Is peace of mind a concern when you think of your Strata? (also known as Condos, Home Owners Association {H.O.A.} or Multi-Owner) When it comes to Strata ownership, peace of mind is created by good maintenance, good finances, & harmony in the owners’ community. When it comes to your home & investment, peace of mind
Articles
Peace of Mind Part 2: What’s the Remaining Useful Life of the Major Systems in Your Home?
That’s quite a topic for a blog these days. We hear of bad news, sad news, and outright mad news, but unfortunately, we don’t hear lots of good news. That’s when each of us needs to dig down deep (the 3 D’s) to find ways we can let the general news tone run past us, missing us in its sweep to
Peace of Mind Part 3: What is Strata’s Plan to Prevent Negative Surprises That Can Steal Peace of Mind?
What is your Strata’s plan to prevent negative surprises that will steal peace of mind? Based on our 2 previous posts on this topic, we know we need to understand, as a path towards peace of mind with your home, the true condition of your Strata/Condo. We also have a better idea as to why
Peace of Mind Part 4: What is Strata’s Plan to Protect & Enhance the Value of Your Home?
Over the past month we’ve outlined 4 questions you should answer when assessing your Strata/Condo property. Simply put, knowing the answers to these questions will give you the peace of mind needed to get a better night’s sleep. Or put another way, there are lots of things in life that will rob you of your
Water Detectives: Using Technology to Find and Repair Water Ingress Issues
Our ancestors built their shelters to protect themselves from rain or snow. We do the same today, but with far more complex dwellings. We still must protect ourselves from the same enemy: water. A friend of ours renovated his bathroom with new tiles. Two years later the entire wall of his bathroom collapsed suddenly. The
You May Outlive Your Strata, But Not By Much: Maintaining Building Good Health
Our experience helping strata protect the value of their buildings shows that residential multi-units tend to have a much longer life expectancy than other types of buildings, about the same lifespan as humans. This similar longevity invites an interesting comparison between humans and buildings. It helps to start with good genes, a quality construction and
Home Inspection: Putting Steroids on This Required Part of Selling Your Home
If you’ve ever bought a new home, then you know the drill. You decide to sell, and the real work begins. 2 huge phases are needed: (1) get your current home ready to put on the market, and (2) get the new home ready once you move in. Within those 2 phases there are 2
Selling Your Strata or Condo: Preparing for the Dreaded Home Inspection
If you’ve ever bought a new home, then you know the drill. You decide to sell, and the real work begins. 2 huge phases are needed: (1) get your current home ready to put on the market, and (2) get the new home ready once you move in. Within those 2 phases there are 2
Taking the “?” Out of the “What if?” for Strata Owners
The news over the years hasn’t been kind to Strata owners. In British Columbia, the leaky condo crisis of the late 90’s and early 2000’s continues to leave its mark. “By 2003, the B.C. Homeowner Protection Office had identified about 65,000 leaky condos across the province.” Damages and repair costs ran into the billions of
Avoiding Negative Surprises: Out of Control Condo Fee Increases Can Be Avoided
Our hearts go out to these Condo owners and board members. Such types of negative surprises, either for new buildings, or older buildings with insufficient reserves, damage the harmony that should be the norm when you live or work in a communal building. In this case the increase might have been unavoidable, but for most condo situations
The Calm After the Storm?: Don’t Wait Till After the Storm to Reflect on Risk Planning
November 12 – 15, 2021 will go down in this writer’s mind as the dates when he wished he’d built an ark! Many people are in “the same boat” according to the many news sources, mainstream and local, reporting stranded people and vehicles, plumbers run off their feet with busyness, restoration companies that can only
Common Property: Understanding Your Maintenance Responsibilities
Do you live in a Condo/Strata? Do you understand your maintenance obligations? The following article, published November 20, 2021 in the Victoria Times Colonist, answers some of the misunderstandings and confusions associated with Strata/Condo living. Here’s the link: https://www.timescolonist.com/life/condo-smarts-stratas-walkways-driveways-and-backyards-are-common-property-4777055 Contact Us
