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Hey Mango,

I can understand why your breakfast bar didn't extend then. It would drive you nuts if it jutted out into the hallway! LOL!

I guess the trouble I have with mine is that there is room for the countertop to have been extended along the wall. I'm a little confused by it. I'll have to see what Norstar says.

Tony was amazing. I was really happy that he did the walk through.

I'm really looking forward to meeting everyone as well! It'll happen very soon!
 
Hi Bloomingsmurf,

Thanks a a lot for all the information and for sharing ur PDI experience with us. How important do u think it is to take a home inspector along? I just received a letter from norstar saying only one person other than the buyers can go do the PDI and im wondering if I should take my agent or an inspector. Your take on this would be much appreciated.

bloomingsmurf said:
Thanks Nels! It really was fun! As you all have (or soon will) experience, it is just so rewarding to walk through the floor plan that you've been trying to visualize for so long. I've been waiting almost 3 years personally!

There was no light in the laundry room however, I was pleasantly surprised by how wide it is. Depending on what size washer/dryer you get, there could be room to put a shelf on the side. It was quite wide.

Nobody suggested speaking with a lawyer at this stage. Basically, the inspection is held to make sure that you and the builder see the same flaws (if any) and to inform you of your options to report any structural flaws within the first several years that the condo is built. They also confirm the closing date so if Norstar delays after the date you receive at the PDI, Norstar has to pay penalties to you.

All of the closing fees and protocol are between you and Norstar so the builder doesn't go over any of that with you. If anyone knows when we should get that information, please let me know because I'm a little unclear on those details as well.

I hope to hear that everyone has a great experience walking through their condo!
Click to expand...
 
maple mystery said:
Hi Bloomingsmurf,

Thanks a a lot for all the information and for sharing ur PDI experience with us. How important do u think it is to take a home inspector along? I just received a letter from norstar saying only one person other than the buyers can go do the PDI and im wondering if I should take my agent or an inspector. Your take on this would be much appreciated.
Click to expand...

Hi Maple,

If I had to make a choice, I would take the home inspector rather than the agent. That's entirely up to you though. My home inspector happens to be a friend so he didin't mind tagging along to be my extra pair of eyes.

Don't worry about it too much though. I think that Norstar sends those letters so that people don't start bringing their family and close friends to the condo and get distracted. The point of the visit is to inspect so you can (and will) be excited but you have to keep your focus. Friends and family have to wait until later. I think that if you bring your agent and your inspector neither Tony nor Ron will bat an eye because they're your professional representatives and not part of your social circle. I hope that's helpful!
 
Great suggestions, bloomingsmurf.

I agree with your too. I'd think that it would even be advantageous for the builder to have the owner's realtor/agent tag along on the PDI because it would then give the agent an 'up and close' tour of the condo unit / building. I'm sure there are still some unsold units, so, it would be a free marketing tool for the builder to have agents see their nearly completed product.

We're bringing our agent because he's done a few PDIs in the past, and like you said, he's our professional rep who brought us to the condo site from the very beginning, and it makes complete sense for him to see what the finished product looks like.
 
An important note is that your inspector should have a through knowledge in the construction industry which also includes the Ontario Building Code and any other codes having jurisdiction in that area. While your agent has done a few PDIs in the past, it doesn't mean he really knows what to look for. Everyone can look point out the cosmetic side of things but when it comes to the actual construction (electrical, hvac, plumbing in particular) which matters more IMO, I think it's important that your inspector really knows their stuff.
 
No worries, on this one for us - my wife has knowledge of the Ontario Building Code, and has worked in the renovation industry for many years.
 
Thanks everyone for sharing all the information. Im so glad that Im gonna be living with such wonderful and helpful people. I'll call the Norstar guys and tell them that i need to take my agent and an inspector so theres no confusion when i get there.
Whos going next for their PDI...mine is at the end of March so till then I can keep feeling happy for you guys.
have all of you booked your appliances? I havent done mine....should probably go next week.
 
Hi Maple Mystery,

Don't bother calling Norstar. None of the head office people will be there and they will just repeat what their last letter said. Call the Tarion representative that your appointment letter lists and let him know you'll be bringing your agent and home inspector. It won't be an issue.

I haven't done my appliances yet either. Probably next weekend. I'm getting really excited about that!
 
maple mystery said:
oh...can anyone suggest a good home inspector and how much do they usually charge?
Click to expand...

HI Maple,

A suggestion would be to read the reviews for Toronto-based home inspectors at this site:

http://homestars.com/on/toronto/home-inspection

The reviews look very legit. I've used "homestars.com" for several other purposes, and it's been very helpful.

Good luck with the search!

(My PDI is at the end of the month)
 
Hi bloomingsmurf,

Thanks for sharing your PDI experience with us. Very enlightening. My husband and I can't wait to walk through our unit at the end of March.

As we currently live close by to the site, we tend to drive by often to see the progress. We can see that there's a West-facing unit on the second floor that looks like it's been furnished. I wonder if that's Michael's office now. Since we're so impatient :), we would love to visit him in his new office and see the unit as we think it may be a "Donlands" floorplan, which is what we bought. Has anyone been able to get through to him?

As for the appliances, we got that settled at Appliance Canada back in December. Tony Piazza, the Appliance Canada sales rep for our building, was pretty nice. He was nice enough to give us a "discount" because we mentioned that we're a newly married couple with a tight budget :)

What we realized with this experience is that it seems like it's actually better value if you initially go with the White appliances package (the one that includes the washer/dryer), then pay extra to upgrade your fridge, stove, and dishwasher to stainless steel, and keep the washer/dryer in white. The cost to upgrade these 3 appliances is less than what you would pay if you were to go with the stainless steel package, and then buy the washer/dryer from them separately. This is providing that you want stainless steel appliances, and that you don't care if the washer/dryer is white (it's hidden anyway, so we don't care :)).

We love this forum. Please keep us posted on your experiences!

Have a great weekend, everyone.
 
bloomingsmurf said:
Thanks Nels! It really was fun! As you all have (or soon will) experience, it is just so rewarding to walk through the floor plan that you've been trying to visualize for so long. I've been waiting almost 3 years personally!

There was no light in the laundry room however, I was pleasantly surprised by how wide it is. Depending on what size washer/dryer you get, there could be room to put a shelf on the side. It was quite wide.

Nobody suggested speaking with a lawyer at this stage. Basically, the inspection is held to make sure that you and the builder see the same flaws (if any) and to inform you of your options to report any structural flaws within the first several years that the condo is built. They also confirm the closing date so if Norstar delays after the date you receive at the PDI, Norstar has to pay penalties to you.

All of the closing fees and protocol are between you and Norstar so the builder doesn't go over any of that with you. If anyone knows when we should get that information, please let me know because I'm a little unclear on those details as well.

I hope to hear that everyone has a great experience walking through their condo!
Click to expand...

hey guys

its good too hear all the positive talk and knowing that tonys a good man,i saw him a few weeks ago outside and he was very nice,as for micheal if you dont have a pdi and you just want to see him,he told me the best time is during the weekday in the evening as it looks like he has pleanty of appointments during the day and the pdis going on,my one concern is that there is no light in the laundry room,i know there small but a small pot light would have been good,anyone hear anything on the elevator?it lookd like no work has been done on it and when will the landscaping start?all in all things are going good,im just surprised that there is no company advertisment,such as bell or rogers(discount for bulk billing) or insurence ect,no flyers or anything,other than td bank for the mortage,i will be going for my pdi soon and i while taking my uncle/inspector as you can always use the extra experienced eyes and my wife and mom will be doing the mesurments for the couches and tables ect,as she is excited to go to the furnature store and get moving,all in all im excited and cant wait to move in and maybe go on that condo board i suggest well all do as i like this forums ideas
 
mango3 said:
Hey Guys,
this is just MY opinion. I don't think anyone need to worry too much about getting an inspector. I went by myself and Tony seemed honest enough to go through everything in detail. I opened every door,draw and cabinet etc....as long as you make sure (irrespective of whether Tony points out anything to you or not) that you inspect EVERYTHING!!!!...that's all you need really...make sure everything fits, slides, opens and closes smoothly. There are not dents and chips on doors walls..cooling and heating system works well and light and outlets work...among other things....you should be fine!!!...good luck to everyone....
Click to expand...

I agree with you Mango,

I only took my home inspector because he was a friend. Just print the PDI checklist and go through yourself. Tony is really nice and he is not stand-offish or confrontational at all when you find problems.

I only advise taking a home inspector with you if you feel more comfortable doing so.
 
bloomingsmurf said:
I agree with you Mango,

I only took my home inspector because he was a friend. Just print the PDI checklist and go through yourself. Tony is really nice and he is not stand-offish or confrontational at all when you find problems.

I only advise taking a home inspector with you if you feel more comfortable doing so.
Click to expand...


Hey guys where do you print the pdi list
 
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