Cesia

Buying a rental

I have written before about assuming a hot water heater rental contract with your new house. Today’s question: do you want to? Before you automatically agree to assume the contract, you might want to take a look at the wording of it. Sometimes it makes more sense to enter into a new contract with a… Continue reading Buying a rental

If a tree falls….

Earth Day is coming up next month, so here is a question along environmental lines: If a tree falls in your yard, who has to pay for its removal? A tree belongs to the property owner whose land the trunk is on. If it straddles two properties, it belongs to both owners. Any owner of… Continue reading If a tree falls….

Toxic walls

In most agreements, you will see a clause called “UFFI”. This stands for urea-formaldehyde foam insulation, and is a material that is carcinogenic and hasn’t been used at least since the 1980s. The clause in the agreement will state that, to the best of the seller’s knowledge and belief, there is no UFFI insulation in… Continue reading Toxic walls

Tax time

With tax time coming up shortly here in Canada, I thought I would revisit a topic: when do you have to pay HST on a house? The short answer: always, unless there is an exemption. One major exemption is for resale homes; as long as it has been used for residential purposes, there is generally… Continue reading Tax time

All the things you left behind

I have had many occasions where purchaser clients arrived at their new home to find it full of items that the vendor left behind. As a seller, you can only leave items if you have specifically agreed to do so in your agreement of purchase and sale. This includes construction materials; though it is easy… Continue reading All the things you left behind