Failure to get house survey can be costly

By Ellen Roseman

A house buyer learned her parking spot was illegal after closing the deal. She will pay $15,000 to replace it if she can even get a legal spot.

Buying a house or condo is a complex process, and many purchasers make decisions under deadline pressure.
Vanessa Herman wrote to me about her mistakes buying a house in Toronto’s Corso Italia area near St. Clair Ave. W. She had been living in Thornhill.

“I am a widow whose husband died just over five years ago. I wanted to start a new life,” she says. “My kids had all moved into the city and I wanted to make it easier for us to get together.”
Her top priority was parking. Not until after closing the $520,000 house deal did she learn that her concrete parking pad was illegal.

“The day I moved in, the neighbours told me that the parking was not legal. Later, I found that a work order had been issued by the city to investigate the unpermitted parking at my house.”…

Read Full Article Here: http://www.thestar.com/business/personal_finance/2014/04/25/failure_to_get_house_survey_can_be_costly_roseman.html

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