Ice on the Roof: Remove or Leave Alone?

Deep freeze at -26 Celcius. Next day, a balmy 2 degrees and everything melts. Then it rains. Then freezes again. Then snow. What’s a homeowner to do? Be prepared. Freezing and melting water can be your home’s biggest enemy. Ice, especially, can cause a lot of damage. But the fact is, removing thick ice from…

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Top 5 Gingerbread House Construction Problems

We do a lot of home inspections. This year, we decided to take a crack at inspecting gingerbread houses for the holidays. …we got laughed out of the bakeries! Alas, who doesn’t love a good gingerbread home construction? We find it’s uncanny how many gingerbread construction rules apply to real houses too! Here are the top…

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Always Book a Roofer in Autumn. This is Why.

While on an inspection, many of our clients ask: “How old is the roof?” If the owner doesn’t have a receipt on file, it’s impossible to know, but it’s pretty fair to say, we don’t see a lot of roofs more than 20 years old that don’t need to be replaced –sometimes 10-year old roofs…

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The Cottage Closing Guide

It’s that time of year. The leaves will soon turn red and gold, and the cottage will need to be properly closed up for winter. It’s always good to have a checklist to ensure you don’t forget anything. We’ve compiled a list of what we consider the most important cottage closing tasks, organized by area.…

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Why is Montreal Moving Day on July 1st?

7 per cent of Montrealers move on July 1st, according to 2013 estimates – that’s about 116,000 people.  Moving Day causes stress, blocks up streets, and a lot of sweaty people drinking beer and eating pizza with a sore back and a wet paint roller in their hands. Keep in mind, if you’re not moving —…

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Spring Brought you a Leak in the Basement?

Smell something mouldy, mildew-y or sour coming from your basement or crawl space? Make no mistake: you’ve likely sprung a leak in the basement. Spring is a likely time of year for moisture problems to arise, and a good time to pay attention to how your basement is weathering the thaw. As snow melts, air…

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Condo Living: Is it for You?

Can’t stand the smell of smoke? Doggy doo-doo makes you gag? You like to express your style by painting your balcony railings red? Having 1970’s shutters on your windows makes you feel at home? – Or maybe you smoke and have 5 cats? Depending on your lifestyle and habits, condo living might be perfect for…

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Are you Ready to Become a Montreal Landlord?

This article is part of The Mose Report: New Homebuyer Series. Are you thinking about buying a duplex, triplex or multiplex and making the transition from tenant to landlord? For most tenants, it’s a dream come true. After years of dealing with nasty impatient landlords, we have an altruistic idea about what a landlord should be:…

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12 Reasons to do a Pre-Listing Inspection

PRE-LISTING INSPECTIONS Many real estate brokers are recommending pre-listing inspections to their clients, here are some of the reasons: Your home may sell faster. Your home may sell for more money. No more buyers walking away because of a problem with the house. No more 11th-hour re-negotiations based on an inspector’s findings. No more helpless feelings that an inspector…

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