David's thoughts on anything real estate related

Buying a home can be tricky, especially if you are not an experienced home buyer. But, by dotting your I’s and crossing your T’s, you can be sure to be successful and end up in a home that you’ll love for years to come. Here are 5 things, whether your experienced or not, that every home buyer should do before signing on the dotted line.

Commission a Home Inspection

The seller may not disclose all defects in the home you want to buy – as a matter of fact they may not even know that they exist! A certified home inspector can point out defects that may have been overlooked and that could run into costly repairs in the future. It’s their job to ensure the electrical is up to standard, there are no leaks in plumbing or any underlying mold, the windows and doors are in good condition, the roof is ok and even things like the glassed in porch or back deck are ok.

When you have a home inspection done, you can go in with the inspector and even invite your real estate agent so that you all have a sense of the home, it’s condition, and decide then what you want to do. You may still love the home and want to buy it, but you’ll want to talk to your real estate agent about reducing the offered price due to repairs that are required, and have them go back to the seller or listing agent to discuss. You may also want to wait for the inspectors report prior to doing so, to ensure that nothing is missed.

It’s important to keep in mind, without an inspection, you might miss something that could cost you in the long run.

Get Prequalified

In a hot market, you may have several bidders for a single property – as a matter of fact, in some areas, a listing real estate agent might list a property for below market value just to start a bidding war. It’s a sales strategy that has been used in the past, and will continue to be used, to ensure the seller gets top dollar for their home.

With this in mind, you will want to ensure you have a prequalification statement which indicates just how much of a mortgage you can afford. Do this before even looking at homes, so that you don’t find yourself in a situation where you love a home but aren’t sure you can continue making offers as you don’t know how high you can go.

When you do find your dream home, or the exact home you are looking for, you want to ensure you can act quickly with offers so that in case you are part of a bidding war, you won’t lose out just because you weren’t sure.

Test Drive Your Commute

Don’t take the real estate agent or homeowner’s word for it. Find out for yourself. Take a day to drive or take the bus to work from the house. You should do this on a typical day to ensure that you know what you are getting yourself into.

As your daily commute is a huge aspect of your life, you want to ensure you can handle what it takes and that it’s not something that will drive you crazy!

Leave the Kids at Home

At first, when you are looking for a new home, it might be best to leave the kids at home. Although you want them to be part of the home buying process eventually, when you first start it’s important to keep the emotion aside and focus on the practicality of the home and ensure it has everything you are looking for.

Once you’ve narrowed it down, perhaps that could be a good time to get kids involved. At that point, they won’t be a distraction and you can see if they will be able to adapt to the few homes you have narrowed it down to. This way, they still feel involved with the process and you won’t find yourself making any decisions simply because of an emotional attachment to a home.

Visit at Odd Hours

If you have settled on a specific property or area and are unfamiliar with the area, you should look at it during multiple times of the day and different days of the week. It’s amazing what you will find. A house that appears to be in a quiet neighborhood might end up being on a street that is loud at night. Or, perhaps the home is on a school route, or busy during rush hour traffic. And, what’s it like on the weekend? Are there a lot of kids around or is it mainly adults that keep to themselves?

Depending on what you are looking for, this could be the #1 thing to make or break your decision on a home. It needs to cater to your needs, your family and your everyday life. Visit during the week, in the morning, at night, on the weekends. Really get a feel for what the neighborhood is like and go from there. You can also introduce yourself to neighbors and see what they have to say…or find out from the city if there are any pending area projects you might want to know about. Bottom line is: knowledge is king and it can make or break a decision for you.

The 5 tips for home buyers are just a start. Every home buyer is different: different wants, different needs and different phases of life. As part of the home buying experience, make sure you communicate all aspects of what you are looking for with your real estate agent. They can help provide insight, suggestions and even help with some of the above tasks in case you need referrals or simply someone to help identify what the neighborhood is like.

Independent/Supportive Living

Independent/Supportive Living includes a combination of housing and hospitality services for retired adults who are capable of directing their own care. Housing units typically provide a private living space with a lockable door,monitoring and emergency support, optional meal services, housekeeping, laundry, social and recreational opportunities. Housing units may be rented, owned or life-leased, depending on the structure of the residence. The Independent/Supportive Living category includes privately owned, non-profit and subsidized housing.

Assisted Living

By law, all Assisted Living residences must be registered with the Assisted Living Registrar of BC. Assisted Living residences offer housing, hospitality services and personal assistance to adults who can live independently but require regular help with daily activities. Accommodation can range from private rooms with lockable doors in a home, to an apartment-style building with private self-contained suites, usually their own bathrooms and cooking facilities. The residence provides a place where people can eat together and socialize. Assisted Living operators provide five hospitality services: meals, housekeeping, laundry, social and recreational opportunities and a 24-hour emergency response system. Residents also receive personal assistance with activities of daily living, such as eating, dressing,bathing, grooming, mobility and reminders or assistance with medications. Assisted Living is intended for people who are able to choose and direct their own care. Assisted Living services are delivered in both publicly funded residences(subsidized by VIHA and BC Housing) and in non-publicly funded (private pay) residences, in which residents are responsible for all costs. Some residences have both publicly funded and non-publicly funded units.

Licensed Care

Licensed Care units provide accommodation, care and supervision for retired adults who are no longer capable of directing their own day-to-day activities. Licensed Care settings typically provide a combination of housing and hospitality services, as well as extensive support services. These settings include intermediate care facilities, multilevel care facilities, extended care hospitals and private hospitals. Services may be delivered by private or non-profit organizations. Some units offer government subsidized care options. Care levels are determined by the health care requirements of the individual and could include: Complex Care; Intermediate Care Levels I, II, III; Multi-level Care; Extended Care; Special Care; Palliative Care or Respite Care.

Abbeyfield Houses of Vancouver (Heritage House and Coach House) (Independent/Supportive Living)

1275 West 67th Avenue

Vancouver BC  V6P 2T1

Housing Type: Independent / Supportive Living

Starting Price $1,375

Health Authority Vancouver Coastal Health Authority (VCHA)

Abbott Mansion (Rental Housing)

1-404 Abbott St,

Vancouver BC  V6B 2L1

Housing Type Rental Housing

Amica At Arbutus Manor (Assisted Living - Registered)

2125 Eddington Drive

Vancouver BC  V6L 3A9

Housing Type Assisted Living - Registered

Starting Price $5,250

Health Authority Vancouver Coastal Health Authority (VCHA)

Amica At Arbutus Manor (Independent/Supportive Living)

2125 Eddington Drive

Vancouver BC  V6L 3A9

Area Vancouver

Housing Type Independent/Supportive Living

Starting Price $3,350

Health Authority Vancouver Coastal Health Authority (VCHA)

Chalmers Lodge (Assisted Living - Registered)

1450 West 12th Avenue

Vancouver BC  V6H 1M9

Area Vancouver

Housing Type Assisted Living - Registered

Starting Price $Monthly charge 18001925

Health Authority Vancouver Coastal Health Authority (VCHA)

Chelsea Lane (Rental Housing)

1680 East 6th Avenue

Vancouver BC 

Area Vancouver

Housing Type Rental Housing

Starting Price —

Health Authority Vancouver Coastal Health Authority (VCHA)

Chelsea Lodge (Rental Housing)

3075 Nanaimo Street

Vancouver BC 

Area Vancouver

Housing Type Rental Housing

Starting Price —

Health Authority Vancouver Coastal Health Authority (VCHA)

Chelsea Manor (Rental Housing)

1966 East 19th Avenue

Vancouver BC 

Area Vancouver

Housing Type Rental Housing

Starting Price —

Health Authority Vancouver Coastal Health Authority (VCHA)

Chelsea Park (Independent/Supportive Living)

1968 East 19th Avenue

Vancouver BC  V5N 5K3

Area Vancouver

Housing Type Independent/Supportive Living

Starting Price —

Health Authority Vancouver Coastal Health Authority (VCHA)

Clarendon Court (Assisted Living - Registered)

6404 Clarendon Street

Vancouver BC  V5S 4X9

Area Vancouver

Housing Type Assisted Living - Registered

Starting Price $dependant on income

Health Authority Vancouver Coastal Health Authority (VCHA)

Columbus Residence (Complex Care)

704 West 69th Avenue

Vancouver BC  V6P 2W3

Area Vancouver

Housing Type Complex Care

Starting Price $n/a

Health Authority Vancouver Coastal Health Authority (VCHA)

Columbus Residence (Independent/Supportive Living)

704 West 69th Avenue

Vancouver BC  V6P 2W3

Area Vancouver

Housing Type Independent/Supportive Living

Starting Price $Income dependent

Health Authority Vancouver Coastal Health Authority (VCHA)

Euclid Square (Rental Housing)

3485 Foster Avenue

Vancouver BC  V5R 5V9

Area Vancouver

Housing Type Rental Housing

Starting Price $Security Deposit 1/2 month market rent

Health Authority Vancouver Coastal Health Authority (VCHA)

Finnish Home ()

2288 Harrison Drive

Vancouver BC  V5P 2P6

Area Vancouver

Housing Type —

Starting Price —

Health Authority Vancouver Coastal Health Authority (VCHA)

Legacy Senior Living (Independent/Supportive Living)

611 West 41 Avenue

Vancouver BC  V5Z 2M8

Area Vancouver

Housing Type Independent/Supportive Living

Starting Price $3,700

Health Authority Vancouver Coastal Health Authority (VCHA)

Shannon Oaks (Independent/Supportive Living)

2526 Waverley Ave

Vancouver BC  V5S 4W1

Area Vancouver

Housing Type Independent/Supportive Living

Starting Price $2,450

Health Authority Vancouver Coastal Health Authority (VCHA)

South Granville Park Lodge (Complex Care)

1645 West 14th Avenue

Vancouver BC  V6J 2J4

Area Vancouver

Housing Type Complex Care

Starting Price $6,500

Health Authority Vancouver Coastal Health Authority (VCHA)

Sunrise of Vancouver (Assisted Living - Registered)

999 West 57th Avenue

Vancouver BC  V6P 6Y9

Area Vancouver

Housing Type Assisted Living - Registered

Starting Price $5,000

Health Authority Vancouver Coastal Health Authority (VCHA)

Tapestry at Arbutus Walk (Assisted Living - Registered)

2799 Yew Street

Vancouver BC  V6K 4W2

Area Vancouver

Housing Type Assisted Living - Registered

Starting Price $3,600

Health Authority Vancouver Coastal Health Authority (VCHA)

Tapestry at Wesbrook Village (Independent/Supportive Living)

3338 Wesbrook Mall

Vancouver BC  V6S 0A6

Area Vancouver

Housing Type Independent/Supportive Living

Starting Price $3,600

Health Authority Vancouver Coastal Health Authority (VCHA)

Three Links Manor (Independent/Supportive Living)

2898 East 22nd Ave.

Vancouver BC  V5M 2Y2

Area Vancouver

Housing Type Independent/Supportive Living

Starting Price $rent geared to income 30% Supportive Services 20%

Health Authority Vancouver Coastal Health Authority (VCHA)

Weinberg Residence (Assisted Living - Registered)

5650 Osler Street

Vancouver BC  V6M 2W9

Area Vancouver

Housing Type Assisted Living - Registered

Starting Price $5200 per month

Health Authority Vancouver Coastal Health Authority (VCHA)

Weinberg Residence (Complex Care)

5650 Osler Street

Vancouver BC  V6M 2W9

Area Vancouver

Housing Type Complex Care

Starting Price $8200 per month

Health Authority Vancouver Coastal Health Authority (VCHA)

Senior Housing Market

- as a real estate agent spend a lot of time in the community meeting homeowners that are aging in their homes - consider a change of lifestyle.
- daunting moving out of a home lived in your entire life. - memories attached to home
- may have trouble going up & down stairs or don't feel like maintain garden & cooking meals.
- seniors housing offers a solution
- middle aged real estate agent, I see communities & compare it to a luxury cruise boat!
- they offer activity programs that allow seniors to be social and and be proactive about health
- seniors housing offers companionship, consolidates expenses & gives residents & adult children peace of mind knowing loved ones are taken care of.
- click on the link for an explanation of the different types of senior's housing and a directory of the seniors housing communities lower mainland