Sohail Realty Group

09/15/2026

Is a private elevator for her dog reasonable?

09/14/2026

Here’s what happened 👇

They bought a bungalow in southwest Scarborough. Finished basement, rec room, a bathroom down there, all done before they bought it. Home inspection flagged nothing.

Six weeks after closing a storm came through and the basement took on water.

They filed a claim and the insurer declined it. Their policy didn’t include sewer backup coverage. It’s an optional add-on and nobody had ever walked them through it.

Then the plumber told them why it happened in the first place. The downspouts and the weeping tile were still tied into the sewer. In a storm, all of that water goes into a pipe that’s already full, and it comes back up the lowest drain in the house.

Rebuilding the basement: $31,000. Backwater valve, sump pump, and disconnecting the downspouts and weeping tile after the fact: $9,000. Furnace, hot water tank, contents, and six weeks in a rental: $8,000.

Total: $48,000.

A lot of the housing stock in East York and southwest Scarborough went up before backwater valves were standard. If nobody has touched the drainage since, it’s probably still the way it was built.

Before you go firm 👇

1️⃣ Look outside. If the downspouts disappear into the ground beside the foundation, ask where they go

2️⃣ Ask whether there’s a backwater valve, and ask for the permit

3️⃣ Call your broker before closing and ask specifically whether sewer backup and overland water are on the policy. Don’t assume

4️⃣ Ask the seller in writing whether the basement has ever taken on water

📌 Save this before your next offer.

📲 Comment “SPOUT” and I’ll send you what to check, plus the City subsidy most people don’t know exists.

📞 647-773-7219

Not legal or insurance advice. Talk to a licensed broker and a licensed plumber.

09/13/2026

A $5.7M house in Moore Park, and the most expensive thing in it isn’t the elevator.

Most luxury tours show you finishes. Here’s what actually costs money at this level: a 290 foot deep lot running into the Inglewood ravine. Creek, greenbelt, forest canopy, 15 minutes from downtown.

5 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms, 5,000+ sq ft over three storeys plus a finished lower level. Indiana limestone facade, slate roof, built 2011. Wine cellar, steam shower, sauna, and an elevator serving all four levels. Property tax is $35,005 a year, about $2,917 a month before you’ve paid a dollar of mortgage.

Comment SWAP and tell me your range. I’ll send you what the same money buys in three different Toronto neighbourhoods.

Listed by Landlord Realty Inc. Filmed with permission.

📞 647-773-7219

Shehmir Sohail, Salesperson, RE/MAX Millennium Real Estate, Brokerage.

09/13/2026

Here’s what happened 👇

They bought a detached in the east end. Finished basement, big deck off the back, both already there when they toured it. Title search came back clean. Closed without a problem.

Eight months later a building inspector was at the door.

There was an open work order on the property. The deck and the basement had both been built without permits, and the City had already opened a file on it before these buyers ever saw the house.

An open work order doesn’t go away when the house sells. It stays with the property.

The deck came off and got rebuilt with proper footings and a compliant rail: $34,000. The basement had to be brought to code to close the rest of the order, which meant fire separation, an egress window, and electrical permits with inspections: $26,000. Drawings, permit fees, a surveyor, and the legal bill for trying to push it back on the seller and getting nowhere: $11,000.

Total: $71,000.

They had already paid for that deck and that basement once, in the purchase price.

Here’s what most buyers don’t realize 👇

A title search shows you what’s registered against the property. Work orders live with the City’s building department, and nothing about them appears on title.

Before you go firm 👇

1️⃣ Ask your lawyer to order a building and zoning compliance letter from the City. It’s the one document that surfaces open work orders and permit issues

2️⃣ Ask for closed permits on anything that looks added — decks, basements, additions, garages, walkouts

3️⃣ Don’t rely on title insurance here. Policies generally exclude municipal orders that could have been found by asking

4️⃣ If a permit was never pulled, assume the fix is yours. The order transfers with the house, not with the person who built it

📌 Save this before your next offer.

📲 Comment “KNOCK” and I’ll send you the letter to ask your lawyer for.

📞 647-773-7219

Not legal advice. Always consult a licensed Ontario real estate lawyer.

09/11/2026

09/11/2026

Pre-approval is not a guarantee, and treating it like one is how buyers get blindsided close to closing.

It’s a lender’s snapshot of what they’d lend you, based on your income, credit and debts at that moment. If any of that changes before you close, the number can change too.

Most pre-approvals also only hold your rate for 90 to 120 days. If your search runs longer, you need to renew it, and if rates moved, so does your number.

📌 Save this before you start house hunting.

📲 Comment “PREAPPROVAL” and I’ll send you the exact document checklist your lender is going to ask for.

📞 647-773-7219

Not financial advice. Always consult a licensed mortgage professional.

09/09/2026

Here’s what happened 👇

They bought a bungalow that was being sold out of an estate. The owner had passed away. The executor handled everything, the title search came back clean, the deal closed on time.

Six months later a letter arrived from a lawyer acting for the seller’s brother.

He was a beneficiary of the estate. He said the executor had sold the house below market value without proper authority, and he was challenging the sale.

The buyers had never heard of him.

Here’s the part that surprises people. When an estate sale gets challenged, the buyers get pulled into it. Their title sits under a cloud until it’s resolved, and no lender will advance against a property in that position.

Nine months of litigation. $34,000 in legal fees. They eventually paid the brother $32,000 to release his claim so they could get clear title back. Their HELOC application died mid-fight and bridging cost another $12,000.

Total: $78,000.

Here’s what most buyers don’t realize 👇

A clean title search confirms who owns the property. It does not confirm that the person selling it had the authority to.

Before you offer on any estate sale 👇

1️⃣ Ask your lawyer to confirm the executor has a Certificate of Appointment of Estate Trustee, and to actually see it

2️⃣ Ask whether the will gives the executor power to sell, or whether beneficiary consent is required

3️⃣ Ask whether all beneficiaries have signed off. If any are minors or under capacity, that’s a different process entirely

4️⃣ Make sure title insurance is in place. It doesn’t prevent a challenge but it can cover the defence

📌 Save this before you buy an estate sale.

📲 Comment “ESTATE” and I’ll send you what I check on every estate file.

📞 647-773-7219

Not legal advice. Always consult a licensed Ontario real estate lawyer.

09/09/2026

Land transfer tax catches more buyers off guard than almost anything else in a home purchase.

It’s not part of your down payment. It’s a separate tax, due on closing day, calculated as a percentage of your purchase price. In Toronto you pay it twice, once to Ontario, once to the City of Toronto.

Good news for first-time buyers: you may qualify for a rebate on both, up to $4,000 provincially and up to $4,475 from the city. It’s not automatic though, you have to apply.

Buying in East York, Scarborough or Durham Region? Comment TAX and I’ll send you the breakdown for your price point.

📞 647-773-7219

Shehmir Sohail, Salesperson
RE/MAX Millennium Real Estate, Brokerage

09/07/2026

Suites & Scenery

08/26