Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca August 17 2002 Why should buyer have to wait for service New owner’s story a lesson in how not to treat customers Mark is an unhappy purchaser of a new $500,000 Thornhill home. His story dramatically shows some of the weaknesses in the system when it comes to customer service and the […]
Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca August 10 2002 There’s no place for racism in real estate The Real Estate Council of Ontario (RECO), the body that regulates the conduct of real estate agents, has served notice on Ontario brokers and agents that it will not tolerate racial or religious discrimination within the real estate industry. The […]
Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca August 3, 2002 Don’t be rattled by fixtures vs. chattels Cottage buyer thought docks were part of deal An interesting e-mail received from a reader last week highlights one of the perils of buying cottage property. At the same time, it underlines the important difference between fixtures and chattels when it comes […]
Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca July 27, 2002 Study shows mortgage renewers a loyal bunch Majority of repeat buyers stick with original lender Where do Canadian consumers look to get information about mortgage loans? Do they make full use of all the available information sources? Do borrowers shop around for mortgage loans or just accept the first […]
Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca July 20, 2002 Squeaky wheels get after-sales results Of all the mail and e-mail I receive from Star readers, by far the greatest amount deals with workmanship issues and uncompleted items in new homes and condominiums by a small number of local builders. Most of these letters relate in some detail […]
Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca July 13, 2002 Controversial Ottawa house has new owner Home built too close to road may have to be moved back Unlike the concrete jungle which borders the Toronto waterfront, the waterways of Ottawa are lined with more than 40 km of scenic parkway which offers wonderful cultural landscapes for the […]
Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca July 6, 2002 Homeowner lost legal suit over mould House was filled with 50 live potted plants covering every available space Very soon after Stella Derosa moved into her condominium townhouse in Kamloops, B.C., in 1997, she began to wheeze and suffer from an extreme shortness of breath. By early 1999, […]
Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca June 29, 2002 Agents, broker face fines in double-offer sale scheme The Real Estate Council of Ontario has put Ontario’s real estate agents and brokers on notice that if they participate in schemes to inflate the purchase price of property to secure financing, they are going to get caught and the penalties […]
Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca June 29, 2002 Loyalty programs could be illegalFrequent buyer plans violate obsolete sections of Criminal Code, professor argues Whenever I buy something for the house, the office or the car, whenever I shop in a drug store, Canadian Tire or a fast-food franchise, the chances are better than even that I’m participating […]
Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca June 8, 2002 Cottage purchases deserve due diligence Too casual an attitude can create expensive problems later When it comes to city properties, homeowners are usually very careful about protecting their driveways, fences and boundaries. But the same people who are so particular about property rights in the city are frequently very […]
Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca June 6, 2002 Ask a Lawyer Q In our condo, the board has rules that forbid fast-food delivery people from going upstairs to units. Instead, they call from downstairs and tenants must go down to pick up the order. The board claims this is for reasons of security. Can it do […]
Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca May 25, 2002 Paralegal proposal a recipe for havoc Non-lawyers may soon handle real estate sales Last month, the Law Society, the Ontario Bar Association and a paralegal group announced an agreement on a plan to regulate the province’s independent paralegal industry. In last week’s Title Page column, I suggested the agreement […]
Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca May 18, 2002 Lawyers governing paralegals: recipe for disaster Long-standing hostility between two groups doesn’t bode well The much-heralded agreement among various legal and paralegal organizations to regulate the province’s paralegal industry stands little chance of being implemented because the key player in the proposal the Ontario government was not represented at […]
Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca May 4, 2002 Builder offers can conceal surprises Make sure your lawyer checks it out Despite constant advice from lawyers, real estate agents and the Greater Toronto Home Builders’ Association, a significant number of new home and condominium buyers never get their agreements of purchase and sale reviewed by a lawyer before […]
Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca April 20, 2002 Tenant-homeowner tax inequity must stop Renters in Ontario pay four times more property taxes Most Ontario homeowners are likely unaware of it, but their property taxes are being heavily subsidized by tenants in multi-unit buildings. For decades, most Ontario municipalities have taxed multi-residential tenants at rates higher than those […]
Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca April 13, 2002 Fraudulent title transfer takes costly toll Owner, title insurance company out money When Isabel Simoes went with her husband, Laurenio, on a family visit in Portugal in the fall of 2000, she had no idea it would be the beginning of a nightmare that would hang over her family […]
Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca April 4, 2002 Oklahoma flip tosses lawyer Properties simultaneously purchased, flipped but mortgage lender wasn’t told The Law Society of Upper Canada has sent a clear message to the legal profession that lawyers who participate in real estate flip transactions without making full disclosure of the facts to all parties, particularly the […]
Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca March 23, 2002 New York real estate still strong after Sept. 11 I suppose the main reason I went to New York City for a few days last month was to see the site of the World Trade Center, but I have always found the city to be an exciting place […]
Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca March 16, 2002 Nightmare ending for victims of fraud Assurance Fund pays some costs but no money for business losses Ontario’s deputy director of titles has just released a written decision that marks the end of the Durrani family’s horrendous nightmare with the title to their home on Gilroy Dr. in Scarborough. […]
Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca March 9, 2002 Title fraud costs taxpayers Bank losses, legal fees covered by government fund Ontario’s deputy director of titles has released a series of decisions ordering rectification of five property titles taken by fraud artists, and re-registration of the same number of fraudulently discharged mortgages. In addition, the Land Titles Assurance […]