Blog

Buying a property that has a tenant?

Ontario’s Fair Housing Plan has negatively affected more than just the renting market; it’s also negatively affected the process of buying and selling a property. Longer Notice Periods and Longer Closings If you have a client interested in buying a property, but it has a tenant, then make sure to extend the closing date because […]

An Easy Hack to Avoiding a Lawsuit

As a lawyer, manager of a brokerage and a member of the Real Estate Institute of Canada (REIC) I’m surrounded by rules of professional conduct and codes of ethics. All of my actions – whether they’re related to my work or not – are filtered through not only the Law Society’s Rules of Professional Conduct, […]

Happy Canada Day! – The Renaissance of Renting

  Home owners – prepare to feel duped. Renters – prepare to feel like Warren Buffet.  Alex Avery, author of The Wealthy Renter and Vertica, an award winning property management group, are using cold hard math to prove that your money is much better off spent in the Canadian stock market than on a mortgage. […]

How to avoid a Lawsuit

Lawyers are great assets for any real estate agent or realty team. They’ll help you craft a legally acceptable arrangement, but they have their limits. They won’t help you create a good business deal because that’s your job. And if you don’t do your job your client will be stuck with a bad deal and […]

The Relocation Clause

You’re a professional. You’ve been trained to understand what your client needs. And you know how to find the best real estate. You and your client are excited, you sign the offers and then close the deal. What you may not know is that you’ve made a big mistake. The lease your client just signed […]

Why Your Commission isn’t Protected

Imagine this scenario: you and your client diligently review your listing agreement. You add in an expiration date of 6 months and no over-hold. A few days later your realize that the 6 month expiration date was a mistake; you both agreed via email that the expiration date would be 7 months after the date […]

Thinking like a Lawyer but Acting like a Leasing Guru

Should You Waive Goodbye to this Right or Sign a Release? Most leases require a tenant to obtain insurance that is consistent with the lease terms before it can enter a premises.  Despite this fundamental prerequisite to enter, most tenants fail to meet the lease’s insurance provision. This failure can cause delays in construction, occupancy […]