Home Inspection

Galvanized Steel Plumbing in Older Homes: Should You Worry About Water Pressure, Quality and Insurance?

Buying an older home with galvanized steel plumbing? Galvanized supply pipe is common in pre-1960s homes, lasts about 40–50 years, and corrodes from the inside — cutting water pressure, discolouring water, and releasing lead built up from old lead service lines. According to Square One Insurance, some insurers require replacement, raise deductibles, or decline coverage. Here's the era, the risks, insurance, and repipe costs.

Buying a Home With Aluminum Wiring in Ontario: Insurance, Safety, and the Right Fix

Worried about aluminum wiring in an older GTA home? According to ESA, aluminum branch wiring isn't illegal, but connections loosen and overheat, so many insurers won't cover the home until it's inspected and remediated with ESA-approved connectors (COPALUM / AlumiConn) and a certificate is provided. Here's the era, the risk, the right fix, and the insurance logic.

Conditions in an Ontario Offer: Financing, Inspection & More

A guide to the common conditions in an Ontario purchase offer: financing, home inspection, status certificate, and sale-of-property (with escape clause) — plus conditional vs. firm offers and how the deposit is handled.

What Does ‘As Is’ Mean in an Ontario Real Estate Contract?

An "As Is, Where Is" clause means the seller is selling the property in its current, actual condition and will not make any repairs or improvements before closing. The burden of any existing problems, and the cost of fixing them, shifts to the buyer. What it does not mean is that the seller can hide

Well Water & Septic Tests Before You Close on Rural Property in Ontario

Two things drive the diligence: well water testing (both quality and quantity) and a septic system inspection. Quality means checking for bacterial contamination — E. coli and total coliforms — which Ontario's local public health units test for free. Quantity means confirming the well actually yield

Some Homes You Can Buy but Can’t Insure: Oil Tanks, Old Wiring, Kitec, and Other Insurance Red Flags

In Ontario, a mortgage usually can't close without home insurance. Certain features make insurers decline or demand remediation first: underground/outdoor oil tanks, knob-and-tube wiring, aluminum wiring, Kitec plumbing, sub-100-amp panels, end-of-life roofs, and more. Here are the insurance red flags and why you should confirm coverage during your conditions.

What Do the “Conditions” in a Home Offer Actually Protect? Financing, Inspection, and Status Certificate Explained

A home offer can be conditional or firm. The most common conditions are financing, home inspection, and (for condos) status certificate review. Here's what each protects, typical timelines, how you fulfill or withdraw, and why the mortgage stress test makes the financing condition more important than buyers think.

Should You Test Your Ontario Home for Radon? What to Test, How, and What to Do If It’s High

Radon is the leading cause of lung cancer among non-smokers in Canada. Health Canada's guideline is 200 Bq/m3, and about 4.6% of Ontarians live in homes above it. Here's how to test (long-term, at least 3 months, fall/winter), what C-NRPP means, how to fix a high reading, and how to handle radon when buying or selling.