Buying

The following information may be helpful to have readily available if you are buying a residential property;

• Retain a copy of the Contract of Purchase and Sale and all subsequent documentation such as
  any Addendums to the contract.
• Make a list of all of your real estate professional’s contact names and phone numbers (realtor, real estate lawyer, mortgage broker, banker, home inspector, legal team, moving company etc.)
• Personal information (such as your date of birth and social insurance number/s)
• Tenant information (date of occupancy, amount of damage deposit and date it was received by the Landlord, full names of tenants)
• Survey Certificate (obtain a copy from your Realtor)
• Tenancy (joint tenants or tenants-in-common).

Joint Tenants is where two or more people acquire an equal undivided interest in a property. When one person dies, that person's share automatically goes to the survivor or survivors.

Tenants in Common ownership is where two or more persons acquire interest in a single property. Each may sell or bequeath their respective interest and in the event of death their interest becomes a part of their estate.

See our Resources page for more information on First Time Home Buyers Program Property Transfer Tax (PTT), Joint Tenant and Tenants-In-Common Ownership, the Strata Property Act and non-resident clearance certificates.

Important Dates:

Completion Date:  the date the transfer of title will take affect at the Land Title Office and when monies are made available to the Seller’s legal representative.

Adjustment Date:  the date the adjustments (property taxes, water/sewer, suite rentals etc.) in which the pro-rata sharing of expenses will be balanced to.

Possession Date: the date you actually get possession of your new home.

Closing Steps for a typical house purchase;

1. Make the offer to purchase the property outlining the purchase price, closing dates and subjects of the offer.

2. Attend to meeting the subjects (e.g. subject to financing, subject to home inspection etc.) by the agreed upon subject removal date.

3. Contact your insurance agent to make arrangements to insure your new home and to allow you sufficient time to obtain insurance quotes and confirm insurability of your new residence.

4. Remove the subjects only after all of the subject conditions have been met to your satisfaction. If you are unsure or unsatisfied do NOT remove the subjects. You have a valid and binding contract once you remove the subjects so do not remove them until you are completely satisfied! Contact us if you are not sure.

5. Contact us once all subject removal/s have been attended to and forward a copy of the Contract (including all addendums and the subject removal document/s) to us for review and file opening.

6. In the case of private purchases (not represented by a Realtor), it is best to have your Notary Public prepare the Contract of Purchase and Sale and any addendums. The cost to draw a contract between buyer and seller is modest and vital to your protection. Be sure to have your Notary Public review the contract PRIOR to signing and presenting the offer to the Seller. A review of the contract after you have signed it is generally TOO LATE to fix and/or TOO COSTLY to make changes after-the-fact.

7. Your Notary Public will attend to ordering the necessary documents needed for transferring the title of the home from the seller to you and registering of any mortgage/s at the Land Title office.

8. Make a “to do” list and the date you need the task to be completed to assist you in a less stressful moving process.

Click here to download a Microsoft moving checklist.

9. We will meet with you approximately one week prior to the completion date to receive any remaining funds needed from you to complete the purchase and attend to signing any remaining documentation.
   
   

Strata Properties (Townhouses and Condominiums)

When purchasing a unit in a strata complex, it is important that before you finalize your Contract of Purchase and Sale, that you obtain and review the following documents and where you feel it necessary to obtain legal advice;

• Strata Bylaws, which would outline the rules of the strata and any possible age restrictions for the residents and other restrictions such as pets, rentals, etc.
• Strata Form B Information Sheet, which sets out the monthly strata fees which you will be responsible for, the amount of funds held in the strata corporation’s contingency reserve fund and the number of units which are rental units.
• The Strata Plan: Make sure that the unit you viewed is the actual unit which you are purchasing.

Click here to read the Strata Property Act.

Manufactured Homes

When purchasing a manufactured home, you will want to obtain and confirm the following before you finalize your Contract of Purchase and Sale;

• What are the monthly pad rents?
• What do the pad rents include (water, sewer, snow removal, garbage, etc.)?
• Are there age restrictions for residents?
• What is the age of the manufactured home?
• If you are relying on a mortgage for your purchase you will need to confirm with your lender that they will give you a mortgage on an older unit and if your insurance agent will provide insurance coverage?
• Manufactured home parks are increasingly refusing to sign Bank assignment forms of any kind which formerly gave the lender access to the park and first rights to the manufactured home in the event of default. Check with your lender and park manager as to their specific policies PRIOR to finalizing your purchase agreement and subject removal.
• Obtain the Mobile Home Registry and Serial numbers of the unit, the park manager’s name and address and pad rent amount in the Property Disclosure Statement of the contract.