The protection of heritage homes may well be consensus, very few people are ready to buy them to live there. Consequence: some listed buildings remain on sale for years, and several heritage advocates fear that they will end up falling into disrepair, for lack of a buyer.
The Pâquet house, in the Saint-Nicolas sector, in Lévis, is probably the most obvious example of the lack of enthusiasm of buyers for ancestral constructions. This residence dating from the end of New France was put up for sale four years ago for almost a million dollars, but the advertised price has not stopped falling since. It now points to $ 435,000, almost $ 100,000 below the property assessment.
“Something’s going to have to happen, because I don’t have enough pension funds to keep it going for years to come. In my situation, I can understand that people who have nothing to do with heritage may prefer to demolish the house and then sell the land, ”warns the owner of the premises, Jean-François Taschereau.
At the age of 67, it is with regret that Mr. Taschereau liquidates the colossal residence of six bedrooms and two kitchens where he raised his three children. Weakened for several years by health problems, this antiques enthusiast had bought the house Pâquet in the late 1980s to restore it, both inside and out, with the support of the Ministry of Culture.
The wood stoves, the huge chandeliers, the sewing machine, the furniture of yesteryear: almost all the decoration inside evokes the seigniorial era, which arouses the admiration of visitors while being a serious hindrance. for sale, laments its owner.
“It is certain that, if the interior were in Gyproc, decorated with a luminous white, I would have already sold it. The new owners could always renovate it entirely, as the interior is not classified as heritage, but that would be a shame. There are not many houses from this period whose interiors have been restored, ”emphasizes Mr. Taschereau, who adds that people are perhaps less interested in the built heritage than they lead them to believe.
Meanwhile, the City of Lévis is concerned about the fate of the Pâquet house, even if it is not part of its jurisdiction. The municipal administration is worried that the residence requires certain maintenance work, but stresses that it is sold without legal warranty, which “can be a hindrance for potential buyers”.
Pitfalls for buyers
A similar situation on the other side of the river, where the manor of Baronnie-de-Portneuf has been for sale for about a year and a half, while most of the other homes on the market all around find buyers in a few weeks since the start of the pandemic. However, this property built somewhere between 1762 and 1788 has a certain cachet, it which belonged to several big names of the English-speaking elite after the Conquest, such as businessman Edward Hale.
Its current owner, Jean-François Corbeil, used it as a second home for almost 30 years, and he is still hopeful of closing the deal at the original price of $ 295,000, although it is true that the wait begins to weigh.
I do not regret having had it protected by the Ministry of Culture, but if you look at things from a down to earth way, it is sure that it complicates the sale.
“I do not regret having had it protected by the Ministry of Culture, but if you look at things from a down to earth way, it is sure that it complicates the sale, because it entails a lot of obligations for the buyer before undertaking any work, ”explains this accountant from the metropolitan area.
In short, the recognition of heritage value by the department turns out to be a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it allows the granting of subsidies for work, but on the other, it complicates the repair process to the point of chilling potential buyers.
Added to this is the problem of insurance companies, which are still just as reluctant to protect a house classified as heritage. Some of them will agree to reimburse certain damages, but will add so many exceptions that some owners prefer to do without insurance coverage.
“There are many people who change their mind along the way when they see how complicated it is to be insured. Often, it is family members who inherit a house and who end up changing their minds, because the insurance companies no longer want to insure a house as soon as there is a change of owner ”, denounces Noémi Nadeau, general manager of the Friends and owners of old houses in Quebec.
The association campaigns to make insurers aware of the reality of heritage listed houses. Until then, she still fears that some buildings without a buyer will be abandoned.
Slight embellishment
Real estate brokers with whom The duty spoke, however, are reassuring. Homes classified as heritage have been selling more easily since the start of the pandemic, also benefiting to some extent from the boom in the real estate market.
“It’s normal that things aren’t as fast as for the other properties, because we’re talking about a more nested market. But, yes, there is an interest. You just have to be patient, ”says Catherine Labrecque, broker at Royal LePage in the greater Quebec City region.
The Ministry of Culture does not know how many heritage listed houses are for sale or have been left vacant.