Home Inspections in Newton - Uniquely Found
Newton is Surrey’s largest neighborhood in area and in population.
The original settler, E.J. Newton, lived in the area of 72nd Avenue and 124 Street in 1886.
One hundred and thirty two years later, Mr. Newton would be surprised to find such a diverse group of cultural communities. One of the largest Vaisakhi parades in the world is hosted by this community and many of Canada's newest immigrants find value in purchasing their first home and living in Newton.
I live here myself, and in many ways, when I drive down some of Newton’s street, the cultural mix of the community reminds me of Brooklyn, in New York City. Maybe not perfectly so, but definitely it’s beginning to show up in its diverse choice of restaurants, community events, etc.
You can travel the world in this neighbourhood, dining in Japanese restaurants with amazing sushi, Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai, Ukranian perogies, French, Portuguese, Afghan, African, Indian, and yes, there’s even a few American greasy spoons and neighborhood pubs around.
Brooklyn had a bad reputation (back in the day) Now it’s one of the hottest areas to live in if you live in New York. I believe Newton is going in the same direction, particularly if the planners and business improvement associations continue to do fine work at carefully transforming Newton in to a family-friendly and exciting place to live.
But that has nothing to do with the giant elephant in the room. The giant multi-suite houses that comprise around 70% of Newton’s single-family neighbourhoods.
- There are many benefits of building and maintaining a legal secondary suite in your single family home. Secondary suites support the City of Surrey’s affordable housing goals by providing ground‐oriented rental housing for a range of tenants.
- All secondary suites in Surrey must be registered. You can check to see if the property has been registered by using the Secondary Suite Fee Web Inquiry http://www.surrey.ca/city-services/8860.aspx. The average cost for a metered customer is around $700 plus consumption. In most cases that will amount to less than one month’s rent for the cost. For the homeowner, having a legal secondary suite not only provides a higher rental income than illegal suites, it allows you to purchase insurance, and may increase the value of the home.
- In 2010 Surrey Council changed its bylaws to permit one secondary suite in each single-family home, under certain conditions. These conditions include:
- A limit of one secondary suite per property.
- No secondary suites on properties with a coach house.
- No secondary suites in semi-detached or duplex buildings.
- A requirement to provide one additional off-street parking space.
The information above was garnered from the city of Surrey website. Don't shoot the messenger. Of course, I'm aware that this isn't the case to a degree. Just stating the facts, as supplied by the City.
I do not do inspections based on the building code or permits issued. However, I am completely comfortable with our BC Building Code, and I know the minimum requirements for construction. Those are some of the things I might be or might not be seeing in a basement suite or multiple basement suites in some of the homes in Newton that I inspect. If I discover sloppy or amateur work, I’ll be mentioning it to the client. If I see dangerous work, I’ll be mentioning it to the client.
It’s not in the scope of my inspection to ensure that all the permits were taken out when the basement suites were built, but I suggest, if you are a potential purchaser, it might be something to look into.
As a homeowner, if you did not notify your insurance company that you are renting out a secondary suite in your home or on your property, your home insurance policy could become void when you try to file a claim.
Almost one quarter of BC residents rent out a secondary suite in their home to help with the mortgage - but most are unaware they are not covered if their insurance company doesn’t know about it.
When you think about it, making the bad choice of not informing your insurance company could cost you a lot more than the value of having extra rental income.
It’s always worth doing some due diligence before you make a decision on having a multi-family home. Of course, the extra value that the rental income adds to your monthly payments is very tempting.
Some items that might show up in a Newton home inspection that are in need of repair or upgrade are:
There’s a few older homes still left in Newton, however most of them end up being sold for a little over lot value to accommodate a larger home. When I perform an inspection on an older home in Newton, I’ll be looking for the usual cultprits, such as asbestos around heating component, or popcorn ceilings; lead in old house paint; or water damage and deterioration, especially in exterior posts and piers.
Remember the leaky condo crisis of the 1980s-2000’s? The water infiltration and problems were not restricted to condos. There are many homes in Surrey (and for that matter, Langley, North Delta and all of the Greater Vancouver area) that have the same problems that were found in the multi-family residences - things like improper flashing, improper design of windows and overhangs, and other items that allow water to have ingress into the home and cause damage. I’ll be looking for those things in homes built in the 1980’s through to now.
Normal wear and tear happens in any house, and you should expect that some items will be worn, and I may recommend repair or replacement. Many systems will not comply with today’s building codes and it is not the responsibility of the seller to bring them up to today’s standards. These can include roofing, plumbing fixtures, heating and cooling systems, windows, electrical, appliances, etc. So when buying an older house, take these things in stride.
There’s still lots of beautiful and friendly neighborhoods to raise a family in Newton. It’s still a lovely place to walk the dog, visit the library, throw a baseball, enjoy a fancy continental dinner, or some tikka marsala, or even plant a garden. You’ll find more than one community garden where you can join others in growing your own flowers or vegetables or visit the local Greek Deli (Greco's - my personal favorite) for some exotic cheese.
It's where I call home. Welcome to the neighbourhood.
