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How Much Does a Real Estate Lawyer Cost for a Private Sale in Ontario?

Updated September 17, 2026

Quick answer

Buying directly from a seller, with no listing agent involved, carries the same $1,354.87 flat fee as any other purchase. What changes is the extra care we take: there's no real estate board's standard agreement to start from, so we spend more time confirming the deposit is held properly, the property description and title match, and the closing terms are complete before you're bound.

What the bill is made of

The bill is the same as any other purchase -- what's different is where our attention goes.

Line itemAmount
Our fee — Home PurchaseStarting at, 13% HST included — set by us, published on our price list.$1,354.87
Land registration — transferGovernment fee, effective November 3, 2025 — one per instrument registered electronically.$85.00
Land registration — mortgage chargeIf you're financing the purchase. A cash purchase skips this line.$85.00
Title insurance — example at $800,000$655.74 premium + 8% PST, TitlePLUS residential rate schedule effective March 1, 2025. Varies by insurer and purchase price — most lenders require it.$708.20
Ontario land transfer tax — example at $800,000Marginal brackets, 0.5% to 2.5% of the purchase price. Paid to the province on closing, not to us.$12,475.00
Toronto municipal land transfer tax (MLTT)Only if the property is in Toronto — a second, matching tax on top of the Ontario tax, same example price. See the worked examples below for other price points.+ $12,475.00
First-time buyer?See our first-time buyer fee page for the worked numbers.Refunds up to $4,000 (Ontario) and $4,475 more (Toronto) may apply
Agent commissionOur fee doesn't change whether a deal was found through an agent or privately negotiated.Not part of our fee either way

Worked examples

What the same purchase totals at three common price points, computed from the sourced figures above.

PriceLocationOur feeRegistrationTitle insuranceLand transfer taxTotal
$600,000Outside Toronto$1,354.87$170.00$513.80$8,475.00$10,513.67
$600,000Toronto$1,354.87$170.00$513.80$16,950.00$18,988.67
$900,000Outside Toronto$1,354.87$170.00$805.40$14,475.00$16,805.27
$900,000Toronto$1,354.87$170.00$805.40$28,950.00$31,280.27
$1,200,000Outside Toronto$1,354.87$170.00$1,097.00$20,475.00$23,096.87
$1,200,000Toronto$1,354.87$170.00$1,097.00$40,950.00$43,571.87

Assumes a typical financed purchase (transfer + mortgage charge registered, $170.00 total) and the title-insurance formula above. Excludes searches, couriers and other disbursements that aren't sourced — those are billed at cost, itemized in your written quote, not estimated here.

What is extra

Billed separately, at cost: search fees (title, writ/execution & others); registration fees (transfer, charge, discharge); title insurance; couriers; software, government access & office charges, all itemized and estimated in writing before any work begins.

How to pay, and what happens next

Open your file online — nothing is due to start most real estate files. Once we've reviewed the details, our Team sends a written quote itemizing our fee, HST, and every disbursement we can estimate before you sign anything. Our fee, the disbursements and any land transfer tax are paid from your closing funds on closing day — there's nothing to pay up front. If anything about your file turns out to be more complex than usual, we pause, explain what changed, and confirm the extra cost with you before doing the work.

Frequently asked questions

Is your fee higher for a private sale?

No -- it's the same $1,354.87 flat fee. The transaction can take more of our time to get right, but that's covered by the flat fee, not billed separately.

Do I still need title insurance?

Yes -- if anything, more so. Without a real estate board's standard agreement and an agent double-checking the listing, title insurance is one of the few protections that's still standard and worth keeping.

Who drafts the agreement of purchase and sale?

In a private sale there's often no standard board-form agreement already in play. We can prepare or review whatever document the two sides are using, or draft one, as part of your file.

What's extra beyond $1,354.87?

Billed separately, at cost: search fees (title, writ/execution & others); registration fees (transfer, charge, discharge); title insurance; couriers; software, government access & office charges, billed at cost.

Fixed fees. No surprises. Start today.

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