What happens between deciding to buy and settling into an Ontario home: budget and pre-approval, the search, the offer and its conditions, financing and inspection, closing day and the first year, with the legal layer explained at every step. Six stages carry you through it — budget & pre-approval, search, offer & conditions, financing & inspection, closing and after — each explaining what happens, who is responsible, and what Ontario law requires. Calculators, a glossary and guides to download sit alongside the stages, and every one ends with our flat, published fee and a way to start a file online.
Your journey, step by step
Every stage is its own page: what happens, who is involved, what it costs, and where a lawyer comes in.
Know what you can borrow and what closing really costs
Choose the home and the area with the paperwork in mind
Sign an agreement that protects you
Turn a conditional deal into a firm one
Funds, registration and keys
Rebates, taxes and paperwork in year one
More situations in this centre
Beyond the core journey above: scenarios that change the steps.
Tools
Calculators, checklists that build themselves, and timelines you can drop a date into.
Use this to see a monthly, bi-weekly or accelerated payment for a given rate and amortization, with Canadian semi-annual compounding.
LiveClosing cost calculatorLegal fees, disbursements, adjustments and land transfer tax.
LiveLand transfer tax calculatorOntario and Toronto, with the first-time buyer refund.
QuizAm I ready to make an offer?Six questions on financing, budget, conditions and paperwork. The result tells you what to do next, not what to buy.
Checklist builderWhich conditions should my offer include?Answer five questions about the home and your situation, and we list the conditions that usually belong in the offer and why. It is a starting point, not a substitute for a lawyer reviewing your specific offer.
TimelineWhat happens in the last three weeks before closing?Enter your closing date and see when each step lands, from lender instructions to keys. Treat the dates as typical, not fixed.
LiveHST new housing rebateFor new builds and substantial renovations.
LivePrincipal residence exemptionHow much of a gain the exemption shelters.
Checklist builderWhat will the lender and my lawyer ask me for?Tell us how you are paid, where the down payment comes from and what you are buying, and we list the documents to gather now. Your specific lender may ask for more, or less.
LiveOccupancy fee calculatorInterim occupancy on a new condo.
LiveAssignment sale HSTHST on an assignment sale.
Who you'll deal with
And what each one is actually responsible for.
Finds and shows homes, drafts the offer on the brokerage's forms, presents it, and holds the deposit in the brokerage trust account. Owes you duties set by the Trust in Real Estate Services Act, 2002.
Regulated by RECOShops your application to lenders and arranges the pre-approval and commitment. Must be licensed in Ontario and disclose how they are paid.
Regulated by FSRAApproves the mortgage, orders the appraisal, sends instructions to your lawyer and advances the funds on closing. Banks are federally regulated; credit unions provincially.
Regulated by OSFI or FSRAVisually inspects the home and reports on its condition. No Ontario licence is in force as of September 2026, so ask about training, insurance and sample reports.
Regulated by Not licensed in OntarioValues the property for the lender. The lender lends on the lower of price and appraised value, so a low appraisal becomes your problem.
Regulated by Professional designation bodyIssues the status certificate, collects common expenses and enforces the declaration, by-laws and rules. Managers must be licensed.
Regulated by CAO and CMRAOSells under its own agreement with the mandatory Tarion addendum, delivers the home, and warrants it under the Ontario New Home Warranties Plan Act.
Regulated by HCRA and TarionIssues the lender and owner policies that cover title defects, fraud, survey problems and certain municipal issues from closing onward.
Regulated by FSRAReviews the agreement, searches title, raises requisitions, arranges title insurance, prepares the closing documents, moves the funds, registers the transfer and mortgage, and releases the keys.
Regulated by Law Society of OntarioGuides to download
Free, by email, in seconds.
Free to download. Arrives by email in seconds.
Guide · PDFCondo status certificate review checklist (Ontario)Free to download. Arrives by email in seconds.
Guide · PDFClosing on a new build in Ontario: occupancy, HST and TarionFree to download. Arrives by email in seconds.
Guide · PDFPre-construction and assignment purchases in Ontario: a buyer's guideFree to download. Arrives by email in seconds.
Guide · PDFYour first year as an Ontario homeowner: taxes, rebates and paperworkFree to download. Arrives by email in seconds.
Guide · PDFThe Ontario Home-Buying Roadmap: From Pre-Approval to KeysFree to download. Arrives by email in seconds.
Guide · PDFThe First-Time Buyer's Closing Checklist (Ontario)Free to download. Arrives by email in seconds.
Guide · PDFClosing Day Document Checklist (Ontario Real Estate)Free to download. Arrives by email in seconds.
Guide · PDFClosing Cost Budget WorksheetFree to download. Arrives by email in seconds.
Guide · PDFBuying a Cottage in Ontario: The Complete Due-Diligence GuideFree to download. Arrives by email in seconds.
Guide · PDFBuying Your First Ontario Home as a NewcomerFree to download. Arrives by email in seconds.
Guide · PDFBuying a Power of Sale Property in Ontario: A Buyer's Deep-DiveFree to download. Arrives by email in seconds.
Guide · PDFYour Closing Is Falling Apart: A Closing-Delay Action PlanFree to download. Arrives by email in seconds.
Read more
From the articles and answers already on the site.
Related centres
Other Learning Centres for the same transaction.
Everything between deciding to sell an Ontario home and the money reaching your account: preparing, pricing, offers, the buyer's conditions, closing and tax, plus the situations that change the rules: tenants, estates and separation.
Related centreThe Mortgage CentreWhether you are qualifying for a mortgage, closing, renewing, refinancing, breaking it early or falling behind: how it works in Ontario, what the law requires at each step, and what a lawyer does along the way.
Words worth knowing
A few from the full glossary.
The written contract between buyer and seller that sets the price, deposit, closing date, conditions and everything included or excluded. Binding once accepted before the irrevocable time.
The date and time until which an offer stays open. If it is not accepted by then it lapses; if accepted and communicated before then, there is a contract.
An accepted agreement that will end unless stated conditions (financing, inspection, status certificate) are fulfilled or waived in writing by their deadlines.
A condition letting the buyer end the deal if an inspection is not satisfactory, usually in the buyer's sole discretion. Inspectors are not licensed in Ontario.
Money paid on acceptance and held in trust, usually by the listing brokerage, credited against the price on closing and at risk if the buyer abandons a firm deal.
The cash a buyer brings on closing, including the deposit, that is not borrowed under the mortgage. Federal rules set minimums by price band.
Start a file online in about seven minutes, or ask a lawyer first. Flat, published fees.