Ready for your purchase

1. Check that you have two pieces of valid Canadian government ID.

A Canadian Passport or Permanent Resident Card and a driver’s Licence are typically required.

2. Finalise your mortgage as quickly as possible.

One of the main causes of a bad experience in your real estate closing process is last minute mortgage instructions, which results in your lawyer not being able to give you the closing funds amount, prepare your file, and sign you up in a timely manner.

3. Do your estimates for closing funds and ensure funds are easily accessible.

In addition to the down payment, there will be legal fees, disbursements, adjustments and land transfer tax. You should ensure your closing funds are available at least one week before your closing date.

4. Keep yourself available for signing closing documents in person or virtually a few days before closing.

Your real estate lawyer will contact you two to three days before the closing date to sign your purchase and mortgage paperwork.

5. Set up all utilities by directly contacting the utility companies for the city in which the property is located.

You want connections at your new address, so call the utility providers that supply the region you’ll be relocating to.  Give the utility companies your closing date so that they can read the meters to ensure you are not billed for the previous owner’s usage.