York Region's deal flow splits between Markham's technology and advanced-manufacturing base, a dense franchise and restaurant scene running along Highway 7 and Yonge Street, and a growing cluster of dental, medical and personal-care practice sales serving its fast-growing suburbs. Which of those you're in changes the paperwork more than it changes the price.
Every figure below traces to a named public source — no estimates, no filler.
†Typical patterns across Ontario deals — not a quote or advice; every deal is confirmed on its own facts.
The same sequence underlies almost every owner-run York Region deal — what changes from deal to deal is how long each step takes.
Reaching an agreement
Buyer and seller agree on price and key terms, usually informally, before lawyers draft anything binding. We review before you sign — even a "non-binding" LOI can lock in terms you didn't mean to fix.
usually 1–2 weeks†The APS sets out price, structure (asset or share), conditions, and closing date. We draft or review it and negotiate the protections — reps, warranties, holdbacks — that actually matter for your deal.
1–3 weeks to negotiate†Corporate, PPSA lien, litigation, and licence searches confirm what you're actually buying. We chase the seller's lawyer, the registries, and any regulator whose sign-off your deal needs.
2–4 weeks, in parallel†Getting to closing
Landlord, franchisor, lender, and licensing-body sign-offs are chased in parallel with the paperwork. In York Region this step often runs longest for practice sales — a college's Certificate of Authorization review can outlast every other consent on the file combined.
often the critical path†Funds, keys, and signed documents change hands. We coordinate directly with both sides' lawyers and the lender so nothing is left to a last-minute phone call.
1 day, once conditions are met†Registrations, licence transfers still in progress, and any post-closing deliverables — like a holdback release — get tracked to completion, not left for you to chase.
1–2 week tail†This is the first real decision in almost every deal — and it changes what you're buying, what you're taking on, and how it's taxed.
| Question | Asset purchase | Share purchase |
|---|---|---|
| What you buy | The business's assets — equipment, inventory, lease, goodwill, name. | The shares of the company itself — everything it owns, and everything it owes. |
| Seller's liabilities | Generally stay behind with the seller's corporation. | Generally come with the company, known and unknown. |
| Tax angle — seller | Straightforward proceeds treatment in most cases. | May qualify for the lifetime capital-gains exemption on qualifying small business shares. |
| Tax angle — buyer | A stepped-up cost base on assets bought; an HST s.167 election may apply. | Cost base carries over from the seller — a different position for the buyer. |
| Licences & contracts | Must generally be re-issued or assigned into the buyer's name. | Usually stay in place, since the corporation itself doesn't change. |
| Employees | Employment Standards Act continuity rules typically apply. | Employment generally continues uninterrupted — the employer doesn't change. |
| Typical use in York Region | Most franchise, restaurant and personal-care deals — a clean set of assets without carrying the seller's corporate history forward. | Common for dental and medical practices and for manufacturing and IT/MSP sales, to preserve licensing status, supply contracts or the capital-gains exemption. |
The business's assets — equipment, inventory, lease, goodwill, name.
The shares of the company itself — everything it owns, and everything it owes.
Generally stay behind with the seller's corporation.
Generally come with the company, known and unknown.
Straightforward proceeds treatment in most cases.
May qualify for the lifetime capital-gains exemption on qualifying small business shares.
A stepped-up cost base on assets bought; an HST s.167 election may apply.
Cost base carries over from the seller — a different position for the buyer.
Must generally be re-issued or assigned into the buyer's name.
Usually stay in place, since the corporation itself doesn't change.
Employment Standards Act continuity rules typically apply.
Employment generally continues uninterrupted — the employer doesn't change.
Most franchise, restaurant and personal-care deals — a clean set of assets without carrying the seller's corporate history forward.
Common for dental and medical practices and for manufacturing and IT/MSP sales, to preserve licensing status, supply contracts or the capital-gains exemption.
We tell you which structure fits — before you sign anything.
Different lists depending on which side of the deal you're on — both matter for how smoothly closing goes.
No open-ended hourly surprises — the cost is confirmed in writing before any work begins.
| Type of work | Fee | How it's confirmed |
|---|---|---|
| Straightforward purchase or sale | Starting from $3,388.87 Our charges · taxes included | Confirmed in writing once we see the agreement. |
| Larger or more complex deal | Quoted to scope | Short call → fixed written quote before any work begins. |
| Searches, filings & third-party fees | At cost | Itemized on your invoice, not marked up. |
A café or restaurant, a salon, a franchise unit, or a trades business in York Region — usually one buyer, one seller.
Start my file →A company with several owners or employees, bank financing, real estate, or a deal that needs negotiated protections before you sign.
Book a consultation →Not sure which you are? That's our job to figure out, not yours. As a rough guide, most deals under a couple of million dollars are the first kind — above that, you're usually in Mergers & Acquisitions territory.
Each anchor municipality has its own deal-brief page — same process, local numbers.
Markham carries one of the highest concentrations of technology and advanced-manufacturing head offices in the country, with a large base of IT/MSP firms and franchise and restaurant operators serving its diverse business community.
Vaughan's economy runs on distribution, warehousing and construction along the Highway 400/407 interchange, with a fast-growing base of trucking, franchise and specialty-retail businesses.
Richmond Hill's economy is built on professional services, medical and dental practices and a dense franchise and restaurant scene along Yonge Street, serving one of York Region's fastest-growing populations.
College rules generally require voting shares of the professional corporation to go to another licensed member, and getting a new or updated Certificate of Authorization from CPSO or RCDSO can take a good deal longer than a municipal licence transfer. That review timeline, not the legal paperwork itself, is usually what sets the pace of the whole closing.
Generally no on the voting-share side — RCDSO rules typically require voting control of a dental professional corporation to sit with a licensed dentist, and holding-company ownership is generally restricted. We walk you through how that affects financing and structure before you make an offer.
It depends on the contract — Markham-area OEM and supply agreements often include their own change-of-control clause, which can let the counterparty require its consent before a sale closes, on either an asset or a share deal. We review your key OEM and supply contracts early in diligence so you know which ones need advance notice.
As early as the deal allows. Landlords along York Region's busier retail corridors can take several weeks to review and consent to a lease assignment, and it's often the step that ends up setting the closing date. We open that conversation as soon as your deal is firm enough to share.
There's no single standard, but a reasonable geographic and time-limited non-solicitation clause covering associates and referral relationships is common on practice sales. We negotiate the scope so it protects the buyer without being unenforceable.
| Resource | Official link |
|---|---|
| York Region business resources | Visit www.york.ca |
| Markham business licensing | Visit www.markham.ca |
| Vaughan business licensing | Visit www.vaughan.ca |
| College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario | Visit www.cpso.on.ca |
| Royal College of Dental Surgeons of Ontario | Visit www.rcdso.org |
| WSIB clearance certificates | Visit www.wsib.ca |
Industries we cover
Adjacent regions
Acting for buyers and sellers across York Region: Markham · Vaughan · Richmond Hill · Newmarket · Aurora · Whitchurch-Stouffville · Georgina · East Gwillimbury · King.
Tell us about your York Region deal — we'll point you the right way and confirm the cost in writing before any work begins.