Real Estate Law
Thorough Legal Oversight for Your Real Estate Transactions
Real estate acquisitions and sales represent significant financial undertakings. Whether you are purchasing your first home, disposing of commercial assets, or restructuring property debt through refinancing, a single contractual oversight or undiscovered title defect can create major liabilities. Dima Law provides meticulous, timely legal services to ensure your real estate transactions close smoothly.
Led by Dima Alkrzoun, our firm acts for buyers, sellers, landlords, and institutional and private lenders. We identify operational encumbrances, review closing adjustments, verify mortgage instructions, and safeguard your financial investment from contract signing to final key handover.
Real Estate Services
Residential Purchases & Sales
We handle freehold homes, townhouses, and condominiums, ensuring complete protection throughout the lifecycle of the transaction:
- Contract Review: Analyzing the Agreement of Purchase and Sale before signing or during conditional periods.
- Title Examination: Reviewing land registry records to confirm clear ownership and identify work orders, municipal liens, or restrictive covenants.
- Closing Calculations: Preparing and reviewing the Statement of Adjustments, including property taxes, utilities, fuel oil, and maintenance deposits.
- Closing Day Execution: Managing the secure transfer of funds through the electronic land registration system and releasing the necessary deeds.
Condominium Status Certificate Review
Condominium purchases carry collective operational obligations. We audit the Status Certificate to assess:
- Reserve fund studies and capital replacement schedules.
- Looming or ongoing special assessments that could impose unexpected financial levies.
- Active litigation involving the condominium corporation.
- Restrictive declarations regarding parking, storage, pets, and leasing limitations.
Mortgage Refinancing & Secured Lending
- Institutional Refinancing: Acting on behalf of borrowers and major banks to secure new mortgage terms, debt consolidation loans, or home equity lines of credit (HELOC).
- Private Lending Representation: Structuring private mortgages, promissory notes, collateral security, and independent legal advice (ILA) certificates.
- Mortgage Discharge and Renewal: Handling mortgage discharges, renewals, transfers, and related registration requirements.
Commercial Real Estate Transactions
- Commercial purchase and sale due diligence, including environmental reports, zoning compliance, and permitted uses.
- Commercial lease drafting, review, assignments, and tenant-landlord default notices.
Mortgage Enforcement & Estate Services
We provide legal guidance for mortgage enforcement and estate-related property matters, helping clients navigate mortgage defaults, power of sale proceedings, estate property transfers, and related real estate transactions. Our goal is to protect your interests while ensuring that all required legal steps and documentation are properly handled.
- Mortgage Enforcement
- Power of Sale
- Mortgage Discharges
- Estate Property Transfers
- Estate Property Sales
- Estate Mortgage Matters
- Title & Registration
Steps to a Smooth Property Closing
Agreement Submission
Send your signed Agreement of Purchase and Sale directly to our office.
Title & Off-Title Searches
We investigate the property title, verify municipal zoning status, and check for outstanding tax balances or structural work orders.
Mortgage Processing
We review institutional loan requirements, draft security charges, and coordinate payout statements from existing lenders.
Document Signing
You meet with our legal team to review closing figures, land transfer tax requirements, and execute transfer documentation.
Closing & Handover
Funds are wired, electronic deed registration is finalized, and keys are officially transferred.
Post-Closing Reporting
We deliver your finalized closing binder, verify title insurance policy issuance, and forward utility transfer confirmations and registered deed copies for your records.
Finalize Your Transaction with Confidence
Avoid closing day delays and hidden property liabilities. Contact Dima Law to manage your residential or commercial real estate closing..
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
A title search verifies existing ownership and known registrations up to the date of search. Title insurance provides broad, ongoing indemnification against hidden risks that searches might miss, such as real estate title fraud, forged documents, boundary survey discrepancies, unpermitted building renovations completed by previous owners, and municipal tax arrears.
Buyers must account for Land Transfer Taxes (provincial and, where applicable, municipal), legal fees and disbursements, title insurance premiums, registration fees for the deed and mortgage, and closing adjustments (reimbursing the seller for prepaid taxes or utilities).
If a party fails to close on the contractually designated date, they are in technical breach of contract unless an extension is negotiated. The non-defaulting party can seek compensatory damages, interest, and costs, or in some instances, termination of the agreement while retaining the deposit.
The best time to contact a lawyer is before you sign an offer, especially when dealing with private sales, assignments, or condominium units with status certificate conditions. Early review allows us to insert protective clauses that insulate you from unexpected costs.