{"id":1222,"date":"2025-08-06T15:01:17","date_gmt":"2025-08-06T19:01:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.exponentialrealty.ca\/blog\/?p=1222"},"modified":"2025-08-06T15:01:23","modified_gmt":"2025-08-06T19:01:23","slug":"august-2025-real-estate-stats-comments","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.exponentialrealty.ca\/blog\/august-2025-real-estate-stats-comments\/","title":{"rendered":"August 2025 Real Estate stats\/comments"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.exponentialrealty.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/August-2025-Stats.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-1223\" src=\"https:\/\/www.exponentialrealty.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/August-2025-Stats-1024x1024.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"770\" height=\"770\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.exponentialrealty.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/August-2025-Stats-1024x1024.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.exponentialrealty.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/August-2025-Stats-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/www.exponentialrealty.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/August-2025-Stats-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/www.exponentialrealty.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/August-2025-Stats-768x768.png 768w, https:\/\/www.exponentialrealty.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/August-2025-Stats-1536x1536.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.exponentialrealty.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/August-2025-Stats-2048x2048.png 2048w, https:\/\/www.exponentialrealty.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/August-2025-Stats-420x420.png 420w, https:\/\/www.exponentialrealty.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/August-2025-Stats-240x240.png 240w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 770px) 100vw, 770px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><b>Cracking the Strata Code: How to Read Between the Lines<\/b><\/p>\n<p>When buying a strata property, part of the due diligence we handle for clients is reviewing strata documents\u2014typically covering the past two years.<br \/>\nFor anyone new to strata living, this can feel overwhelming. The documents can easily add up to hundreds, even thousands, of pages.<\/p>\n<p>Here is a quick overview of some key terms and documents that can give you a good first impression of how a building is managed, before diving into the details:<\/p>\n<p><b>Form B<\/b><\/p>\n<p>A summary sheet with key information about the specific unit, including:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Monthly strata fees<\/li>\n<li>Any outstanding amounts owing<\/li>\n<li>Parking and storage locker numbers<\/li>\n<li>The contingency fund balance (the building\u2019s savings for future repairs)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Contingency Fund<\/b><\/p>\n<p>This is the strata\u2019s emergency savings account.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Newer buildings<\/b>\u00a0usually have a smaller balance because little has needed repair.<\/li>\n<li><b>Older buildings<\/b>\u00a0typically have larger balances, as more money is set aside for future repairs.<br \/>\nA healthy contingency fund is a good sign of proactive management.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Depreciation Report<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Prepared by an independent company, this report:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Lists major repairs done in the past<\/li>\n<li>Provides projections for future repairs and costs under different funding models<\/li>\n<li>Must be updated every five years<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Remember, these are projections, not a guarantee of what will happen, but they give a good roadmap of potential costs.<\/p>\n<p><b>AGM (Annual General Meeting)<\/b><\/p>\n<p>This yearly meeting is where owners vote on budgets, set priorities, and decide whether more funds need to be saved for future repairs or replacements.<\/p>\n<p><b>Special Levy<\/b><\/p>\n<p>A special levy is an extra payment that all owners must contribute toward specific work.<br \/>\nIt\u00a0<b>doesn\u2019t always mean an emergency or something unexpected<\/b>\u2014sometimes it\u2019s for planned, upcoming projects that aren\u2019t covered by the regular budget.<\/p>\n<p>Is it time to run if you see a special levy?\u00a0<b>Not necessarily.<\/b><br \/>\nIt depends on:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>What the levy is for<\/li>\n<li>Whether the repairs are already underway or planned<\/li>\n<li>How the cost impacts the overall value of the unit<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>In many cases, a special levy can be a good sign that the complex is being well maintained and improved. These are the types of conversations worth having with your realtor.<\/p>\n<p><b>Insurance Certificate<\/b><\/p>\n<p>This document outlines the insurance policy for the\u00a0<b>entire building<\/b>\u00a0(not your individual unit).<br \/>\nOne key number we look at is the\u00a0<b>water damage deductible<\/b>.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>In the past, a deductible under $100,000 was generally a good sign.<\/li>\n<li>Recently, we\u2019re seeing deductibles as high as $300,000 or even $500,000.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>A high deductible often signals there have been multiple water damage claims. If we see this, we\u2019ll go through the strata minutes carefully to see what incidents occurred and whether there are ongoing issues.<\/p>\n<p><b>Where to Start If You\u2019re New to Strata<\/b><\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re short on time and want a general overview, start with these:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Form B<\/b>\u00a0\u2013 covers basic facts about the unit and the contingency fund balance<\/li>\n<li><b>AGM minutes<\/b>\u00a0\u2013 look for any mention of\u00a0<b>special levies<\/b>\u00a0or large projects<\/li>\n<li><b>Depreciation report<\/b>\u00a0\u2013 review past major work done and skim the future funding models<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Last but not least, don\u2019t be alarmed if you see terms like \u201cspecial levy\u201d or a high water damage deductible. These numbers tell a story\u2014and once you understand what they mean, the picture often looks very different. I\u2019ve seen older buildings with multi\u2011million\u2011dollar loans for major projects like roofs, balconies, and building membranes. At first glance, the numbers look scary, but in reality, those stratas are extremely proactive about maintenance and the buildings often end up in far better shape than many newer complexes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Cracking the Strata Code: How to Read Between the Lines When buying a strata property, part of the due diligence we handle for clients is reviewing strata documents\u2014typically covering the &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.exponentialrealty.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1222"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.exponentialrealty.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.exponentialrealty.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.exponentialrealty.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.exponentialrealty.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1222"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.exponentialrealty.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1222\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1224,"href":"https:\/\/www.exponentialrealty.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1222\/revisions\/1224"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.exponentialrealty.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1222"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.exponentialrealty.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1222"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.exponentialrealty.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1222"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}