Ooops!

The Red Pin posted a link to this amusing little story a while ago. Well, it was amusing to me – I’m sure it wasn’t amusing to the seller. In a nutshell, over a series of emails Kelty Druet agreed to sell her condo to Marc Girouard for $155,000. Four hours later, she changed her mind, writing an email to cancel the deal. Girouard sued her, claiming that they had a firm agreement – and he won. The judge stated that email communication has become a fact of modern life, and that the agreement was as binding as if it had been drawn up and signed.

As both The Red Pin and Marc Weisleder, the article’s author, note, it is still very important to have representation when buying or selling a home. While this story comes out of New Brunswick, real estate law is not that different in Ontario and this could theoretically happen here. Be very careful when negotiating on your own – saying yes might really mean saying yes!