c/canadian-housing-chat

My backyard inspection in Edmonton turned into a nightmare I didn't expect

I had a home inspector out last Tuesday to look at a house I was buying in Edmonton. He found the foundation had shifted about 3 inches in the back corner, which none of us had spotted before. Has anyone else dealt with a surprise foundation issue during a home purchase?

Remember when we used to line up at open houses with a pen and notepad?

I spent 4 hours last Saturday touring 3 houses in Brampton writing down details by hand like it was 2015. Now I just snap photos and voice note comparisons on my phone during the drive home - has anyone else ditched paper for digital house hunting?

I was dead wrong about duplexes being a bad investment

Three years ago I thought buying a duplex in London, Ontario was a sucker's move. My buddy kept pushing the idea but I figured you'd just get nightmare tenants and crap returns. He went ahead and bought one near Western University for $480,000 back in 2021. Two years later his mortgage is getting paid by the upstairs unit alone and he's pulling in $2,100 a month from the downstairs. The property's also up like 80k in value. Anyone else have an investment they passed on that turned out to be a goldmine?

Realtor told me my listing photos were garbage, hired a pro with a drone for $400 and got 3 offers day one

She said the wide angle was making rooms look tiny and the lighting was all yellow, so I paid a guy from Mississauga who flew a drone around the property and now I'm wondering why I didn't do this 6 months ago has anyone else seen a big jump from professional photos?

My realtor in Toronto told me to lowball on a fixer upper and I regret it 8 months later

Back in February my realtor said don't offer more than 50k under asking because the market was cooling off. I found this house in Scarborough that needed new windows and a roof but had good bones. I listened to her and offered 20k under and the seller didn't even counter. Now I look at similar houses in that area selling for 100k more and I can't find anything in my budget anymore. She was too cautious and I should have just gone with my gut and offered closer to asking. The house sold a week later to someone else for 15k over asking. Has anyone else had a realtor give advice that cost them a good deal?

Chat with a landlord in Vancouver made me rethink my whole renting situation

I was talking to my friend's dad at a BBQ last weekend. He owns 3 properties in Surrey and he straight up told me he raises rent the maximum every year because 'tenants expect it now.' It hit different hearing someone actually say that out loud, made me realize how normal this game has become. Anyone else ever had a conversation that changed how you see your own rent situation?

Spent $600 on a dehumidifier for my basement suite and it paid for itself in 3 months

My basement in Vancouver was always damp and musty, so I finally bought a nice 70-pint dehumidifier from Amazon for $600. After running it constantly for a week, I pulled 4 liters of water out of the air and the smell vanished completely. My energy bill only went up $10 a month, and now I don't have to worry about mold ruining my furniture or my landlord blaming me for damages. Has anyone else dropped cash on moisture control and noticed a big difference in their place?

Rented a basement apartment for $1400 and my old place was $1800 - the difference was basically just having a window that opens

Moved from a highrise condo near Yonge and Eglinton to a basement unit in Scarborough last month. Thought I was downgrading but honestly the old place had a window that barely cracked open and the AC was always broken anyway. The basement stays cool in summer and the landlord actually fixes stuff. Only downside is the low ceiling and I can hear footsteps but for $400 less a month I can actually save for a down payment. Anyone else find that newer builds are just garbage for the price?

I finally got why people buy pre-sale condos after the Parkside Village tour

I always thought pre-sale was a sucker's game. Too much risk, nothing to see, just promises. Then I went to the Parkside Village showroom in Mississauga last month with a buddy who was dead set on buying. The rep walked us through the full timeline, showed us the exact finishes for every unit, and explained how the deposit structure works over 3 years. I actually did the math on a 1-bedroom they had priced at $589k and realized the appreciation potential was way higher than buying resale in that specific pocket. It totally changed how I look at early purchases. Has anyone else changed their mind after a builder walked them through a full project?

Watched a bidding war in Surrey and flipped my view on pre-approvals

Last month I sat through an open house in Surrey where 12 offers came in under 48 hours. The realtor told me three buyers didn't even have pre-approvals and lost out on homes they loved. Has anyone else seen pre-approvals make or break a deal like that?

My buddy in Vancouver just showed me his property tax bill and I nearly choked

He bought a little condo in East Van back in 2018 for like $550k. Now his assessed value is pushing $850k and his taxes jumped almost $900 this year alone. It got me wondering how people on fixed incomes are managing these hikes. Has anyone found a way to appeal or lower their assessment that actually works?

Overheard a realtor say 'your offer is too emotional' at a showing last weekend

Some guy was on the phone outside a bungalow in Mississauga. He kept saying feelings don't pay the mortgage. Is that really how you win in this market or are you just missing out on homes you actually want?

Picked a townhouse over a condo in Hamilton and zero regrets so far

I was dead set on a downtown condo in Toronto for months. But after running the numbers, I bought a freehold townhouse in Hamilton for $550k instead of a 1-bedroom condo for $600k. No condo fees eating my savings every month, and I actually have a tiny backyard my dog loves. The commute to my cleaning jobs is longer, about 45 minutes, but I'm building way more equity. Has anyone else here ditched the city core for something more affordable further out?

TIL my 1970s bungalow in Edmonton has R-8 insulation in the attic

I was reading the city's old building permits online and found out my house was built with basically no insulation by modern standards. The inspector said most new builds here need R-60 now. Has anyone else dug up old records on their place and found something crazy?

Got quoted $18,000 for a foundation crack repair in Hamilton last week

I finally got around to checking that hairline crack in my basement after buying the house in 2022. It's been there since day one but I figured it was just settling. Last week a buddy pointed out water stains near it so I called three companies. The first guy came in with some fancy carbon fiber straps and said I needed full excavation for $18,000. Seemed like a lot for a crack that's barely 2mm wide. Second company wanted to just inject epoxy from inside for around $1,200. Third one said to watch it for a few months since the water stain was probably from old rain. Has anyone here dealt with something similar in an older home? I'm leaning toward the epoxy route but worried about making things worse.

My condo board fixed a leaky pipe and our hydro bill dropped by $80

Our building in Toronto had this constant water hammer noise for months. The board finally hired a plumber to check it out last month. Turns out a faulty valve was letting hot water trickle back into the cold line. After they replaced it and insulated the exposed pipes, our monthly hydro bill went from $210 down to $130. Has anyone else seen a big savings after fixing something small in their unit?

Just hit a smelly milestone in my basement reno

So I'm gutting my 1950s bungalow basement near Hamilton and I pulled out the old fiberglass insulation. The number that got me was the mouse droppings - I counted about 45 pellets in one small section behind the wall. That was way more than I expected and now I'm worried about the wiring they might have chewed. Has anyone else ripped out old insulation and found a rodent mess this bad?

Found out my city's vacancy rate is under 1% and it hit different

Was looking up stats on CMHC's site last night for fun and saw that Vancouver has a 0.9% rental vacancy rate for 2024. I knew it was bad but seeing that number made me really sit back. No wonder every listing I call about has 20 people ahead of me in line. Anyone else find a stat that put things into perspective for them?

My contractor buddy dropped a warning about variable rate mortgages last week

I was chatting with my friend Mike who does renovations in Toronto and he told me he's seen three clients in the last two months get caught off guard by their mortgage payments jumping way more than expected. He said one couple bought a semi in Scarborough last year with a variable rate and their monthly payment went up almost $900 in twelve months. Mike told me the banks were really pushing these variable products even though the math was shaky from the start. He pointed out that a lot of people didn't budget for rates climbing over 5% because they trusted the low rate promises too much. Now I'm looking at my own renewal coming up in June and I'm honestly second guessing what I locked in before. Has anyone else had a similar talk with a tradesperson or real estate person that made you question your financing choices?

My neighbor the realtor dropped a truth bomb about interest rates that actually scared me

I was talking to my neighbor Dave last weekend, he's a realtor in Milton and has been doing it for like 15 years so I figured he'd be all sunshine and rainbows about the market. But he told me he's had three clients in the past month who bought houses back in 2021 and 2022 with variable rates, and now their payments have jumped by like $1,400 a month each. He said two of them are already talking to bankruptcy lawyers because they stretched so thin to get into the market and now they can't even sell without taking a huge loss. It hit me different because I always thought of realtors as cheerleaders for buying, you know? He told me point blank that anyone buying right now with less than a 20% down payment is basically gambling, and that's coming from a guy who makes money off sales. Has anyone else noticed people in your circle quietly struggling with this stuff?

Finally got pre-approved after saving for 3 years in Toronto

My realtor told me to skip the home inspection and I'm still kicking myself

I was buying a condo in Hamilton back in June and my realtor said 'these newer builds are fine, you don't need an inspection.' I listened because I was trying to save $500. Turns out the dishwasher was leaking into the subfloor for months and the bathroom fan wasn't vented outside at all. I ended up spending $2,800 on repairs after moving in. Has anyone else had a realtor give them bad advice like this?

Rant: My buddy the realtor told me something that kept me up last night

He said anyone under 35 basically needs a 200k down payment or a cosigner to get a place in Toronto now, and even then good luck. I thought he was just being dramatic but then he showed me the actual pre-approval numbers for a 1 bed condo. How are normal people even supposed to compete with that without family money?

My uncle swore by putting a space heater in the crawlspace to prevent frozen pipes. Tried it last winter in Calgary.

He said just aim it at the main pipe and leave it on low all winter. First big cold snap hit -35 and sure enough my pipes didnt freeze but my electric bill was $470 for that month alone. The heater ran basically nonstop for 3 weeks. Now Im wondering if there's a better way cause that saved maybe $200 in plumbing repairs but cost way more in power. Anyone else try something that sorta worked but not really?

Bought a fixer-upper in Hamilton, found knob and tube wiring in the attic

Closed on a house near Barton Street last spring and thought the electrical was all updated. Pulled some insulation in the attic last month and found knob and tube wiring still live in three bedrooms. Electrician quoted me $4,500 to rip it all out. Has anyone else dealt with surprise knob and tube after buying an old place?