THE VANCOUVER BRIDE 17

The Home—Buy or Build

Points To Be Remembered

There are two ways of going about the business of securing a home.
Admittedly the easiest is to purchase one that is already built, but this has
its disadvantages. The purchaser pays for the convenience, and there are
usually certain details which are not always satisfactory, but which cannot
be altered. Building one’s own house is by far the best and most satisfac-
tory, as it can be so designed as to contain all the improvements one has
desired and it will be in the locality chosen by oneself, which, in itself, is a
big factor.

Building a house, however, entails many little details and considerable
amount of trouble can be occasioned unless one goes about it in the right
way.

After the lot has been purchased there must be a plan to suit purse as
well as requirements. If it is desired to make the home as beautiful, com-
fortable and permanent as possible in all its interior and exterior arrange-
ments, it is the wisest plan to obtain architects’ plans and services. A house
built on hit-or-miss drawings will result in waste, and waste lessens the pur-
chasing power of hard-earned dollars. Nearsighted saving, which prompts
many home builders to work to rough drawings made by an inexperienced
hand, eventually leads to dissatisfaction and increased expenditure for details
which had been overlooked. |

Selection of the lot is the first consideration. One should look for a
high, dry and well-drained piece of land, where water and sewage systems
are already cared for if possible. Make sure that building restrictions in the
neighborhood will be enforced or you may find a collection of undesirable
dwellings and shacks arising in the neighborhood which will certainly not
add to the general tone of the district.

Titles to the property should be thoroughly investigated before purchas-
ing. Before granting a loan the mortgagee will insist on some evidence that
the title is satisfactory. It is important also to note whether there are any
easements which might, for instance, allow a neighbor right-of-way across
the property or permit of water mains being run across it. It should be with-
in reasonable distance of a car line and a local shopping centre, and near
church and school. Exposure is also another important point, for a house

placed without thought of the reach of the winter sun is a cheerless and un-
healthy place.

In financing the home one should have at least one-third of the cost of
the house and the lot in hand before commencing to build. It is easy after
that to raise a first or second mortgage. In Canada building loans and first
and second mortgages are handled chiefly through large loan companies and
real estate agents. The first mortgage may cover 50 per cent. of the value
of the completed house and lot.