Topic

Real estate

Plain-language answers on real estate, written from primary sources.

Answers

What actually happens to your deposit and contract when Alberta mortgage financing collapses before closing, and why timing controls everything.

A breakdown of Alberta's Land Titles fees, when GST applies, the condo-only charge many buyers miss, and what isn't covered here.

How title insurance fits alongside Ontario's and Alberta's government land title guarantees, and where each protection actually stops.

What actually forces Ontario buyers and sellers into hiring a lawyer, and the narrow situations where the rule works differently.

Who actually decides where a failed deal's deposit goes, why 'the buyer breached' isn't the end of the story, and the tax bill nobody mentions.

Why closing a home sale in Ontario runs through a lawyer, what the lawyer handles, and why no statute simply says 'you must hire one.'

The financing programs, refunds, and disclosure documents that matter most, and the one legal doctrine that shifts risk onto the buyer.

What actually changes when you skip the agent: the paperwork, the legal steps, and how Ontario and Alberta treat private sellers differently.

The remedies a seller actually has when a buyer walks away, the mitigation duty most sellers miss, and where Alberta's rules stay unverified.

How title fraud actually works, the legal protections in Ontario and Alberta that differ, and the practical safeguards worth setting up now.

What Alberta law actually requires for a home closing, where a lawyer's role stops being optional, and who else can witness the paperwork.