Whether you are the buyer or the seller of real estate, it is important that you obtain a lawyer to represent your interests. There are many potential legal pitfalls for the unwary when buying real estate. The agreements for purchase and sale and other related documents are complex. To most people the purchase of a home is the largest investment of their life, and the agreement for purchase and sale is the most important legal contract they will ever sign, next to a will of course!

Don't forget to check our local business directory for lawyers - CLICK HERE

There are a number of ways to select the right lawyer for your needs:

Ask friends who have purchased real estate which lawyer they hired, whether they were satisfied, and why or why not.

If you're selling your home, there are ways to minimize re-negotiations because of issues arising from a home inspection

Q: How do I renegotiate with my home's buyers over problems arising from their home inspection?

A: When you are selling your home or condo, often times there are issues with the property that you might not be aware of. At this stage the buyer will often want to renegotiate the agreed price based on the results of the inspection. So how should you, the seller, respond? This is when you get the value out of your Realtor, they will be working for you in this process so make sure you choose a good realtor.

With a home there are often issues that be very costly to repair. One approach to take, as the seller, is to address the issues

So you got a “Low Ball” Offer on your house for sale…Unfortunately, “low ball offers” on homes are more common than you may think, particularly among investors. A “lowball offer” is an offer that is far below a home’s asking price (sometimes ridiculously low—but the value of “low” is in the eyes of the recipient). There is not really a benchmark for how low an offer is to be considered a “low ball,” but believe me, if you receive one when selling your home, you’ll know!

So…how should you respond? Should you tell them where they can stick it?

(It is soooo tempting!!) I say, usually, no! WHY?? You know, a bird in the hand and all that…

More than likely, you are angry. You are probably also insulted. It is difficult to do, but try to place your

So are you looking to buy a home in Kamloops? Tired of looking on www.mls.ca and constantly sorting out the good from the bad? Ever wonder how folks get to see the latest properties first?

Why not give me a call today and I can set you up on your very own Private Client Services (PCS) program.

PCS is your very own web based page that we setup together. It uses your criteria for location, price, bedrooms etc. and will email you a list of properties that match your specifications, not only that but you learn about new properties before they hit mls.ca. In today's market of low housing inventory that could be the difference in getting your home or losing out.

Its free and there is no obligation whatsoever, you can cancel anytime or request the

Buying Home Insurance

As a homeowner, you need to insure your house for replacement costs so that in the event of serious damage or destruction you have adequate coverage. Be sure to keep your home insurance current by reporting material changes or upgrades.

Bricks, Mortar and So Much More

Home ownership is one of the largest financial investment decisions Canadians make. Your home may be your biggest source of equity. No matter how well built, your home is vulnerable to fire, vandalism and other types of damage and destruction.

What Is Covered

Coverage can vary from one insurer to the next, so it’s important to select a policy that suits your specific needs. Home insurance covers the dwelling, contents and personal liability of you (the

Is rent to own for you? How does it work?

You may have seen more and more people advertising that they have a house or condo for sale, and offer to do a rent-to-own. It seems to be becoming a popular way for selling a property, but not a lot is known about exactly how it works, and to whose benefit.

When a seller advertises that he will consider doing a rent-to-own deal, he will be looking for someone to lease the house with two contracts. One contract will be a regular lease contract, and the other will deal with the purchasing part of the deal. This contract will be for a period of time that is agreeable to both the seller and the buyer, usually anywhere from one year to three years. Many people think that the seller will simply set aside

The Canadian economy is tied closely to the price of oil, meaning crude will have a broad impact over the coming year.

As they say, the cure for high prices is high prices.

That’s the truth at the heart of the collapse in oil prices in 2015, a force that will shape our personal finances in the coming year. In the GTA, it’s good news. The commute is cheaper and so is the cost of heating our homes. It adds up to a tax cut as good as the one the Liberals are giving us.

In the west, where 40,000 industry-related jobs have disappeared, more pain is on the way because the energy rout may only be midstream. Even if it isn’t, more jobs will likely go. Until the price of oil stabilizes, the only thing companies can do is guess and keep

There are distinct advantages to having a Realtor® acting for you in buying or selling a property. With careful selection, you can benefit greatly from the skills of a knowledgeable and sincere Realtor®. There are a number of approaches to finding a good real estate agent. For example, friends, neighbors, and relatives may have the names of agents that they have dealt with and would recommend. Open houses also provide an opportunity to meet Realtors®. Newspaper ads list the names and phone numbers of agents who are active in your area. “For Sale” signs provide an agent’s name and phone number. And real estate firms in your area can be located through the Yellow Pages. Any of course, the Internet is one of the most popular methods of research

Mortgage rates weren’t supposed to make record lows in 2015, not if you asked economists and the Bank of Canada two years ago. But they did. And despite all the chatter about the first U.S. rate hike since 2006, Canadian rates could do it again in 2016.

But interest rates won’t be all that’s changing in the coming 12 months. Here are four mortgage trends you need to watch in 2016.

More missed payments?

Seemingly every year the government throws new rules at the mortgage market, lending gets tighter and the housing market gets safer. But one thing Ottawa can’t control is world economics. Despite manufacturing gains from a cheap loonie, global growth is slowing. That and plunging oil means more Canadians could be out of work, and when people lose

A buyer who fails to close on a purchase may be risking more than just the deposit - you could be looking at damages, says lawyer Richard Bell

Q: What happens to my deposit if I cannot close my purchase?

A: Whenever a buyer makes an offer for the purchase of real estate the contract provides for a deposit. The deposit is normally around 5 per cent of the purchase price and in most instances is payable within a day or two of removal of any subjects. The standard subjects are subject to financing and inspection. Where the property is strata titled there will also be subjects for satisfactory review of such items as strata minutes, engineer’s reports and depreciation reports.

The reason for a deposit is to secure the buyer’s commitment to purchase