You put in an offer and it was accepted, but some time before the closing date, the seller decided not to complete the deal. Can you sue to make them sell you the property? In Ontario, there is a concept called “specific performance” which, essentially, means that you...

Barrie always has a lot of new construction going on. New homes in Ontario are subject to HST on the purchase price. Usually, this is built into the offer price, so that you don’t end up having to pay extra, but that always factors in that you’ll qualify for the...

I have had many occasions where purchaser clients arrived at their new home to find it full of items that the vendor left behind; most recently, a buyer client of mine agreed to allow the seller to leave behind a boat that couldn’t be moved because of the weather,...

One of the most common questions I get asked is how difficult it is to add an adult child to the title of your house. The correct question, though, isn’t whether it’s easy to add them on title. The correct question is whether it’s the right thing to do. And the answer...

A few years ago, my husband and I went to visit his family at Christmas. What we didn’t realize was that, just before we left, a toilet that got flushed did not stop running. We returned four days later to find it running, immediately turned it off, and gritted our...

Here are some things that often cause trouble for buyers: Going shopping before meeting with a mortgage broker or agent. You want to know how much you actually have to spend, so that you don’t look at places outside your actual budget. Skipping the financing condition...

For some things, you only get one chance: first time buyer credits for land transfer tax rebates or for income tax claims, for example. However, there is one area where you can have another chance, and that is the RRSP Home Buyer Plan. You can borrow from your RRSP to...

Here’s some great advice when you’re buying: have money set aside for more than just your down payment. You will have fees and adjustments to pay immediately on closing, and I can almost guarantee you will have something to pay within a few months of moving in. Even...

I love the podcast 99% Invisible, and I also subscribe to their newsletter. A while back, they did an article on how far up and down your property ownership goes. I can’t do better than them, so here is a link to the article on this fascinating topic.