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...
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real estate law
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...
Who owns the lake bed?
Here’s an interesting conundrum as we move further into summer: what happens if the water’s edge changes? There has been a very serious issue with Ontario’s lakes shrinking year over year. I was at a friend’s cottage last month and she was pointing out the rock they...
SPIS
A Seller Property Information Sheet is a form designed to give buyers additional information about the house. It asks sellers to list any known defects, pending work orders or tax increases, oversight by any regulatory body such as conservation authorities, etc. The...
What exactly am I paying for?
I get a lot of calls from people looking for quotes on my real estate fees. I completely understand; whenever I am thinking about a big purchase, I shop around too. What I wanted to talk about today was what, exactly, you need to keep in mind when you're doing your...
A road to nowhere
In 1985, Veikko Kivikangas subdivided a parcel of waterfront land he owned in Sudbury into three lots. One had direct road access; the others were given a right-of-way over each of the other pieces in order to access their lands. There had long been a gravel road over...
Happy long weekend!
The Canada Day long weekend is rapidly approaching here in the great white north. I’m looking forward to a nice break, filled with the first birthday party for my friend’s son, at least one barbeque and definitely some fireworks on Monday night. What I’m not looking...
When is a house a matrimonial home?
In Ontario, the Family Law Act rules state exactly when a home becomes a matrimonial home: the day you get married, if you are living there. In order to be a matrimonial home, it must be your ordinary residence. Your house could be a matrimonial home; so can your ski...
Pay your taxes
Most people aren't aware of this, but if you don't pay your municipal property taxes, the city or town has the right to sell your house out from under you. Keep in mind that just because they can, doesn't mean they necessarily will. First, the municipality cannot...
Cutting ties
What happens when you own a property jointly with someone, and don’t want to share any more? Your kindergarten teacher probably wouldn’t be happy, but technically, you can sever a joint tenancy without any notice to the other parties. Basically, you do a transfer from...