Desjardins, Lévis: Century-Old Plexes and Recent Condos

In the Desjardins borough of Lévis, across the river from Quebec City, two building stocks sit side by side: triplexes and 4+ unit buildings, half of them more than a century old, and condos, two thirds of them built since 2000. Buying one or the other does not raise the same questions. Our overview of the city is in our Lévis real estate market article; this one covers a single subject: the age of the buildings sold and what it changes for a buyer.

222 sales, two building stocks a century apart

The figures come from CourtiConnect's comparable sales database for the Desjardins borough, rentals excluded. The sales on file run from October 4, 2025 to May 14, 2026: 222 sales, with the construction year known for 218. Only aggregates are published; no individual sale is shown.

• Triplex: 12 sales; median construction year 1906.5; 9 built before 1940.
• 4+ units: 14 sales; median year 1912.5; 9 built before 1940.
• Duplex: 33 sales; median year 1950; 8 built before 1940 and 20 between 1940 and 1979.
• House: 58 sales (year known for 57); median year 2000.
• Condo: 105 sales (year known for 102); median year 2009; 68 built in 2000 or later.

Taken together, the 59 income properties sold have a median construction year of 1945, and 11 of them predate 1900. For a buyer, building age is therefore not a side issue in this area: it concerns most of the triplexes and larger buildings that sell here.

What age changes for the inspection

A century-old building has been through several generations of work. The pre-purchase inspection therefore has to tell what is original from what was redone, and when. Foundations, electrical, plumbing, insulation and ventilation are where age weighs the most.

A general inspection may conclude that more specialized assessments are needed: a master electrician for the electrical system, a foundation specialist, or a materials test. It is better to plan for that within the inspection condition's deadline than to find out afterwards. The inspection steps themselves are covered in our pre-purchase inspection guide.

What age changes for insurance

An insurer does not just look at the construction year: it asks about the age and condition of the roof, electrical, plumbing and heating. Original systems may lead it to set conditions, raise the premium or refuse coverage until work is done.

The consequence goes beyond the premium. The mortgage lender requires property insurance before releasing funds: a refusal of coverage can therefore block the purchase itself. Getting an insurance quote during the conditions period, with the inspection report in hand, avoids finding out at the notary's office.

What age changes for renovations

In an old building, one renovation can lead to another: opening a wall reveals wiring or piping that also needs redoing. The work budget is therefore built with a margin, from quotes, not from a cost per square foot.

Part of the borough includes older areas where the municipality may regulate exterior work: windows, cladding, roofing. Before buying an old building with a renovation plan, check with the City of Lévis whether the address is covered by such a by-law.

What age changes for financing

The lender finances a value. For an old building, the appraisal it orders takes the building's condition and expected work into account. An inspection report that flags major work can weigh on that appraisal, and therefore on the amount lent.

For an income property, the lender also looks at rents and expenses. In a century-old building, maintenance and heating costs carry more weight: they go into the calculation of how much debt the building can carry.

On the recent-condo side: different checks

A condo built after 2000 does not raise the same questions, but it does raise some. The syndicate's documents matter more than the building's age: meeting minutes, the state of the contingency fund, work already voted. These points are covered in our article on the contingency fund and the self-insurance fund.

Depending on when the building was completed, a recent condo may still be partly covered by the new residential building guarantee plan. What that guarantee still covers, and for how long, should be checked before making an offer.