Unfortunately, I occasionally have a client call me after a purchase has closed to let me know that there was damage in the house – a broken railing, a damaged pool filter, or even that the vendor took all of the light fixtures and curtain rods. If you arrive at your...
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cesia@wall-arm.ca
The young and the will-less
Lynne Butler, who blogs at Estate Law Canada, wrote an article in the Globe and Mail last week about estate planning for twenty- and thirtysomethings. She writes about the fact that most people think that estate planning is something to do later in life; in my own...
Taking out a mortgage to pay the foreclosure lawyer
We’ve all read the stories coming out of the US about the crash of the housing market and the devastating amount of foreclosures, many of which were done improperly. I read an article recently in the New York Times about an unusual way some homeowners are going about...
When two wills are better than one
For most people, one will is sufficient to properly protect their assets. Sometimes, however, it will be appropriate to have two or more wills in place to deal with different types of assets. In Ontario, the concept of multiple wills has been recognized since the case...
Changes to Tarion to protect new home buyers
Chris Jaglowitz at the Ontario Condo Law Blog posted an article last month detailing some changes to Tarion’s rules on adjustments for taxes and development charges. As he notes, the existing rules allow a municipality to adjust for taxes based on estimates without...
Till death do you part
In Ontario, when you marry, you automatically revoke your will unless you have made specific provisions not to do so. The reason for this is that your spouse and/or children should not be disinherited simply because you forgot to update your will to reflect your...
Adjustments
When purchasing a property, it is important to keep in mind that there are more costs than simply the purchase price. As I have blogged about here and here, there are a number of disbursements that you should always factor in when budgeting for your home purchase. One...
Ashes: not just for lakes and mountains any more
The “Mental Floss” blog posted an interesting article a little while back called “Oh, the places your ashes will go!” As it turns out, there are many ways that people have arranged for a more unusual final resting place: mixed into ink and used to illustrate a comic...
Buying tenants
If you are purchasing a home that is currently rented out (or has an apartment that is currently rented out), there are extra precautions that you should take to ensure that the closing will go smoothly, whether you intend to have the tenancies severed on closing or...
Six ways to lose your estate
Lynne Butler at the Estate Law Canada blog posted an interesting link a few weeks ago to an article called “6 Ways to Lose Your Estate” at Investopedia. The author, Stephanie Barton, goes through the six main reasons why it is important to have a will: control over...