Archive for Real Estate Horror Stories and Dirty Tricks
Thinking Of Renting Out Your Home For Extra Income In Toronto?
The Toronto Star recently published a story on a “tenant from hell”, who seemed like an ideal tenant at first – before leaving a string of bounced cheques and very upset landlords in her wake. Because laws in Ontario are more designed to protect the tenant, it’s difficult to get someone evicted when they stop [...]
Landlords and Tenants, Be Careful with Social Media
The daughter of a friend of mine is in her first year at college. She’s living in a dorm room, but she and her parents are already talking about her living arrangements for next year, when she will most likely move into an apartment. As with probably most college-aged kids, the young lady has a [...]
Buying a Home In Toronto? Moving Soon? Check Out These Little-Known Moving Scams
Moving into a new Toronto home is exciting, but moving day itself is usually already headache-laden. Hiring a moving company is usually the best way to go to ensure it’s relatively stress-free. But not all movers are reputable, and some have come up with ways to scam you out of additional money. Check out these [...]
Biggest Mistakes You Can Make As A First-Time Homebuyer In Toronto
Buying Toronto Real Estate for the first time: Don’t make these mistakes Not budgeting for extra costs Many people overlook or don’t understand what is included in the blanket phrase “closing costs”. These costs include taxes, legal fees, home inspector fees, moving costs, insurance and hooking up utilities. Even if you have your home buying [...]
Former Grow-op Homes: An Increasing Problem In Toronto?
The National Post published an article today on grow-op houses in Toronto, and how they are on the increase. Unfortunately, it’s becoming a growing problem for home buyers and home sellers in the City of Toronto. According to the article, being a former grow-op home can reduce the selling price by between 20% and 25%. While [...]
Bully Offers and Toronto Real Estate
Toronto Real Estate. What is a bully offer, and what are the pros and cons for both buyers and sellers in a bully offer situation?
Buying Land In The Greater Toronto Area? Get A Land Survey
Toronto real estate lawyer Bob Aaron describes what can go wrong without a land survey in his Toronto Star column this week. In his column, Aaron tells of an Edmonton family who purchased a plot of land with the intention of building a house there. However, everyone involved dropped the ball and the property that [...]
Toronto-Area Couple Steals During Open Houses
According to the Canadian Press, a Toronto-area couple is facing several different charges after pilfering through people’s belongings and taking what they wanted during real estate open houses. After a string of thefts in a series of open houses, police began keeping track and finally arrested the suspects last weekend. Jewelry and money were the [...]
Toronto Real Estate Income Properties Require Research On Potential Tenants
Ever consider renting out your Toronto real estate? Maybe you have a spare bedroom, basement or whole home that was bought as an investment property and some extra income would certainly help with paying off the mortgage. There are more laws in place in Ontario to protect tenants than landlords. In the case of a [...]
Radon Risks For Toronto Real Estate Owners
Radon is the lesser-known, ugly cousin of mold and asbestos. It’s a homeowner issue that is not discussed or widely publicized like mold and asbestos, because there’s little recourse for litigation. When radon occurs, it’s not really anyone’s fault. Radon is a radioactive gas that is invisible and has no odour. It naturally exists all [...]
