Michael J. Abrams - Ottawa Lawyer

03/24/2026

🏡 First-time buyers — this one’s actually worth paying attention to

The government has rolled out a new GST/HST rebate on new homes, and for once… it’s not completely useless.

I broke it down here (in plain English, not government-speak):
👉 https://kellysantini.com/articles/new-gst-hst-rebate-for-first-time-home-buyers-what-buyers-of-new-homes-should-know/

Quick version:
• You could save up to $50K in GST (yes, real money)
• Full rebate on homes up to $1M, then it tapers off
• Only applies to new builds (sorry resale buyers)
• As always, there are rules… and yes, they matter

Bottom line: this is actually a solid opportunity—but like most things in real estate, the fine print is where people get burned.

If you’re thinking about buying new or pre-construction, it’s worth understanding how this fits into your game plan.

And if you’re confused reading the rules… you're not alone. Happy to help translate.

Full details on the new GST/HST rebate aimed at improving housing affordability for first-time home buyers purchasing newly constructed homes.

08/14/2025

A recent court decision confirmed what I would hope we all know. If you say you have competing offers for a property those offers better exist!

Misrepresentation of offers can have serious consequences. A real estate agent faced a $28,600 award for misleading buyers.

06/25/2024

Unfortunately, I have witnessed such scenarios numerous times, and they have become increasingly common in recent years.

Property sellers who meticulously follow legal procedures, providing proper notice to tenants as required by legislation, often find themselves facing tenants who refuse to vacate. This breach of the purchase agreement leaves buyers—who intended to move into the property they purchased—with little time to secure alternative housing, often at considerable expense and inconvenience.

These situations are entirely preventable!

Sellers should refrain from listing the property until they have negotiated with tenants to vacate, ensuring the property is empty upon sale.

Buyers, when negotiating the purchase contract, should select a closing date well after the agreed-upon tenant vacancy date. If tenants fail to vacate, sellers can then expedite legal recourse through the Landlord and Tenant Board, allowing buyers time to arrange alternative housing without undue stress.

04/24/2024

The more things change the more they stay the same. Ontario court has reinforced the continued applicability of buyer beware in real estate transactions. The new Trust in Real Estate Services Act does impose some new disclosure obligations on sellers that should be kept in mind.

My advice remains unchanged:

If you're a seller when in doubt disclose!

If you're a buyer and something is important to you it is your responsibility to conduct your own due diligence about the potential areas of concern. Don't assume what you think is important will be disclosed.

https://kellysantini.com/articles/court-ruling-reinforces-buyer-beware-in-real-estate-transactions/

04/16/2024

Always surprising what you take away from learning opportunities such as this

What's new in real estate law in Ontario? Michael J. Abrams - Ottawa Lawyer is staying on top of the issues at the two-day Real Estate Law Summit hosted by the Law Society of Ontario. The summit is tackling an array of pertinent topics including condominium conveyancing, off-title searches, conflicts of interest, and estate conveyancing. Participants are also gaining insights into Indigenous land laws, environmental clauses in agreements, and fraud and social engineering.

01/30/2024

Big changes are afoot in Ontario Real Estate. The Ontario Trust in Real Estate Services Act (TRESA) has brought in some significant changes in how real estate deals will be done in Ontario. There remain a lot of unknowns regarding TRESA's practical application but arming yourself with the contents of the new legislation is vital.

https://kellysantini.com/articles/two-big-changes-to-residential-real-estate-sales-process-in-ontario/

The recently introduced Ontario Trust in Real Estate Services Act (TRESA) has brought in two significant changes to residential real estate sales in Ontario. The first major change will offer some potential relief to buyers and sellers engaged in bidding war. TRESA also introduces an option that will allow brokerages to offer buyers and sellers a specific individual from a brokerage as their designated representative, rather than being represented by the brokerage itself. Real estate law specialist Michael J. Abrams - Ottawa Lawyer has all the details.

https://kellysantini.com/articles/two-big-changes-to-residential-real-estate-sales-process-in-ontario/

10/16/2023

No real estate closings on November 13th in Ontario friends. The Land Registry Office is closed in observance of Remembrance Day.

11/07/2022

Big changes coming Jan 1... see info below.

Starting January 1, 2023, a two-year moratorium on non-Canadians directly or indirectly purchasing any residential property will come into force.

11/03/2022

Fantastic silent auction in support of SchoolBOX. Unique items such as handmade moccasins, a fishing expedition and a tour of Equator Coffee Roasters to see how they do their magic!! There is also 2 tickets anywhere WestJet flies. Oh and goats... you can bid on goats!!!! The best part is by taking part you are helping to break down the educational barriers that First Nations youth and children face in Canada. The auction ends today so get your bids in now so you don't miss out!!

Silent auction 'Making Education Possible with SchoolBOX' hosted online at 32auctions.

06/15/2022

A friendly reminder to realtors closing dates are a serious part of any agreement and critical thought has to be put into choosing an appropriate date. We have more closings today than we do the rest of the week combined. Why? Because it's the 15th of the month. Now is there any reason why we're busier on the 15th? No. There is no tangible reason to put a closing on this date (or the 1st or 30th or 31st for that matter) than on any other day of the month. However because a lot of times the closing date is just defaulted to a common date, such as the 15th, there are significantly more closings on those days.

Why does this matter?

Everything takes longer on busier days.

We typically don't get adjustments, etc. from other firms until closer to the closing date when closings are on busier days. This leaves less time for us to get clients final figures and less time for the clients to get us funds.

Similarly it means lenders are busier and their funders are busier. It means it takes them longer to get back to us about what remains outstanding to get a file complete and funded. It takes them longer to confirm that we are file complete and most importantly it takes them longer to actually get us mortgage funds. It is after 3pm as I write this and we are still waiting on mortgage funds on multiple purchases. This puts those transactions in serious jeopardy of needing to be extended until tomorrow. That means clients don't get keys. All because the deal was scheduled to close on the 15th rather than the 14th, or 21st, or 8th.

So before you draft your next Agreement, think about the closing date and how the choice of the date can have a real serious impact on if your clients get keys on the scheduled date or not. It's certainly not worth losing a deal over if the other side is adamant about a certain date but it is a part of the deal that should be considered critically.

I am always happy to chat if anyone has any questions, concerns, etc.

05/17/2022

Have I mentioned lately how amazing Nat Alie is??? She and the rest of the Board of Directors of SchoolBOX visited Treaty 3 over the weekend near Kenora, Ontario. The work they do to improve the access to education is awe inspiring. If anyone is interested in joining the movement to improve access to education for all Canadian children reach out to Nat Alie. All support is welcomed and appreciated!!