but they had a box with flyers that had the floor plans and that is what really interested us - we got in to look at it the next day and put an offer in the day after that. Edited November 23, 2022 by Tabonga 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrWunderful | 2,926 Posted November 23, 2022 Share Posted November 23, 2022 How handy are you? And be as honest as possible. It will be easier to determine how much “repairs” will cost, when considering any place thats not brand new. Unless you are thinking new construction, then it only matters when it comes to maintenance. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrWunderful | 2,926 Posted November 23, 2022 Share Posted November 23, 2022 Oh and “location, location, location” really is a thing, just like “worst house in best area is better than best house in worst area” 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mega Tank | 955 Posted November 23, 2022 Share Posted November 23, 2022 45 minutes ago, a3quit4s said: Not sure how things are up there but down here in the US electricity and gas prices are through the roof. I’d be on the lookout for something with the most efficient heating and cooling systems known to mankind with double pane windows that are newer. Rooms can be painted and carpet can be changed but HVAC is generally there to stay. Make sure you go to the house at a couple different times of the day and just sit there and see what goes on. I’ve learned over two houses going there for 30 minutes to look at a place doesn’t really give you a picture of the community. Try not to skip a home inspection if at all possible, since we down here at least are swinging back to a buyers market it shouldn’t be an issue. Be realistic if you’re going to try and buy a fixer upper or a “project” about how much you’re willing to do because even houses that are turn key are going to have maintenance needed. Make a list of what you really want and then what you are willing to budge on because no house is going to be perfect. The amount of things you aren’t willing to budge on will make it all the harder to find a place. If your buying for the long term, then think long term when buying; kids, pets, whatever else life might throw your way. Create a realistic budget and don’t stretch yourself thin if something job wise happens, just because you can afford a million dollar house doesn’t mean you should buy one. Good luck and enjoy the experience! To add on to this, drive by the area of the home you are looking at during the day/night. Look at traffic patterns in the area... just because you don't drive it doesn't mean it won't be a headache when trying to get things delivered or taking public transport. Look at what transport is in the area. Schools, hospitals, things to do, trails/parks, shopping, stores, libraries. I know you don't get hurricanes up there, but look into what "bonus" features come with every home and what they would be worth if you wanted to add them on your own. For us, hurricane impact windows were something we wanted to come with the home already. Fireplace, basement, attic space. So much to look into. Parking spaces even. Many things to consider, far too many to list. Weigh the different features of homes that you are interested in and don't be afraid to look at homes you don't think you will like. You never know what the "non preferred" homes may have that you weren't thinking of before and vice versa. Look up homes using realtor apps, Zillow, Realtor and even realty websites as sometimes they post on one or all, sometimes they only post on specific ones. If you have the time, go to open houses and look around homes. Listen to what other people are saying during open houses to get ideas on what could be done to the home etc. Enjoy the journey even though there will undoubtedly be frustrations along the way. Don't become attached to any single home. When you see the home you know you want, shoot your best offer. Don't regret putting an offer that you will regret or second guess. If they pass, try to move on and look for the next one. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gloves | 11,760 Administrator · Posted November 23, 2022 Author Share Posted November 23, 2022 47 minutes ago, MrWunderful said: How handy are you? And be as honest as possible. It will be easier to determine how much “repairs” will cost, when considering any place thats not brand new. Unless you are thinking new construction, then it only matters when it comes to maintenance. I LIKE to fix things, I love doing maintenance to improve my situation. But I'm pretty amateur. I anticipate I could and will learn a bunch (and would be excited to do so) but if I walk in and the roof is missing, that's gonna be a call to my local roof person. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gloves | 11,760 Administrator · Posted November 23, 2022 Author Share Posted November 23, 2022 9 minutes ago, Mega Tank said: I know you don't get hurricanes up there, but look into what "bonus" features come with every home and what they would be worth if you wanted to add them on your own. For us, hurricane impact windows were something we wanted to come with the home already. Fireplace, basement, attic space. So much to look into. Parking spaces even. Hurricane Fiona hit Nova Scotia not too long ago. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mega Tank | 955 Posted November 23, 2022 Share Posted November 23, 2022 10 minutes ago, Gloves said: Hurricane Fiona hit Nova Scotia not too long ago. I know, but it probably doesn't happen often. I'd rather play it on the safe side and be prepared. Hurricane impact windows around here are roughly 20k installed. They are energy efficient, can reduce outside noise and honestly look cool. They can also help some on reducing insurance costs, but I don't know how that works up there. Either way, if hurricanes are on your mind, do some research and see what's available and if anyone else actually uses impact windows or other methods such as shutters or accordion shutters. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Code Monkey | 2,005 Posted November 23, 2022 Share Posted November 23, 2022 I lived in Nova Scotia for 5 years, I got my degree out there. I just bought my second house last year, here are a few things I'd recommend. Get a good inspection. Our dishwasher died 30 days after we moved in and it was covered under the 90 day warranty from the inspection. I threw out the dishwasher before I realised that but it would have been covered. Know the age of all your appliances and be conscious of their lifespan. I knew I would need to replace the hot water tank within 2-3 years so it's not really shocking to me it's now on its way out. Shutting off exterior taps and draining them is important, otherwise your pipes can freeze and burst. I learned this last winter and made sure not to make the same mistake this winter. Set up your internet install early. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gloves | 11,760 Administrator · Posted November 23, 2022 Author Share Posted November 23, 2022 28 minutes ago, Code Monkey said: I lived in Nova Scotia for 5 years, I got my degree out there. I just bought my second house last year, here are a few things I'd recommend. Get a good inspection. Our dishwasher died 30 days after we moved in and it was covered under the 90 day warranty from the inspection. I threw out the dishwasher before I realised that but it would have been covered. Know the age of all your appliances and be conscious of their lifespan. I knew I would need to replace the hot water tank within 2-3 years so it's not really shocking to me it's now on its way out. Shutting off exterior taps and draining them is important, otherwise your pipes can freeze and burst. I learned this last winter and made sure not to make the same mistake this winter. Set up your internet install early. Any thoughts on the specific internet providers out there in NS? I see there are different options than those here in TO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CodysGameRoom | 2,008 Posted November 23, 2022 Share Posted November 23, 2022 You don’t mind yard work? Get a yard with trees. Hate it? Find something with no trees (or ones that don’t drop leaves) this comment brought to you by my aching arms. 1 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reed Rothchild | 9,509 Editorials Team · Posted November 23, 2022 Share Posted November 23, 2022 Our last house had poor sound proofing. Our upstairs loft has poor insulation. Things that don't come up in summer tours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FireHazard51 | 2,043 Social Team · Posted November 23, 2022 Share Posted November 23, 2022 In America you can call up the utility company that services that area and ask them what the average costs are for summer and winter months so you can get an idea of what your utility bill would be for that specific house. This is another way to know if the house is energy efficient and also help you know what to budge for the home. Don't assume shit about how energy efficient the house is, get the bills to confirm if it's "efficient" or not. Home inspection are helpful in that they can catch shit that can be real pain to fix or costly. A lot of bank require an inspection before they would give out a loan anyways. A good inspector will have an actual list of shit they inspect with every home so they don't miss anything important. I mention this just because it should help weed out the bad inspectors. If they go through a checklist then it should be pretty good. Also the list should be long and not made of bunch of shit like windows broken. Also if they are decent inspector they should also allow you to follow them during their inspection so they can show you the issues they found and allow you to ask questions. Take photos of all of the faults found (a good inspector should do this for you anyways). Get as many mortgage rates quotes as you can within a month. Asking to be pre-qualified for a mortgage loan amount will help you secure a house quicker and let the sellers know you can buy the house if they go with you. Ask for one loan quote and 20 loan quotes in one month will have the same impact to your credit score so don't worry about asked every bank you can find for a quote. This allowed me to go from a 3.75% mortgage rate to a 3.25% rate. One bank said it was not real and there must be hidden fees I didn't know. I forward all the loan info to the one bank and they never called me back saying they could do better so I felt good about having the best loan I could get. Even if you don't plan on having kids you should try and buy a house with a good school district. If anything it will help you be able to resell the house if you plan on moving in the next 15 years. Having a good private school close by can be helpful but public is way more important. Even if it doesn't raise the value of the house it will make the house sell quick when you choose to sell and that can just as be important knowing you can sell the house quickly. Keep track of how many electrical outlets are available in rooms. This is more important with older homes as it often you only have two per room and that can be a real fucking pain in the ass for an office/game room. Check out the breaker box and see if it's maxed out or does it have room for more breakers to be installed. If you ever want to get an electric car you'll want two free breakers. We had to upgrade ours when we got our solar panels installed and made sure we had space to install a future electric car charger port. Upgrading the breaker box cost about $2,500 five years ago. If the house is two stories then make sure the second story isn't on couple of breakers. Our bathroom and 3 bedrooms are on ONE breaker. That might of been fine in the 60's but is completely unacceptable now. Our house was built in 1922 so it's have some retro fits some time in the 60's or 70's I think. Think about if you have to replace the fridge, washer/dryer, or other very large items. How easy is it to get those thing in given the size of door frames and moving around stairs. There is a reason why we got a "free" fridge in the basement and why the next owner of our house will get a deep freezer in the basement too. Shit is FUCKING HARD to get down into the basement and I'm sure as shit not going to try and go against gravity to get it out. I don't even want to think how difficult it would be to get the washer or dry replaced. My buddy had a queen sized box mattress that would not fit up the stairs to the second story where the master bedroom was. He cut it up thinking it could be repaired/rebuilt once upstairs.....NOPE. Get quotes for insurance on the house before you buy it. Again this varies with every house like insurance varies with every kind of car. Don't just assume what the insurance will be, get a quote. For the love of God don't buy a house within the 100 year floodplain. Climate change is real and flooding events are happening much more frequently. Maybe Canada is better about preventing idiots from building in a horrible location but do yourself a favor and avoid/minimize risks of natural disasters when reasonable and feasible. Insurance quotes should tell you if they think you are in a risky place. Also make sure your insurance covers flooding events. That is not a standard thing in America. The more effort you put into prepping to buy a home with doing research and calling up banks and insurance agencies the more you'll save money in the long run and avoid a higher monthly cost to live in your home. And don't trust what the owners say that they pay for insurance or utilities. Show me the bills and what the coverage is (flood insurance included?). Oh, you should look up the cost of taxes for the home too. Zillow does a good job of that since that shit is publicly available and easy to look up in America. In America you also may need to worry about income taxes and not just property taxes. I'm guessing you made need to do the same. These small things that if you don't account for add up and next you know your expect monthly cost are off by 10-20% and you end up being "house poor". 1 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bearcat-Doug | 5,104 Posted November 23, 2022 Share Posted November 23, 2022 (edited) 10 hours ago, Gloves said: My wife and I are finally in a place where we can start looking at houses (outside of Toronto), so I thought I'd ask around a bit to see if anyone has any tips from personal experience (or general wisdom). We're planning to move from the big city to Atlantic Canada (Nova Scotia specifically), likely in or around Halifax so we still have some city amenities. Hoping for something by the water, but it's a balancing act between having literally our own personal lake and being able to get groceries (we don't drive, currently). Feel free to ask me any questions, and share any tips! As you know from the crypto thread, the price of a 1 bedroom cardboard box is trending upward due to demand, but the utilities are cheap and you don't have to worry about yard work. Also, if you don't drive, next to a bus stop is a popular location to place your box. Seriously though, congratulations on buying your first house! Edited November 23, 2022 by Bearcat-Doug 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fcgamer | 4,719 Posted November 23, 2022 Share Posted November 23, 2022 11 hours ago, Gloves said: Hurricane Fiona hit Nova Scotia not too long ago. Typhoon Fiona hit me back in October of 2016. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tulpa | 3,488 Posted November 23, 2022 Share Posted November 23, 2022 2 minutes ago, fcgamer said: Typhoon Fiona hit me back in October of 2016. Did you make her pay for dinner? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mega Tank | 955 Posted November 23, 2022 Share Posted November 23, 2022 8 hours ago, FireHazard51 said: Home inspection are helpful in that they can catch shit that can be real pain to fix or costly. Unfortunately, they can't catch everything, so it's always nice to have some $ set aside for repairs. 8 hours ago, FireHazard51 said: Think about if you have to replace the fridge, washer/dryer, or other very large items. How easy is it to get those thing in given the size of door frames and moving around stairs. There is a reason why we got a "free" fridge in the basement and why the next owner of our house will get a deep freezer in the basement too. Shit is FUCKING HARD to get down into the basement and I'm sure as shit not going to try and go against gravity to get it out. I don't even want to think how difficult it would be to get the washer or dry replaced. My buddy had a queen sized box mattress that would not fit up the stairs to the second story where the master bedroom was. He cut it up thinking it could be repaired/rebuilt once upstairs.....NOPE. 100%. Hiring someone for stuff like this works wonders. It may not be cheap, but it's better than fussing about with it with your significant other lol 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fcgamer | 4,719 Posted November 23, 2022 Share Posted November 23, 2022 4 minutes ago, Tulpa said: Did you make her pay for dinner? Nah, she just made me wear the green hat and bled me dry for years beforehand! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trifecta | 235 Posted November 23, 2022 Share Posted November 23, 2022 Does anyone have any tips for creating a gameplan in saving for a down payment on a house? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
a3quit4s | 4,091 Posted November 23, 2022 Share Posted November 23, 2022 34 minutes ago, Trifecta said: Does anyone have any tips for creating a gameplan in saving for a down payment on a house? Take all your extra money and save it 1 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AirVillain | 485 Posted November 23, 2022 Share Posted November 23, 2022 Moving to a space on water is my dream, homey. Nova Scotia is 100% on the radar. Sick for you!!! Awesome that you're getting a chance to get space and do your thing!! Fucking awesome!!! Got a little experience looking/almost buying a house. Went and looked. Seemed nice. Tried to get into he basement (crawl space) but the realtor "couldn't open it". RED FLAG but we were too naive/dumb to realize how critical this was. Put the offer in, was accepted but then DURING THE HOUSE INSPECTION the person went down there and realized it had been flooded and there was a bunch of damage/rot. Whelp, fuck that. Also, I think our realtor was selling the house. SO FUCK THAT x 1,000,000. Thank god we put the inspection into the conditions of sale. That's a pretty obvious thing for a realtor, but some people buy on their own.... Used a different realtor and ended up buying an apartment. A bit different from a house, and fixed it up (Complete bathroom reno, kitchen flooring (me), hallway flooring (me), went through an insurance claim where they ripped up my living room kitchen & bathroom floor, complete facelift with paint (me), learned how to change an overhead light fixture). Sold it recently so now I'm back to being a simple peasant. I wish you all the best. Like MrWunderful said, be up front with yourself with what you CAN fix right away. As I'm sure you will be. Aka. Don't buy a house with AWFUL bathrooms and be like "oh yeah, I'll just swap them out." When you've never "fixed" a running toilet. Anything aesthetic, I'm sure you can handle. Paint, some flooring, makes a HUGE difference. Anything that involves actual "handy work" like plumbing or electrical you can figure out, but takes time and can be difficult steep learning curve. But once you learn what the fuck you're doing, you're off to the races! Something like changing the light fixtures can really step up your DIY projects from JUST the paint. And any "renovation" project, even painting , will take at the very least 2x longer than you think. 2-4x longer, really. THIS CAN NOT BE UNDERSTATED. You think you're just going to whip some paint up in a couple bedrooms and then chill for the night??? NOPE! Get to work, son! You'll be painting all night with that attitude! Also, if you don't like a mess.... prepare for it. Taking the time to set up shit like paint tape, drop sheets, paint cloths, paint clothes will save your ass in the end. ESPECIALLY for something like a drywall project. I've seen people paint with no drop sheets, no tape, no anything and it was like hell on earth. I almost ran out of the house screaming in fear and terror. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AirVillain | 485 Posted November 23, 2022 Share Posted November 23, 2022 (edited) 49 minutes ago, Trifecta said: Does anyone have any tips for creating a gameplan in saving for a down payment on a house? Take ANY cash saved up you have and create a 1 time deposit to start a "down payment account". $500, $1,000, $200. Whatever!!! You just need something to get you started. Then, considering your monthly income/expenses, take a certain amount from each paycheck and put it into that down payment account. AUTOMATICALLY if possible. Then consider your income as the balance. Don't even include this amount in your monthly accounting. The higher this amount can be, the better, but it doesn't HAVE to be that high. Just get yourself going. Then the more frugal you can be, the better. ($1 chips, buying things on sale really adds up.) and pound every dollar you can into that account. I kind of made a game of it, haha. Like.... My sacrifice to getting more savings was eating $1 chips and that was fucking that, hahaha. You will be shocked and surprised how quickly that account builds up. Then, getting excited to see it grow, you will find even MORE ways to ADD to it. I like looking at is as "adding" and not "saving", because it's more fun that way. Edited November 23, 2022 by AirVillain 1 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
a3quit4s | 4,091 Posted November 23, 2022 Share Posted November 23, 2022 @Trifecta - it’s also handy to remember you don’t necessarily have to get to the 20% down payment. Even if you have to pay PMI with your mortgage your still better off with that than throwing money at an apartment. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Link | 2,708 Posted November 23, 2022 Share Posted November 23, 2022 11 hours ago, CodysGameRoom said: You don’t mind yard work? Get a yard with trees. Hate it? Find something with no trees (or ones that don’t drop leaves) this comment brought to you by my aching arms. Any reason you can't just let them lie? I do it. It's ecologically better. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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