Calgary Real Estate Blog

As the temperature continues to dip into the minus twenties and below, and spring break quickly approaches, for many of us thoughts turn to tropical vacations. Whether it’s Mexico, Cuba, California, Jamaica, Hawaii, or a cruise, a week someplace warm can be just the ticket for conquering those Canadian winter blues. Before heading to the airport, though, you need to make sure your home is safely secured both for your own peace of mind and to keep your insurance valid should anything happen.

Let’s start with insurance: first of all, make sure you have enough of it. Most banks require homeowners insurance as a condition of extending a mortgage, but it’s your responsibility to be certain your policy covers everything you own. Talk to your broker to review your coverage, especially if you have any especially valuable jewelry or collections – these may require specific riders to be covered at their full value. Once the policy is in place, take a video camera (or your phone) and walk throughout your home documenting everything in it: should you be broken into, this will help you discover if anything is missing, and also acts as proof of an item’s existence to the insurance company. Just don’t keep the only copy of this footage on your home computer, as that’ll probably be stolen if you were broken into; put a copy on Dropbox, Google Drive, or a similar cloud storage solution.

Also related to insurance is the need to have someone look in on your home regularly while you’re away. Most homeowners policies require someone check on your house at least every three days; read your policy documents to find out what your obligation is. If you’re away for an extended period and something happens to your house that doesn’t get discovered until you return, you may not be covered.

Otherwise, you simply need to ensure your home is as secure as possible, and that all essential systems are working properly. Have your furnace inspected annually, as if it decides to conk out during a cold snap while you’re away you may return to burst pipes and flooded property. Check the condition of your front and back doors and their locks, along with those of your garage if you have one. Lock all of your windows, pull the blinds, and put your lights on a timer if you can. Even if he won’t be the one physically checking on your home while you’re away, let a neighbour know you’re leaving; the more eyes looking out for suspicious activity, the better. Handyman and ‘doing it right’ guru Mike Holmes penned a good article in the National Post last year that has some additional tips.

Knowing your home is secure and your property is safe will be a huge load off your mind, and will help you truly relax on that beach, margarita in hand, without a thought of the Hoth-like temperatures awaiting your return. Have a great trip.

It’s coming on renovation season: that time of the year, after the Christmas credit card bills are paid, when people start itching to have a little work done around the house. Maybe it’s with the intention of selling soon – if so, I know a great Realtor – or maybe it’s just to freshen things up and fix some issues that became all too apparent over the last few housebound months. Regardless, contractors love the spring.

Unfortunately, lots of homeowners just have no idea what rights they do and don’t have when it comes to hiring a contractor. A good friend of mine worked for the Better Business Bureau for a number of years, and found that, consistently, home renovation companies were among the most complained about, month after month. Not just shoddy workmanship, either: lots of outright scammers come out of the woodwork, so to speak, to prey on people’s inexperience with door-to-door offers too good to be true. It’s sad, and it costs a lot of people a lot of money.

The esteemed renovation superhero Mike Holmes wrote up a straightforward and informative article for the National Post back in December; Calgary’s BBB has sound and thorough advice on their website too. Maybe the most important thing people don’t seem aware of is that, in Alberta, it is illegal for a contractor to ask for any money before the job is done unless they have a Prepaid Contractors License from the government. Sure, it sounds reasonable when the guy standing in your living room asks for 50 percent down to cover materials, but unless he or she is properly licensed, you have zero guarantee that you will actually get anything for that money, and little recourse if you get burned. Trust should be earned, not assumed. A contractor has to have a proven history to secure that license, and also must put up a substantial bond against which a dissatisfied homeowner can claim if things really go sour (meaning the agreed work doesn’t get done, not the hardwood doesn’t complement the couch like expected). Plus, you can visit the Service Alberta website to search a company name and find out if they are licensed to take payments, rather than just taking someone’s word for it. My opinion, don’t hire a contractor who isn’t licensed.

Beyond that, Holmes makes a solid argument that good contractors are busy, many to the point that they’re turning projects down, and so they don’t need to go door-to-door for work; the ones who do show up at suppertime offering to repair your roof should maybe be eyed suspiciously. Certainly don’t hire anyone on the spot without doing a bit of research, including with the BBB and Service Alberta. That bit of extra effort could really save you some hassle – and money – later on.