Last summer, when we started up this blog, I wrote a post about title searching. I was thinking about this yesterday after I saw a client buying a property in the area that had a restrictive covenant on it. A restrictive covenant is a requirement that you either do or not do something with your… Continue reading Restricted
Tag: real estate law
Chattels and fixtures and lawyers, oh my!
We got an interesting call at the office yesterday: my partner’s client arrived at his new home to find that the vendors had taken the furnace with them. When my partner called the seller’s lawyer to ask for an explanation, he explained that the furnace was a chattel, was not included in the agreement, and… Continue reading Chattels and fixtures and lawyers, oh my!
How to find a real estate lawyer
In Ontario, if you want to buy or sell a home, you are required to go through a lawyer as only licensed and insured real estate lawyers are entitled to register transfers of property. There is extra insurance required to practice real estate law in Ontario, and so not all lawyers can transfer property. The… Continue reading How to find a real estate lawyer
Getting your signing hand ready
My first contact with clients is generally over the phone, when they call to retain me. Usually in the course of that phone call, they will ask when they need to come in to sign. Generally, you will sign the paperwork with your lawyer one to three days prior to closing. While we can certainly… Continue reading Getting your signing hand ready
Survey says
Someone asked me an interesting question the other day: what happens if there is a mistake in the survey and I don’t find out until after closing? 20 years ago, when you bought property in Ontario, your lawyer would have done a full certification of title. There would have been a dozen searches and probably… Continue reading Survey says