Last night we went to a home inspection seminar offered through the Winnipeg Leisure Guide. We wanted to find out more about determining the quality of a home. Here are some notes:

- Getting a qualified home inspector out is atleast $250

- You can check the track record of a home inspector by going to Manitoba Justice and seeing how many cases have been made against the home inspector you’re interested in working with

- You can get “zoning memos” to see what permits were taken out for changes in a home. If there were no permits taken out that may mean that changes made to house were not up to code.

- When you go to see a house you should bring a flashlight and binoculars/zoom camera

- You need to ask as many questions about the house you are seeing. Legally, the home owners need to provide all of the info accurately. If they withhold or lie about issues you can get the previous home owner to pay for damages. Get answers in writing if possible.

- You should ask: Has there ever been any flooding? Has there been any fires? Are there any hazardous materials in the house? (Older homes can have asbestos or formaldehyde) Who owns the fence? Who’s land is the fence built on?

- Houses before the 1970s were built to “breathe”. They have poor insulation but big furnaces.

- Air leakage is a huge issue with homes. You need to make sure the air quality in the home is good. You have to make sure that moisture isn’t building up in the home because if it is then that means there is mold and rot.

- 30% of heat loss is through the basement

- Big trees around older homes is a bad sign. There is likely root and piping issues.

- If soil holding the house is not uniform (the same kind of soil eg: sand, clay, etc) house has vertical cracks

- Soil should slope away from the house. The soil around the house should not be flat. Water is not meant to be collecting close to the foundation.

- Newer areas have more water problems. ie - There is still a lot of moisture in the soil. The soil needs to grade away from the house, etc.

- See the front step. If soil around the front step is messed up (eroded away) that’s a concern.

- Best renovation paybacks, in order: kitchen, bathrooms, interior painting, exterior painting

- Ask how old the furnace is. You may need to replace it.

- Is there a wood burning fireplace? If so, it needs to have a “ULC” code otherwise you can’t get home insurance for it. Even if it has a “ULC” code you may need to get the chimney cleaned out etc.

- Legally speaking, bedrooms in the basement need to be big enough for someone to escape out of in case of fire.

- When you write up legal papers make sure you specify exactly what appliances you saw in the house. There are some tricky people who will switch appliances on you. Also make sure details like chandeliers stay as you saw them and are not taken out after you purchase. Also, if something is taken out like a tv antenna/dish make sure it’s taken out properly. If not, you will get a leaky expensive roof.

- Wood shingles are not fun. They require replacement after 10 to 15 years. Make sure the right kind of wood was used. Certain wood types don’t work well for Winnipeg climate.

- If there was a new roof, were the new shingles put on top of the old ones? Or was the roof stripped first? Stripped is better.

- Flat roofs are evil. Lots of problems if water doesn’t drain down properly.

- Make sure electrical stuff is up to date or else you can’t get home insurance. Ask what kind of wiring is in the house. Houses built 1900 - 1950 had knob and tube!!!

- Found out a lot about weeping tiles. They are tubes the run underneath a home to collect moisture. The moisture then usually goes to a sum pump to be driven out. Older homes do not have a sum pump so you would likely have to install one. Homes without a sum pump usually have or will get foundation issues. Foundation problems are fixable. They are expensive but they can be fixed.

So in general, right now the buying market is so hot that house offers that include the condition of a home inspection are rejected. If you are serious about a home bring a home inspector with you when you go to see it. That way the home owner cannot reject it. Also, know what you’re getting into. When you buy a home you inherit all of its problems. Just because you’re willing to swallow the problems doesn’t mean you should leave it unfixed. Some day you will need to sell the home yourself and the market may not be as generous. Potential problems include: decks (who’s land is it on, is it too close to the property line, is it too big), hot tubs (was is installed in a safe place?), wiring, insulation, furnaces.

In general the best time to see a house is in the spring. When things are melting and water is collecting is the best time to see if there are foundation problems with the house. Any water in the basement is a concern. Do not think that newer homes have better foundations. The presenter showed a pictures of a few new homes with huge cracks. One was only one year old and needed a lot of work. The cracks were so big mice were coming in. Winter is the only time you can see if water is collecting and freezing on roofs or if it’s being properly drained away.

Based on a true story. Robert Hanssen devout Catholic, loved by his grandchildren, celebrated agent of the CIA of 25 years was selling intelligence to the former Soviet Union and needed to be caught. Hanssen was complicated, he secretly taped his wife having sex and posted it on the Internet, sexually harassed other agents and had a thing for hookers. Enlisted to expose the veteran was a young FBI agent trying to get into the CIA named Eric O’Neill. Eric becomes Hanssen’s new office clerk to better understand him. Eric finds it difficult to work for Hanssen and meet with his secret manager while Hanssen keeps showing up to his apartment unannounced. Hanssen and his wife are determined to get Eric and his new wife more involved in the Catholic faith. Eric’s wife Juliana very much detests the efforts of the Hanssens but is not aware of how dangerous Robert Hanssen is. Eric can’t tell Juliana how important his case is or even that he’s not just a simple office clerk.

This movie is not glamorous. It’s pretty simple and quiet. It’s about the art of manipulating people to believe what you need them to.

I saw this movie last weekend. We just walked into it without knowing a thing about it. I think I got the biggest shock because I thought it would be a computer animated movie. It very definately wasn’t. It’s about a young talented black dancer who has a team who dances competitively for money in LA. His team beats the wrong team and someone gets killed. He is then flown to Atlanta by his family who want him to go to college and heal. I think it was Atlanta. Anyways, once there he finds competitive dancing again in the form of line dancing for a sorority. The acting in the movie isn’t stellar. The movie can be predictable. However it does provide an opportunity to be exposed to a culture you wouldn’t otherwise know about.