Prince Edward Island is located on the east coast of Canada, next to Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick.
2. Can anybody buy PEI Real Estate?
Answer:
Yes, any investor in the world can buy a PEI Real Estate property.
3. Do I need a lawyer to buy a property in PEI?
Answer:
Yes, you need a PEI lawyer to search out a property for you to make sure there are no liens or mortgages outstanding.
4. What is the procedure to buy a property in PEI?
Answer:
The Purchaser (with the help of a PEI Real Estate agent) fills out 3 forms: 1.An Agreement of Purchase & Sale 2. An Agency Disclosure form 3. A Schedule"A" form. These forms are submitted to the Vendor of the property for his or her acceptance. The Vendor can accept the offer or give a Counteroffer back to the Purchaser. Eventually an agreement is reached and when the offer conditions are met, the offer goes to the closing date and the Purchaser takes title to the property.
5. What is a Perk Test?
Answer:
Before any citizen of Prince Edward Island can get a Buiilding Permit, there must be a successful Perk Test completed. This Perk Test is solely concerned with the type of soil a PEI property has in regards to a Septic System. A good Perk Test measures the ability of the soil to absorb liquid. Unfortunately, not all soils can absorb wastewater or purify it. Sewage disposal systems that are installed in unsuitable soils usually malfunction by leaking raw, untreated sewage to the soil surface or a roadside ditch, or by contaminating the groundwater.
To do a Perk Test, a hole of about 4 feet is dug by a backhoe in the area of the property where the septic tank and septic field will be located. Then a Prince Edward Island government official will get into the hole and analyse the profile of the soil at different depths in the profile. The PEI government official knows by training what a good soil profile should look like. He or she then will make a decision as to whether the Perk Test is Category 1 soil (The best soil test), or Category 2 soil, or Category 3 soil, etc. Most properties in Prince Edward Island will be either Category 1 or Category 2 soil.
In conclusion, it is mandatory that a Perk Test be done in Prince Edward Island before a Building Permit will be issued by the PEI government. When buying Raw Land on PEI, it is imperative that a Perk Test be done on it by the Vendor or Purchaser before the closing date of the offer agreement to protect the Purchaser. In very rare cases, it may be that the Purchaser bought land that he or she cannot build on.
6. Do I need a Home Inspection done when I buy a PEI Home?
Answer:
It is advisable to have some kind of house inspection done. It is the choice of the Purchaser as to whether
it is a Commercial Home Inspector, or a friend, etc. who is knowledgable in assessing a home property.
7. What taxes do I pay when purchasing a PEI property?
Answer:
1. There may be a 5% GST (Goods & Services Tax) on the selling price of some PEI properties.
2. Provincial Real Property Transfer tax of 1% may be applicable.
3. NOTE: Yearly property taxes are higher for non-residents than for PEI residents.
George Jordan, Owner/Broker Red Soil Real Estate Inc. 2107 Cape Bear Road Beach Point, PEI, C0A 1V0 902-962-2050 www.buysellpei.com