Many people buy a home with plans to sell it again - either they are buying a starter home, or they are buying an investment that they intend to flip and sell for a higher value. Flipping isn't as easy as it looks on TV, though. If you are planning to sell, keep these...
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cesia@wall-arm.ca
A new kind of holograph will
A holograph will is a will that is done entirely in your own handwriting; if there are no typed portions, then it just needs to be dated and signed at the bottom. No witnesses are required. There have been some unusual holograph wills probated in the past, such as a...
Buying a house for $1
Gary, Indiana has had a lot of troubles over the years. A prosperous steel town in the 1960s,when it was home to the Jackson 5, its population has plummeted by half since then, and unemployment rates have risen. One of its many problems is a high percentage of homes...
Sorting your stuff
When people think about estate fights, they often think that the heirs are fighting over large bank accounts, or country properties. More often than not, however, family members will fight longest and hardest over the stuff. My grandfather passed away when I was 18....
Flood preparedness
With the recent major flooding in Alberta and serious flooding in Toronto, I thought I would write a bit about flood preparedness. Here are some things to keep in mind: 1. Check your sump pump. The sump pump keeps water out of your basement. Most run on electricity...
No assets? At least consider a power of attorney
A lot of people tell me that they have no major assets, and no dependants, so they don't need to have a will drafted. While I'm not entirely sure I agree with that, even if you don't need a will, it doesn't mean you don't need to do estate planning. If you were...
Do you have to disclose if someone died in your home?
Generally, you are not required to share information about the house as long as you don't hide anything or deliberately lie about anything. You do not have to offer information that your spouse or parent died at h0me, or that there was a suicide or even a murder in...
Live-tweeting a death
Those of you reading this on Twitter will know that it is quite common to live-tweet big events. I've done it myself at several conferences; it gives those not in attendance (or those of us in different streams) the chance to "sit in" on the presenters. Scott Simon...
Executions
No, not the scary kind. Today’s topic: writs of execution in the sheriff’s office, and what this may mean on the sale of your home. If you owe child support or spousal support, or lost a lawsuit and didn’t pay the judgement, or owed money to the bank that you skipped...
A code of conduct for will drafters
I spent four wonderful years at Queen's University, where I majored in women's studies and minored in English literature. After a year off teaching English in South Korea, I then went to law school at the University of Ottawa where I completed my law degree, articled...