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St. Thomas and Elgin have seen an influx of many newcomers to the area over the last couple of years. We are told it’s a “sellers’ market”. This means purchasers must move decisively in order to obtain the home they want. It does not, however, mean moving recklessly The following are my top ten tips for home-buyers:

In the purchase of a home, one of the questions routinely asked of the real estate lawyer by his/her client is whether to purchase title insurance as part of the transaction. In order to intelligently answer this question in the context of any particular real estate purchase, it is necessary to first understand what title insurance is, and, perhaps more importantly, what it is not.

I have noticed it has been more common lately for increasingly younger people to have their wills and powers of attorney prepared, and I suspect this is , in part, due to the greater sophistication of consumers in general. I cannot emphasize the importance of an up-to -date will. For while dying without a will does not carry the dire consequences some would have you believe, the lack of guidance to family members and friends at a time of such emotional turmoil can be devastating.

While it was not that long ago that I attended law school, (yes I really did) I do recall that a will, in order to be valid, must be the “last will and testament” of the testator. The most obvious reason for this requirement is that, almost always, when a person draws a will, he /she revokes any previous will, so that the new will stands alone and is not confused with any previously expressed intentions.

It is estimated that, over the next 20 years, assuming present life expectancies and relative economic calm, the Canadian Baby Boomers will inherit over 1 trillion dollars. And, by extension, the much smaller millenial generation will inherit even much more. Particularly in larger estates, corporations and trusts are often used to avoid or defer various types of tax, and to organize more clearly the intentions of the testator.