Electrical Systems in Your New Home - What You Need to Know
Posted by Liv Real Estate on
There’s nothing quite like the incredible feeling of finding your dream home, but a dream house can quickly become a nightmare if you don’t know what’s going on behind the walls.
That’s why you need to get the electrical systems checked before buying it. A home inspector can inspect many aspects of a home you’re considering purchasing. Here are some things they should include in an electrical inspection:
1. Outlets and Receptacles
Most, if not all, of the outlets in the house should have arc fault or ground fault circuit interrupters. These protect you from electrical shocks and electrical fires.2. Light Switches and Fixtures
Every switch in your house should connect to either a light fixture or an outlet. Any fixtures or appliances you’re buying…490 Views, 0 Comments
On Monday Edmonton city council unanimously voted to approve changes to zoning bylaws allowing suites in semi-detached, duplex and row housing. There is no longer a minimum lot size requirement for secondary suites, which opens up the opportunity to add suites on smaller lots. They also loosened restrictions on the size and location of secondary suites, relative to the primary dwelling.
All secondary suites must have one off-street parking space on the property unless the home is in an area with access to high-frequency transit, including 600m from LRT or transit centres, and 150m from transit avenues.
One of the benefits of these changes is that many suites that currently exist illegally in semi-detached homes around the city can be legalized. In…
Everyone likes a trooper; especially when it comes to appliances. Sometimes the best ones are those we rarely have to think about: quietly standing by, doing their jobs; making us more comfortable.
Occasionally, they last well beyond their normal lifespan. For the most part, these are the major appliances we want.
But, this is Edmonton. We rely on our furnaces more than most.
Ageing furnaces are more likely to need repairs. They should be inspected for safety and cleaned regularly. When the signs of ageing appear, it might be time to start thinking about a replacement.
Most homeowners would love to spend more time outdoors on the deck or patio, but sometimes the weather can keep you inside. A motorized, retractable awning in Edmonton, over your patio or deck, can enhance that outdoor living space and make it more comfortable and enjoyable for relaxing, spending time with family and entertaining.
You may have seen reports in the past referencing the MLS® Home Price Index (HPI) in other parts of Canada and noticed Edmonton was not included, well, the tool is now available in Edmonton! This means will be able to include "benchmark" prices and trends with our monthly stats, giving greater insight into what is happening in the Edmonton real estate market. We can also more accurately compare our market, with other markets across the country.
What exactly is the HPI?
It's a way of following pricing trends that is more accurate than using averages and medians which can swing dramatically when the volume of high-end or low-end sales change over time. A "benchmark home" is set for each area (based on the most common attributes of homes traded in that…
People looooovve making lists - best this, top that - and I've seen a lot of lists of the best places to live in Edmonton. Many are based on surveys, some are based on market stats, and some are just based on personal opinion. A number of these lists have been released in the past few weeks, so I thought it was good time to bring in a brokerage's perspective on things.
Everyone has different reasons for choosing a neighbourhood, whether it is proximity to something (work, school, amenities, relatives), affordability, property types... the list goes on. What I can say for certain is no neighbourhood will be on the top of everyone's list, or even half of everyone's list. Most people choose a fairly broad area when looking for a place to live and narrow it…
If you live in or are looking at a home for sale that was built before 1990, it might have asbestos in certain building materials like older tile and drywall compound. It was a widely used construction material because of its thermal resistance, strength and sound absorption. In those days, asbestos was commonly used in ceiling and floor tile, siding, insulation and in the compound used on seams between pieces of drywall. Older vermiculite attic insulation may also contain asbestos. Learn more about asbestos in the home.
A recent B.C. Supreme Court case favoured the buyer, who backed out a deal to purchase a mansion in Vancouver. She claimed she was misled by the seller and their agent when she asked why the seller was moving. Their answer was that the seller's daughter was switching schools. What they neglected to include in their answer, was the fact that she was forced to switch schools because of bad press surrounding the murder of her father, which took place on the property. Her father was allegedly a leader of the notorious "Big Circle Boys," a gang with roots in China.
The buyer heard rumours about the murder after she removed conditions (back in 2009), and a simple Google search revealed the gruesome details.
This story comes as welcome news to thousands of…
