Natalie Scollard
CIR Realty
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Divorce and Real Estate

While I always love getting new clients – buyers or sellers – I can honestly say I hope you never have to call me because your real estate needs are changing as the result of divorce. But, we also know that it happens. It happened to me, and it happens to many others.


As much as I hope divorce doesn’t happen in your world, if it does, I hope you’ll call me.


When you’re going through a divorce, you need to take care of yourself and take care of your children, and you need to work with your lawyer to finalize the separation or divorce proceedings. Let me take care of the real estate.


1)      Equal treatment. My role is not to take sides. I will competently, professionally, and confidentially work for you AND your soon-to-be ex-spouse. In most real estate divorce situations, the husband and wife jointly hire a real estate professional to represent them in the sale of the matrimonial home. I will deal with both you and your ex-spouse if you jointly own the property. If you and your ex-spouse really can’t agree on the choice of a real estate agent, it is possible to do a co-listing between two real estate companies and I am also open to such arrangements. But even still, both of the real estate companies will represent both sellers.


2)      Confidentiality. If you’re selling your matrimonial home and plan to buy something else, my dealings with you as a buyer will be confidential from your ex-spouse. While I will represent both spouses, jointly, in the sale of the matrimonial home, any subsequent purchases by either party individually, will be confidential from the ex-spouse.


3)      Cooperation and communication with your divorce lawyer. I will work closely with the family lawyers involved in the divorce to ensure the real estate details align with the agreements the parties are entering into through their divorce lawyers. I will keep your lawyer(s) informed about the progress of the transaction, and if there’s something outside my scope of expertise or experience – I’ll make sure to get answers from the legal experts.


Buying or selling real estate can be stressful – as can divorce. Put those two things together and it can be overwhelming if someone doesn’t have the benefit of professional, competent advice, and service. Let me help you. Call or text 403-796-9317 to see real estate done real.

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Secondary Suites in Calgary

I was fortunate enough to attend a session yesterday at the Calgary Real Estate Board, led by staff from the City of Calgary regarding secondary suites in the city.


Secondary suites were long a source of endless hours of debate for members o Calgary’s City Council – but that all changed in March 2018. Council members will no longer spend hours debating the merits of individual applications for residential secondary suites. On March 12, 2018, Council approved amendments to the Land Use Bylaw that allow secondary suites as a discretionary use within all R-1, R-C1, and R-C1L land use districts. In these land use districts, homeowners can go straight to the development permit or building permit stage.


This is a huge step forward for people who believe Calgary needs more safe – but affordable – rental options. Another current advantage for people who want a secondary suite in their dwelling is that the development permit fee for all new secondary suite applications is being waived until June 1, 2020.


There are application processes for those who want to apply to build a new suite AND those who want to make an existing suite legal and safe.


If you’re a homeowner in a low density residential land use area (R-1, R-C1, and R-C1L) and are interested in building a new suite, I strongly encourage you to contact the city to get the process started. Remember, too, that the development permit fee is being waived until June 1, 2020.


If you’re a homeowner in a low density residential land use area, and your property has an existing (but not legal/permitted) suite that was built before March 12, 2018, contact the city and get the process started to apply to make your suite legal and safe. Lives may depend on it. The City will send out an inspector who will walk you through the process of the changes you’ll need to make to make your suite legal and safe. Once that happens, it will be added to Calgary’s legal suite registry. The suite registry became mandatory in June 2018 and until June 1, 2020, there is no registration fee to be added to it once you have a legal, permitted secondary suite.


Just last week a Calgary homeowner was slapped with $40,000 in fines for secondary suite violations under the Alberta Fire Code.


The City of Calgary has great resources regarding secondary suites on its website: www.calgary.ca/suites


And the legal suite registry can be found at: https://secondarysuites.calgary.ca/


If you’re a homeowner and have an illegal suite, you will have to advertise it as such if you list your home for sale. Legal suites can also be a great way for home owners and home buyers to help pay their mortgage, but that rental income will only count towards qualifying for the mortgage if it’s a legal suite. In Calgary, the time to make an existing suite legal and safe is now.

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