Andrew Cao: Mobile Real Estate and Estate Lawyer, KBL LAW LLP
17318 106 Avenue T5S1H9 Edmonton, AB, Canada

Happy Sunday folks. It was a jam packed day of client signings that conveniently illustrate the mobile services that I offer to make your life easier for no extra costs. Not only can we meet weekends and weeknights at my office, but also at your home, which is great if you have kids or mobility issues like my two home visit clients today, but also at your place of business if you are a workaholic like me :)

Good evening friends. Lots of folks choose to buy Condominiums for any number of reasons. It's important to realize that Condos are not just skyrise towers or apartments. They can also be townhouses, duplexes, single family homes or gigantic mansions. "Condo" is not the 'type' of property, but what on and how you own that property. Today's post relates to the fact that when you are going to buy a Condo, regardless of what type of property it is, you need to spend considerabl...e time reviewing the Condominium documents that the Seller is going to supply to you, to look for outstanding and potential special assessments/levies. These assessments/levies are amounts on top of regular condo fees that the Condo Board has agreed must be paid by each unit, typically to assist in renovations or repairs. I've seen ones as small as a couple hundred, to ones as high as $25,000.00. Sometimes they offer a payment plan, sometimes they expect it to be paid in total by a certain date. The documents that the Seller provides to you may not contain all relevant or recent information because if the last meeting of the board/residents was held in the month you are buying or 1-3 months or more before the month you are buying, the Meeting Minutes may not have been drafted yet. This is critical because if you are relying upon ONLY the meeting minutes you have, they not contain any mention of concerns regarding the boiler system for example or the roof, etc. What can/does happen is that a meeting is held, there are chats about a possible special assessment, and then a resolution to accept that assessment passes AFTER your closing date. You might think that this assessment would be the Seller's responsibility, however, under the contract, IT IS THE BUYER's RESPONSIBILITY. In the reverse situation, if a special assessment is passed before the closing date, the even if it is due AFTER the closing date, the Seller is responsible for paying for it. Determining past and future/potential special assessments is absolutely necessary because it may affect your decision to buy the property due to cost or concern it will not be a good one to live in or it may be a negotiating tool to get a lower price on the property, if you know a special assessment is in the works. Since the meeting minutes may not be the most up to date, I always recommend that my clients contact the Condo Board President, Property Management Company, and pound the pavement to ask neighbours if they have heard anything about any issues with the property that may warrant a special assessment in the foreseeable future. I always recommend EVERYONE to involve their lawyer before submitting an offer, and this is especially the case when buying a condo, regardless of the type of property is. Happy hunting.

This is how I spent today. How about you? :)

After a long day of helping clients, with some dramatic situations at times, it's a pleasure to sit back, relax, and watch the drama unfold on my beloved The Bachelor that I've been watching for nearly 20 years. Who else is watching this season and who do you think will win? Post in the comments below.

Another year has come and gone. A year that saw some of the greatest challenges we as a society and individuals may ever have to endure. While it might be easy to dwell on the negative, there was a lot to be happy about this year both personally and professionally. Amongst all of the issues I had with files that I've never encountered before and attributed to "only in 2020," and the numerous modifications and adjustments I had to make to my practice, I was able to help the m...ost real estate and estate clients in my entire career and had my most success, including becoming a Partner. I've learned to be even more adaptive, diverse, and accommodating than ever before. Personally, I learned the value of impulsivity, as an impromptu trip to Disneyworld before everything changed was a great one and the last time we've been on a vacation. I explored endless new events and parts of the City, including the outdoors, local businesses, and countless new restaurants, gaining an even greater appreciation for all that we have in our own bubble. My wife and I got creative with our celebrations, fitness, food, and day to day lives, and bonded more than ever. Quarantine worked in our favour, rather than against us. I also collected a boatload of more collectibles and although it took until the end of the year, got to finally watch Wonder Woman 1984. I'm fortunate for my health, love, friendships, family, business, support, and cherish all of the small things that I may have taken for granted prior to this year. Here's to a better 2021, but also an appreciation for all that 2020 gave, despite what it took away.

Evening folks. Today was a jam packed day of clients all over the Edmonton area. New build condo client in Walker Lakes. New build condo client near Southgate. Buyer client in Sherwood Park.... Aaron Dulmage Real Estate Agent buyer client in St. Albert Deb Rowbotham - Century 21 Masters buyer client in Windermere 90 day fiance time and Lakers game time :)

****** Contest Closed ******* Hey folks! Thought it would be fun to have a Halloween Giveaway featuring some of my favorite treats :) There are Doritos and Twizzlers inside the bucket, and you'll win everything else in the picture, something for you and something for your kids! All you have to do for a chance to win is:... 1) Like this post and like my page. 2) Comment with your favorite Halloween treat and tag your junk food buddy. Unlimited entries. Each tagged account is one entry. Random draw will be done around 12 pm Friday October 30, 2020, last entry at 9 am that day. Winner must respond within 15 minutes of me messaging them or another winner will be randomly selected at my sole discretion. Winner must reside in the Edmonton, Alberta area and be able to pick up the prize by November 2, 2020 12 pm or another winner will be randomly selected at my sole discretion. Bonus entries available on Instagram - @thatlawyerguy. Good Luck! This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed, administered by or associated with Facebook/Instagram.

Happy Humpday folks. Last one of the year, and last day for me stepping into the office. Worked on a quick turnaround purchase closing next week and I'll meet the clients on Saturday to sign. A couple new referrals, follow ups, random emails, file admin work, and more hard work on a private purchase.... Having no one else in the office did make things easier :)

I love supporting local businesses and helping them incorporate to ensure that they get added protection from any liability, tax benefits, and more.

It's Friday Eve folks and I ended the night meeting a great couple sign their estate documents just in time for their new baby who is coming into the world in the coming months. I always recommend signing your Wills, Powers of Attorney, and Personal Directives before you give birth. The lovely lady pictured is Brittanee Cao - Personal Stylist & Style Expert, my wonderful wife who lends her services as Wills witness for all out of office signings, as we don't drag staff out af...ter hours or on weekends. She also has a sensational personal styling business and loves to share her talents to help empower and boost confidence, gaining Self-Love with Style. Book an appointment to do Wills with me and you'll likely get to see the most stylish and spectacular person I know :)

Hope everyone is having a terrific winter break. Our firm has a broad and diverse law practice, and we would love to advise and use our knowledge to help you navigate through the often complicated legal waters. Not only do we practice Residential Real Estate Law and Wills/Estates, which are my two primary practice areas, we can also assist you with applications for Probate, personal injury claims, family law, corporate/business law, commercial real estate deals, employment la...w, and much more. If we can't help you, we are happy to refer you to lawyers who can. Our mission at KBL Law LLP is to ensure that you have a Wonderful experience ;)

Happy Monday folks. Sporting a new cap that I got for Christmas :) Made a cameo at the office today to get everything ready for a new year next week. Signed documents with buyers whose purchase closes next Monday, got a number of new files lined up for staff to work on, reviewed documents and advised on some pending files. Do you get the week off or are you still grinding?

It's Friday folks and I'm feeling Frickin' Delightful :) Just had another donut from the best donut company in the world, Frickin' Delights Donuts Inc. You need to head out to Devon and get a box!

Wacky Wednesday, with clients all over the City and surrounding area, including North Edmonton, Ardrossan, Sherwood Park, Tamarack, Leduc. I am pooped, but I do everything I can to make my clients' lives easier.

Hey friends. Hope you are enjoying a relaxing Sunday. My wife came up with the brilliant idea to make some S'mores and support local at the same time :) We did them with cookies instead of graham crackers, including some from Pome Bakery and Milk and Cookies. We had marshmallows from The Little Mallow Company, and chocolates from Colleen's Chocolates and Purdy's.... My mother in law made some incredible cookies and my wife's Grandmother made some delicious caramel. We also used hazelnut and Dulce de leche spread from the Italian Center. A tasty twist on a classic treat :)

Getting into a car accident is never a fun experience whether you are responsible for causing the accident or you are the one not at fault. If you are not at fault and have a damaged vehicle and/or have suffered physical injuries, you should not be discussing your injuries with the other individual's insurance company. They are not there to assist you. Contact your own insurance company for the vehicle repair and for treatment of your injuries and a lawyer to assist with reco...very for your personal injuries. Remember you have two years from the date of the accident to file a lawsuit against the other party or you will lose any rights you have. If you are at fault in the accident, you hopefully have proper insurance in place which will deal with any claims by the other party for vehicle repair and personal injury compensation. I've had phone calls where people want to know if they can settle directly with the person they hit. My recommendation is to allow your insurance to handle this, despite any increase in premium. However, if you do want to strike a deal with this person, then lawyers must be involved for each of you and a proper waiver and release drafted and signed to prevent this person from suing you down the road. Stay safe out there, and if you have any questions feel free to call or email me, and I'll set you up with one of the personal injury lawyers at our firm.

Evening friends. Three great sets of clients this evening and a number of fun pets, including Charlotte the Cat and Eddie the Dog. Appointments included a great repeat seller client to sign for her quick turnaround sale, Hyphen Real Estate friendly buyer clients buying their neighbor's property, and lastly a lovely set of new parents selling their home and moving to Cold Lake. Their little lady who was sleeping got an Olaf stocking with some goodies. They needed to meet after baby sleeps and I made that happen :)

I knew going into today I would be in for one and it didn't disappoint. Buying and selling on the same day is not recommended, but we made it work after I negotiated on both deals to ensure my clients' rights were protected. On another deal, the bank dropped the ball with mortgage documents and we only got the correct ones today on the day the clients were to move in. After working some magic and more delays, we got the monies and I dropped them off to the other lawyer.... A true case of the Mondays, but I'm happy all my clients' deals came together :)

Not only do I help with real estate transactions, and draft Wills, Powers of Attorney and Personal Directives, but I can also help with applying for and obtaining a grant of probate so that the Court validates the Will and your affairs can be handled. One stop shop :)

To all my friends, clients, page followers, and referral partners, wishing you a Happy Diwali!