This article originally appeared on ValleyHarvester.ca. View the original article in full here.
BY HEATHER DESVEAUX
Real estate in the Annapolis Valley is always competitive and it appears to be more of a buyer’s market these days: sales are down but residential listings are up.
Those employed in the industry — especially agents, home stagers and home inspectors — heavily rely on referrals. Chances are you’ll find the most successful ones are those who have a proven record of community service too, making for a full and busy life. The more people they meet, the better.
Sailor and home inspector Alex Pay is enjoying the transition of working more on land than at sea, especially the more rural setting Kings and Hants counties offer. He says he’s noticed an increase in the number of homes with heat pumps, and advises homeowners to maintain a clear air flow by removing grass clippings and fallen leaves away from the fan, as this can cause the heat pump to have to work harder.
Twenty-six year old Alex Pay, who owns and operates A Buyer’s Choice Home Inspections (ABCHI) in Kings and Hants counties, is no exception. Pay has always served: first his country and now his community.
Pay joined the Navy as a non-commissioned member in 2009. Technically he is still on the HMCS Iroquois even though it was recently decommissioned. As a boatswain (Bos’n) and ship’s team diver, his duties include making sure everything is ship-shape, performing regular maintenance and inspection duties while at sea.
“We refuel the ship, drive the ship, we’re pretty much the jack of all trades but experts of none.” To be good at his job, he says being dependable with a good memory and attention for detail is essential.
With his wife Talia expecting their first child later this summer, he’d also prefer to be closer to home on land more than at sea. The couple live on a small hobby farm near Brooklyn, Hants.
Performing home inspections appears to be a natural transition. Pay knows all too well that a small leak can sink a great ship, and a house sale.
“Even when I joined, I knew I wouldn’t be posted that much and I was in a trade that would keep me in Halifax. I bought my first home at the age of 19, had a home inspection, didn’t think anything of it. A couple years later my wife and I bought another house and had a home inspection with the same company and same guy.”
But it was when Alex helped a friend do a home inspection, the real estate agent noticed that Pay picked up on most of things the certified inspector also had. “So he [the home inspector] offered me a job,” says Pay.
He went on to become certified above licensing standards and was encouraged take on the franchise that was available in the Kings-Hants area. “I know I’ve had the best training in the business,” says Pay.
“While my primary career is still military for now, I can still book and do home inspections during the day, on evenings and weekends.” Pay admits it doesn’t leave him much time to sleep.
“We provide fully insured, non-invasive visual inspections of properties that can be done prior to listing or closing a real estate transaction,” says Pay. He also offers a home maintenance inspection service, which includes a report on items that either require immediate attention or that can be placed on a “honey do list”.
The important thing to Pay is to make sure he’s continuing to ’pay it forward’ by not only helping customers make better real estate decisions but also supporting causes that mean something to them.
Proceeds from ABCHI Kings-Hants help support Autism Speaks Canada. “Diagnosis rates increase 15 per cent each year and that affects a lot of families.” Pay participated in this year’s Town Clean Up in Windsor. He’s also donating $10 from every inspection to the West Hants women’s hockey team to help them cover higher costs of travelling to play and practice at another rink as they wait for the new Newport and District Rink to be built after its roof collapsed last winter.
“My wife teaches skating and plays on the team, so it means a lot to our family but also to support people we know.”