Halifax Condos

[Demetri]

Having taken a position in Halifax for a few years I thought I would purchase a condo to get my foot on the property ladder and park some cash. I also did not know the rental market so I thought I could have more control with a place of my own. I used a realtor who was very honest with me which I appreciated. The experience was eye opening. We had a very difficult time finding any place that had not experienced major defects or was in the process of uncovering them. I am from Ontario and I've never seen this much shoddy construction. I wanted to share my experiences and see what others here think. I am renting now. I am no homeowner so I still think a condo might be ideal. Maybe Halifax is too risky with all the bad builders out there.

Brickyard
This gentrified complex was a mess. They had to re-do some structural work and many windows. The place looked much older because of all the warping and stains. I spoke with an owner there who seethed with anger.

Regal Vista
I went across the harbor for a look at options there and saw another condo that had to undergo huge renovations from leaks and poor electrical, Very bad construction.

Waterton
This was marketed as some elite building but is a shambles. The developer still owns a bunch of units and what disclosure I got was the condo owners might be suing him to fix the place because it has fire safety problems and leaks.

Wellington Court
I read an article in the paper about this one where the developer is being sued because the ventilation system is insufficient and there a lot of leaks with interior damage. I liked the location of this one.

Spice
The exterior was stained in places. They had a very bad issue with the roof right away. There is a lot of concern about the exterior panels getting water behind them.

Searidge
I thought I would try Bedford and found out that many of the new condo buildings up there had a lot of problems. Many leaked and one had a fire,

I couldn't find anywhere else to answer these questions or make comments. Glad I stiumbled on this forum. I felt really badly for some of those owners. My realtor said that some people have certainly lost money on these places. That is not something I want to buy into. I like Halifax. I find it a lot easier to get around with my own wheels than the GTA.

[Drybrain]

Can't say I'm surprised about shoddy construction given what a lot of these places look like. I don't think it's a Halifax thing though--remember Vancouver's leaky-condo debacle a few years back? And I know a lot of people in Calgary living in pretty slapped together structures (including my own family). TO had better projects, but there's a lot of junk there too--wonky fixtures, leaks, cheap furnishings, etc.

I think the newer generation of developments currently planned and under construction right now seem to be of a noticeably higher level of quality than the projects that went up in even the recent past. (Like Brickyard and Theatre Lofts and Spice and Gladstone Ridge and all that junk.)

[OldDartmouthMark]

My mom-in-law was renting a newer (less than 10 years old) condo in Bedford a few years ago, and I heard that it had many water leaking issues when it was only a couple years old. Also, they were also replacing exterior siding, etc. at the condo owners' expense. Seems like the requirements for responsibility of the builders after construction is finished is very weak in Nova Scotia.

Also, there are a few high-volume home builders in the area who are well known for shoddy workmanship who are also in the condo building game. Won't say any more than that, but draw your own conclusions.

[halifaxboyns]

It almost sounds like Halifax is having a 'sick condo' situation; but not just mould in the walls but general quality issues.