19 Jun
What to do Before You Move Out

What to do Before You Move Out

After weeks of keeping your house spotless and in ready-to-show condition, you’re ready to start packing. But before you go, you still have some responsibilities to the buyers of your current home.

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22 May
Latent Defects

Latent Defects

You bought your dream home but now that you’ve moved in, you think it may have a defect. What do you do??

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12 Mar
Legal Warranties in Quebec – A Buyer’s Guide

Legal Warranties in Quebec – A Buyer’s Guide

If you’ve been house hunting recently, you will have no doubt noticed that many listings include the clause “sold without legal warranty”. What is a legal warranty and what does it mean for you, the buyer?

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12 Feb
Don’t Forget the Welcome Tax!

Don’t Forget the Welcome Tax!

When you buy a home in Quebec, you are required to pay a Land Transfer Tax, also referred to as the “Welcome Tax” thanks to the former Quebec Minister of Municipal Affairs, Jean Bienvenue (which means welcome in French), who was responsible for instituting it. The municipality will send you an invoice in the weeks […]

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31 Oct
The Buyer’s Contract to Purchase

The Buyer’s Contract to Purchase

The Buyer’s Contract to Purchase is a legal contract that allows a real estate broker to represent a buyer in a residential real estate transaction in Quebec. It clearly identifies the responsibilities and obligations of both the broker and the buyer through the home-buying process.

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4 Jul
The End of Double-Ending

The End of Double-Ending

“Double-ending” refers to a situation where a single real estate broker represents both the Seller and the Buyer in a residential real estate transaction. It’s a practice that has long raised concerns about the broker’s ability to act in the best interests of both sets of clients. Changes to the Quebec Real Estate Brokerage Act will effectively put an end to the practice of double-ending.

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5 Oct
Do I Have to Sell My House?

Do I Have to Sell My House?

Multiple offers are becoming more common, leading clients to ask: “If I receive a full price offer, do I have to accept it?” The answer isn’t as straightforward as you might think.

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18 Jun
Protective Flood Zones

Protective Flood Zones

We’ve just experienced a winter with very little snow followed by a very dry spring. We’re dealing with low water levels throughout the region and facing the prospect of a drier than normal summer. For many homeowners and prospective buyers, however, the threat of seasonal flooding is an ongoing concern. Gone are the days when […]

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18 May
Downsizing

Downsizing

The real estate market is booming. Prices are rising to levels we’ve never seen before in Hudson, Saint-Lazare, Rigaud, Vaudreuil and the surrounding areas. It’s an excellent time for homeowners who’ve been considering downsizing to take advantage of the current market conditions, pocket some money and enjoy life! Where will I go? The biggest concern […]

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7 Apr
Cause and Effect in Real Estate

Cause and Effect in Real Estate

A hot housing market means buyers are feeling the pressure to act fast. But in their haste, they may be short-changing their brokers.

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10 Mar
French Drains and Sump Pumps

French Drains and Sump Pumps

Growing up around horses, I often heard the expression “no hoof, no horse”. Essentially, it means that you have to take good care of your horse’s hooves or it will become lame and you’ll have no horse to ride. The same goes for houses: the foundation of a home must be solid and protected. If […]

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11 Feb
Pre-Listing Building Inspection

Pre-Listing Building Inspection

Recently, I had a client comment that she hadn’t realized how much work a real estate broker does after the offer to purchase is accepted. Getting a signed offer is just one part of the sales process. Getting from the signed offer to the notary’s office to finalize the transaction is just as important – […]

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16 Nov
Sellers Declaration

Sellers Declaration

The Sellers declaration is what I like to call a CYA form (cover your a..) It is a form for the seller to declare to best of his knowledge, everything he knows of importance about his home to a buyer. It is to protect the seller, buyer and real estate broker so everything is transparent. […]

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13 Jul
Why Listing High Can Backfire

Why Listing High Can Backfire

“Let’s try it at a higher price first, then reduce to the broker’s suggested price later if we need to.” I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard clients say this. While it is a pricing strategy that gets used a lot, in my experience, it isn’t usually the best one. Say your experienced […]

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23 Mar
Certificate of Location; What is it Really?

Certificate of Location; What is it Really?

A Certificate of Location is a document, prepared by a land surveyor(arpenteur), consisting of a plan(map) and report on the current situation and state of immovable (the piece of land and all things attached to it, house, shed, servitudes) with respect to titles, lot regulations, zoning regulations and municipal bylaws. In the standard Quebec Brokerage […]

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