Home Buyer Beware
Vice
When You Find Out Your Neighbors Own Your House and They Try to Evict You
When veteran Danny Shedd bought his house, he didn’t actually buy his house, but some property to the north. Then his problems started. Read more
CBC News | Toronto
In Toronto real estate nightmare, owner discovers city owns land he thought was his
Real estate lawyer says only a property survey could have prevented issue
A Toronto resident is worried he’s lost nearly $150,000 in property value after learning part of what he thought was his home — land he is paying property tax on — is actually owned by the city. Read more
CBC News, Sudbury | Video
Sudbury couple feels ‘driven out of town’ by land dispute with Laurentian University
2 offers to buy and exchange land with Laurentian University have been rejected
A couple in Sudbury, Ont. is trying to resolve a property boundary issue with Laurentian University after learning the school owns almost half of their backyard. Read more
CBC Information Morning Show NS | What you need to know about title insurance
Buying a house is one of the biggest purchases most of us will make and protecting title and ownership of our property is important. CBC Consumer Reporter Yvonne Colbert tells us what we need to know. CBC Radio Interview
CBC News Nova Scotia | What you need to know before buying title insurance
More homebuyers are opting for title insurance rather than land surveys
An increasing number of homebuyers are turning to title insurance as a cheaper alternative to land surveys, but experts stress it’s important to know what you’re buying — especially what’s covered and what’s not.
Read more CBC Radio Interview
Professional Surveyors Canada Comment
Title Insurance vs Survey is not an either/or choice – both have their purpose.
Although this particular case occurred in Nova Scotia, similar situations do arise across the country. Home owners should be aware that while title insurance insures the mortgager (your bank) against potential deficiencies in title, it does not insure a landowner against misrepresentation of boundaries. The only way to be certain that the parcel you are buying is as represented by the seller and your Realtor is to consult a professional land surveyor prior to purchase, or to require a current survey as part of the conditions of sale. Only Professional Land Surveyors have the required knowledge, training and skill to confirm your parcel boundaries, as recognized by land survey legislation in all provinces and territories of Canada. |
CBC Information Morning – Cape Breton | Home Buyer Beware
CBC Investigates | 1st-time homebuyer stunned to discover new backyard isn’t his
Nova Scotia man told he doesn’t own the backyard he thought he’d purchased with his home
Imagine buying a home with a deck, a shed and a big fenced backyard, only to discover you own neither the backyard nor the shed and only part of the back deck.
Read more CBC Radio Interview
CBC News | Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia family abandoned home after neighbour blocked road access
Signs have been put up saying the road is privately owned, but provincial records say otherwise
A Colchester County, N.S., man says his family was forced to abandon their house because their neighbour has blocked access to the public road leading to their property.
Read more
Move Smartly Real Estate blog | Get a survey even if your agent says no
With cottage-buying season now underway, it’s important to remember that a land survey is the single most important document in the whole purchase process. If the cottage building is sitting on land owned by the Crown, or a local municipality, or a neighbour, the otherwise proud owner is going to be extremely unhappy and will soon be seeing a litigation lawyer. It is dangerous to assume that any cottage is built exactly where it should be located. Only a survey prepared by an Ontario land surveyor can confirm that the cottage is situated inside the appropriate land boundaries, that the land it sits on is where it should be and is the correct size, and, if appropriate, the lot has private lake frontage. Read more |
Fox2 News | Home owner’s garage auctioned off without him knowing
WESTLAND, Mich. (WJBK) – It’s one of the strangest foreclosure cases you will ever see. A homeowner in Westland, Mich. discovers his attached garage is not considered his property. In fact, the garage was just sold to someone else at an auction. Read more |