Hello first time home buyers. The process of buying the first home is a very exciting experience, but it can be tasking and overwhelming. In order to encourage home ownership and lessen the financial burden various levels of governments offer credits and incentives for first time home buyer, and they can add up to fairly significant amounts. I would like to explain to you the credits, their benefits, what they are and how to apply for them. There are many requirements and rules that need... [read more]

Why Are Condo Fee So High? In this article we will look at why are condo fees so high. The amount to be paid for monthly condo fees can range anywhere from $200 for a studio unit in the brand new condominium building to many thousands of dollars for a large penthouse in older building with many amenities, in most cases the fees will be anywhere between $300 to $1,000 per month, sometimes they seem reasonable, in other cases quite excessive, they only go up, and we often ask ourselves... [read more]

In the hot real estate market we almost never hear of an escape clause because the properties are often sold in multiple offers situation and without conditions, in the slower markets the escape clause happens more often. The escape clause in not limited to real estate and can happen in any type of contract.  Essentially the escape clause means that a party to a contract can escape or get out of the contract without a penalty. The clause can be used be either buyer or... [read more]

In this blog I will try to explain basics of assignments, the general terms apply to any region in Canada, some specifics will be related to Ontario and more specifically GTA. What is an assignment. Assignment is when the seller sells the interest in the property (contract with the builder) before they actually own the property (before the seller’s name is on the title). In real estate transaction the assignments can happen for preconstruction and resale, in practise it is very rare... [read more]

The topic of co-op units come up when someone sees a very inexpensive unit on the market and asks why so cheap, what’s the catch or is it too good to be true. To understand the issue, we will explain what co-op is, how it differs from the typical unit in a condominium and challenges related to buying, selling and owning a co-op. Legal structure. In a co-operative structure the corporation owns the land and each unit in the building, owner of a co-op doesn’t own the unit but... [read more]