At Cruickshank & MacLennan Muskoka law office, we are committed to providing exceptional client service. Whether you are a first-time home buyer or selling a vacation property, working with or without an agent, residential or commercial, we are focused on protecting your rights and ensuring you are informed every step of the way.
We offer services in Purchase and Sale of Residential, Cottages and Commercial Real Estate
Mortgages and Refinancing.
Your lawyer protect you, the purchaser, throughout the transaction, to makes sure that you obtain "good title" to your new property. We search title, prepare and register the documents, and co-ordinate the closing. We also represent the interests of your mortgage lender in preparing and registering the mortgage documents for the mortgage you have arranged.
How do I choose a lawyer?
Interview prospective lawyers on the phone or even in the lawyer's office – this initial inquiry meeting should be free. At this stage, many buyers/sellers make the mistake of asking only about professional fees, as if they are getting quotes for a standard consumer product such as an appliance, and the cheapest what matters. Remember that legal fees are fairly low in relation to the cost of your new property, and that the fees do not vary much from one law firm to another. You want a law firm that will give offer you good service, courtesy and professionalism. Why would you accept poor service to save $200.00 on a purchase of $200,000.00 or more?
What will it cost?
Our firm offers a block fee quote for professional services for all standard aspects of the transaction plus additional disbursements. Expect this figure to be firm unless your file involves situations not customarily encountered. Please contact us for a free quote.
What is title insurance?
Title Insurance is not a substitute for a title search, which still must be performed by your lawyer. Title Insurance gives you insurance protection for title defects that your lawyer might have missed, and for any other defect that would not normally be revealed by a standard title search, such as a survey problem, or a technical violation of a zoning by-law. To purchase Title Insurance, you pay a one-time premium at closing. In most cases the cost of the Title Insurance premium is more than offset by the expense of searches that your lawyer will no longer have to perform because any potential problem would be insured.
For more information on Title Insurance, read “Working With a Lawyer When you Buy A Home” published by the Law Society of Upper Canada and the Ontario Bar Association: http://www.oba.org/CBAMediaLibrary/cba_on/pdf/workingWithLawyerBrochure.pdf