Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca December 29, 2001 Tory bill takes aim at consumers Ontario’s minister of consumer and business services, Norm Sterling, has finally introduced Bill 152, his proposed new Real Estate and Business Brokers Act. The bill, which received its first reading Dec. 12, the day before the before the Legislature’s winter recess, is intended […]
Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca December 22, 2001 The War and Peace of condo literature 719-page tome a must if you want to understand the new condo act When Toronto condominium lawyers Harry Herskowitz and Mark Freedman set out to write the definitive guide to the new Condominium Act, I doubt if either of them realized what […]
Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca December 18, 2001 New form gives buyers protection Standard offer sheet isn’t perfect, but it’s the best yetBack in the late 1980s, the real estate industry came under government pressure to introduce a standard agreement for the purchase of newly constructed homes. Since many of the builder forms then in use were […]
Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca December 8, 2001 Making noise about noise B.C. precedent could help Toronto residents fight island airport expansion RICK EGLINTON/TORONTO STAR FILE PHOTOWON CASE: Three families successfully sued Vancouver’s airport and the federal government over noise from a new runway.Tens of thousands of people live along the Toronto waterfront. Condominium towers line Queens […]
Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca December 1, 2001 Building a litany of broken promises Young couple walk away from deposit in home-buying nightmareWhen Christopher and Kelly decided to move out of their downtown Toronto apartment and buy a house last spring, they scouted out a number of construction sites in Mississauga and finally settled on one. The […]
Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca November 24, 2001 No will? Get one now! Web site underscores why it should be prepared by a lawyerNovember is “Make a Will” month in Ontario, and the Ontario Bar Association, Certified General Accountants, Canadian Cancer Society and Heart & Stroke Foundation have launched a public education campaign to promote a better […]
Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca November 17, 2001 What recourse do St. Clair W. homebuyers have? Residents owners upset about slaughterhouse noise, truck trafficSt. Clair West Village is an attractive subdivision of 352 new semi-detached homes near St. Clair Ave. W. and Keele St. A project of Tribute Communities, the development hogged the publicity spotlight when local […]
Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca November 10, 2001 Making the GST work better for homebuyers Government fees and charges a major obstacle to affordable homesWhen Finance Minister Paul Martin delivers his federal budget next month, he will be grappling with unexpected security costs and the fallout from a weakening economy. Unless Martin brings down a deficit budget […]
Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca November 3, 2001 Getting to the root of a cellar flood City trees could be causing blockage on your private propertyFor several days last month, our house exhibited a pronounced but untraceable smell. One minute it was noticeable and pungent, the next minute it was gone. We had no idea where it […]
Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca Bob Aaron October 27, 2001 Murder, mayhem and ghosts History of house and owners can affect its valueIt’s Halloween season again, and the tiny witches and goblins in their Day-Glo costumes won’t be the only ones thinking of haunted houses on Wednesday night. A group of real estate agents will be taking […]
Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca October 20, 2001 Is there a deal or not? Case is a tricky one Judge rules condo builder can’t cancel agreement despite clause in documentWhat happens when a buyer tries to get out of a new home deal – twice – and the builder won’t let him? What happens when the same […]
Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca October 13, 2001 Why bar lawyers from real estate transactions? Flawed proposal would inhibit legal advice to clientsLarry Peterson is a lawyer who practises real estate law from offices in Sault Ste. Marie, Bruce Mines, and Blind River. Serving the rural area of Northern Ontario, he often mentions properties for sale to […]
Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca September 29, 2001 Challenge to the low-flush commodeUnder Ontario law, the toilets installed in every new home must not use more than six litres of water for each flush cycle. This is a stark contrast to the era before the 1950s, when toilets typically used 26 litres or more for each flush. […]
Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca May 19, 2001 Pre-sale inspections smooth path for buyer and seller Knowing conditions of house makes for faster negotiatingWhen an agreement of purchase and sale contains a condition – any condition – it leaves an opening for one party to back out of the transaction. Assuming the seller wants to sell, the […]
Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca Bob Aaron May 12, 2001 Did you buy at site of fire? Here’s what buyers of Liberty Walk townhouses need to know MICHAEL STUPARYK/TORONTO STARUP IN SMOKE: This massive townhouse fire has left hundreds of buyers up in the air. STARTING OVER: Buyers of Liberty Walk at Dufferin and Lawrence have been […]
Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca May 12, 2001 Possession counts when finders aren’t keepers Sometimes they’re the weepers, at least in this court caseIt’s a common misconception that the old adage “finders keepers, losers weepers” is the law of Canada. In most cases, however, that’s actually not the rule our courts follow, as a builder in Stratford, […]
Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca April 28, 2001 Gretzky: he sues, he misses Great One lost bid for $1.86 million Muskoka cottage TIM KOORS/AP PHOTONO SCORE: Gretzky’s offer to buy Lake Joseph cottagewas ruled invalid in court. I often tell my clients what I call Aaron’s First Law of Real Estate: If it’s not in writing, it […]
Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca April 28, 2001 What if Ontario residents don’t have proper title to their lands?It happened in Sarnia; could it happen here? One of the scariest things that can happen to any homeowner is to have a stranger come along and say, “This is my land. Please leave it now.” But that’s exactly […]
Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca April 14, 2001 Insulation foam doesn’t deserve to be banned New carpeting can give off more gas than UFFI For more than 20 years, virtually every residential agreement of purchase and sale in Ontario has contained a clause dealing with the perceived fear that urea formaldehyde foam insulation (commonly known as UFFI) […]
Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca April 7, 2001 Small-town lawyer has some big ideas Following the lead of Scottish solicitors may ruffle some real estate feathers In one small Ontario town, a handful of lawyers practise real estate law, and a similar number of real estate agents market and sell real estate. When a local house, farm […]