The Home-Buying Project: Real-Life Risk Management

Following 20 years at a large Canadian telecommunications firm, Bruce established the project management consulting firm Solutions Management Inc (SMI). Since 1999, he has provided contract project/program management services, been a source for project management support personnel and created/delivered courses to over 7,000 participants in Canada, the United States and England.

  Communications Management   Risk Management  

I recently bought a new home. My wife and I searched for years for the ideal spot, to no avail. Everything we looked at seemed not quite right. The property was nice, but the house wasn’t our style. The next place was a beautifully decorated home, but the neighborhood was noisy. Places that seemed to only need cosmetic changes were discovered to have major issues that are typical of homes that are more than two to three decades old. We became increasingly frustrated.

We stumbled upon a new development in a neighborhood we had previously determined would fit our needs. We were hesitant to commit because of all the issues we had heard about new-builds. Could this developer really be different and build on time? Could the endless stories of quality issues with houses built to today’s standards not happen to our home? What would we do if there were delays?

My wife and I fit the image of people who say “our home is our castle.” That’s not to say we expect an opulent style and seemingly outrageous features (not at all). It’s just that we take pride in our home, and we want it to be “right.” We wanted a well-built home that would be very low maintenance for many years. We expect windows and doors to fit properly, and items like door frames, floor trim and lighting to be done well. We expect the HVAC to operate properly; grading …

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