Category: Real Estate
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Real Property Report vs Title Insurance in Alberta: Which Do You Actually Need?
By Lev Kramar, Integrity Legal Solutions · Calgary, Alberta A Real Property Report is a survey drawing prepared by an Alberta Land Surveyor showing where every structure sits on the lot. A Certificate of Compliance is the City of Calgary confirming those structures satisfy the Land Use Bylaw. Title insurance is a one-time policy covering…
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How to Hold Title in Alberta: Joint Tenants, Tenants in Common, and Dower Rights
By Lev Kramar, Integrity Legal Solutions · Calgary, Alberta Joint tenancy carries the right of survivorship. When one owner dies, their interest passes automatically to the surviving owners outside the estate and outside probate. Tenancy in common carries no survivorship. Each owner holds a defined share, which can be unequal, and that share passes under…
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Condo Document Review in Calgary: Estoppel Certificates, Reserve Funds, and What Kills a Deal
By Lev Kramar, Integrity Legal Solutions · Calgary, Alberta When you buy an Alberta condo you buy a share of the corporation along with the unit, including its debts, its deferred maintenance, and its litigation. The document package tells you what you are inheriting. The estoppel certificate confirms the financial position of your specific unit…
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Closing Costs in Alberta: What Buyers Actually Pay, and Why There Is No Land Transfer Tax
By Lev Kramar, Integrity Legal Solutions · Calgary, Alberta Alberta charges no land transfer tax. Instead, buyers pay Land Titles registration fees calculated at a $50 base plus $5 for every $5,000 of value, applied separately to the title transfer and to the mortgage. On a $600,000 home with a $480,000 mortgage, that totals roughly…
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Buying a House in Calgary: Every Legal Step from Offer to Possession
By Lev Kramar, Integrity Legal Solutions · Calgary, Alberta A typical Calgary purchase runs 30 to 60 days from accepted offer to possession. The legal work begins once conditions are removed: title search, Personal Property Registry search, tax certificate, review of the lender’s mortgage instructions, review of the Real Property Report and compliance certificate, preparation…
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The 99-Year Lease Explained: What Happens When It Ends
By Lev Kramar, Integrity Legal Solutions · Calgary, Alberta A 99-year lease is a long-term land lease commonly used in modern Canadian leasehold communities, where you own the home and hold the right to occupy the land for 99 years, usually pre-paid up front. At the end of the term, most modern leases include either…
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Buying a Home in Taza Park: What You Need to Know Before You Sign
By Lev Kramar, Integrity Legal Solutions · Calgary, Alberta Taza Park is a 470-acre master-planned residential community on Tsuut’ina Nation land bordering southwest Calgary, with the first 6,500 homes being delivered by Brookfield Residential, Crystal Creek Homes, and Homes by Avi. Properties are sold as 99-year pre-paid leasehold rather than freehold. Most major Canadian lenders…
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Is Leasehold Property Worth It? A Canadian Buyer’s Honest Guide
By Lev Kramar, Integrity Legal Solutions · Calgary, Alberta Leasehold property can be a good buy in Canada when the lease is long (typically 99 years pre-paid), the landowner is stable (a First Nation, university, municipality, or established developer), and the purchase price reflects the leasehold structure. The main trade-offs are slightly tighter mortgage criteria,…
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Getting a Mortgage on a Leasehold Property in Canada: What Every Buyer Needs to Know
By Lev Kramar, Integrity Legal Solutions · Calgary, Alberta Most major Canadian lenders will finance leasehold properties, but with stricter conditions than freehold. You typically need at least 25–40 years remaining on the lease at the end of your mortgage term, the leasehold structure must be pre-approved by the lender, and amortization can be capped…
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Leasehold vs Freehold in Alberta: What Actually Changes When You Own
By Lev Kramar, Integrity Legal Solutions · Calgary, Alberta Freehold ownership in Alberta means you own both the land and the building on it indefinitely. Leasehold means you own the building but hold a long-term lease on the underlying land — typically 99 years pre-paid in modern Canadian developments. Day to day, the two feel…
