Opposition is growing over Quebec's new flood maps, with the province's professional association of real estate brokers warning they could disrupt the housing market and directly impact homeowners.
It always surprises me that when making the biggest purchase of their life people put so much trust and blind faith into realtors who aren’t required to have any formal education nor required to have any credentials to do the job.
Maybe they should be required to get a degree that covers topics like geography, land use planning, architecture, and trades related to home construction.
They do require credentials in most places, I know they do in Ontario, not sure about Quebec. Is more about the rules, and after that it’s all marketing.
What astounds me is how little thought most Canadians put into researching a home and pricing their offers. Mostly it’s just guessing close to a nearby house.
We had considered flood maps, and I used statistical models plus machine learning to tune my bid prices. I actually had a lot of fun with the whole thing.
Are trade organizations required to say the most obvious and dumb shit imaginable for a situation? Like, is there a watch group that sees realtors blaming unsellable homes in a flood region and makes sure that no one blames the obvious changing climate while they also bemoan having to do something about it?
"Oh no, I can't sell this very clearly marked death trap. Why won't you just let me sell this nightmare hamlet and let me do my job!?"
I agree but also from their perspective I'm sure they don't expect the government to help them financially to get a new house. Idk what the Canadian government is like but I'm sure it is insufficient like most others.
It's pretty devastating to be told your home is dangerous and you have to uproot and move your whole life or lose your insurance and that no one will buy it. I'm not really sure what I would do in this situation but hiding the map isn't going to make the problem go away.
Flood maps should be based on science, not politics. If you build/buy a house close to water, you are taking the risk that it can be flooded, just like houses in any dangerous area: steeps hills, tornado areas, or whatever else. Crying that the house value will drop because of real risks is just egoistic. Demanding the map be changed may even put people's lives at risk.
Oh no, the property value which had doubled over the past 10 years might drop a little bit. This has completely ruined my finances and now I'll never get to retire in an even bigger house.
This is the most privileged thing I think I've read all week.
You don't want a flood map made available because it affects your profits? That's the most wildly selfish thing I've ever heard. It's a real screw-you to the next generation/owners.
Meanwhile, the Conservatives of Bitcoin Trump-Lite PP have no credible climate policy. Climate change costs money. And all the next prime minister has to say is ...axe the tax.