The pandemic has dramatically changed how home buyers and sellers close their property deals

by admin | Nov 14, 2020 | 2020 Toronto Star Property Law Column, Toronto Star Property Law Columns

Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca Anyone who has bought or sold a property since the COVID-19 state of emergency was declared in Ontario last March will have experienced a sea change in how these deals are legally closed. Prior to the pandemic, buyers and sellers of houses and...

Would you agree to buy a property that is haunted?

by admin | Oct 31, 2020 | 2020 Toronto Star Property Law Column, Toronto Star Property Law Columns

Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca Young ghosts and goblins may be imagining the hauntings that have happened in their homes this Hallowe’en. For home buyers, the possibility of purchasing a residence associated with a haunting — or other dark event — can be a true nightmare....

Dispute over a property line fence stirs up a costly battle in Superior Court

by admin | Oct 17, 2020 | 2020 Toronto Star Property Law Column, Toronto Star Property Law Columns

Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca Keep your neighbour disputes off the Internet. A decision from Superior Court in May provides a compelling lesson about why disputing neighbours should keep their differences off the internet. The case ended with a $70,000 judgment against an...

Know your commitment about paying a real estate brokerage commission before you sign a listing agreement

by admin | Sep 30, 2020 | 2020 Toronto Star Property Law Column, Toronto Star Property Law Columns

Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca Should home sellers have to pay commission on a sale if the transaction doesn’t close? The Ontario Real Estate Association (OREA), an industry group representing realtors, thinks so. It publishes the listing agreement which is used in virtually...

Refusing to close a property deal can be risky – and expensive

by admin | Sep 19, 2020 | 2020 Toronto Star Property Law Column, Toronto Star Property Law Columns

Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca Refusing to close a deal for the unconditional sale of a home in a rising market is never a good idea. It can lead to expensive consequences. That’s what happened in Brampton back in March, 2016. Okey Eze owned a property on Lonetree Ct. He...