Straight answers, with real numbers in them.

No, you can buy without representation, but in a resale transaction the seller's commission is usually already committed whether or not you bring your own agent, so going unrepresented rarely saves you anything. What you give up is someone reviewing comparable sales on your side, writing the conditions, and reading the status certificate. If you do go it alone, hire a real estate lawyer early rather than at closing.

Five percent on the first $500,000 of the purchase price, ten percent on the portion from $500,000 to $1.5 million, and twenty percent on anything above $1.5 million. A $650,000 purchase therefore needs $40,000. Below twenty percent down you pay mortgage default insurance, which is added to the loan, and in Ontario the provincial tax on that premium is due in cash at closing.

You pay Ontario's provincial land transfer tax, and that is all. Mississauga does not levy a municipal land transfer tax. The City of Toronto does, which means an identical purchase in Etobicoke or downtown Toronto costs meaningfully more at closing than the same purchase in Mississauga or Oakville. On a $900,000 home the difference is in the region of $12,000.

Up to $4,000 off the provincial land transfer tax, which fully eliminates the tax on a purchase up to $368,333 and reduces it above that. To qualify you must be at least 18, a Canadian citizen or permanent resident, and you must never have owned a home anywhere in the world. If your spouse owned a home while you were together, you are disqualified too.

Plan on 1.5 to 3 percent of the purchase price on top of the down payment. That covers land transfer tax, legal fees and disbursements of roughly $1,500 to $2,500, title insurance, a home inspection at $400 to $700, the status certificate on a condo, adjustments for prepaid property tax and utilities, and provincial sales tax on mortgage default insurance where your down payment is under twenty percent.

With a freehold townhouse you own the land and the structure outright and there is no monthly fee, but you are responsible for the roof, windows and everything else. A condo townhouse is registered under the Condominium Act: you own the interior, the corporation owns the exterior and common elements, and you pay a monthly fee. Neither is better. It is a question of what you want to be responsible for.

Yes. Only a lawyer can register a transfer of title and handle closing funds in Ontario, so every purchase involves one. Retain them before your conditions come off rather than the week of closing, because a lawyer reviewing a status certificate, a survey or an unusual clause needs time to actually read it. Budget $1,500 to $2,500 including disbursements and title insurance.

Only through a condition in the agreement, such as financing, inspection or status certificate review. There is no cooling-off period on a resale purchase in Ontario. Once conditions are waived the agreement is firm and walking away exposes you to losing your deposit and to a claim for the seller's damages. This is exactly why the conditions you include are the most important part of an offer.

Commission is negotiable and is set in the listing agreement between you and the brokerage. It is not fixed by law, by the Real Estate Council of Ontario or by any real estate board, and anyone who tells you otherwise is wrong. The total is normally split between the listing and cooperating brokerages, and HST at 13 percent is payable on top. Ask for the number in writing before you sign.

Start with an instant online estimate for a rough range, then have a licensed representative walk the property and prepare a comparative market analysis based on recent comparable sales, adjusted for condition, layout and current competing inventory. Both are free. The automated number is fine for planning and unreliable for pricing, because a model has never been inside your house.

If the property was your principal residence for every year you owned it, the gain is generally exempt, though the sale must still be reported on your tax return. If it was a rental, a second property, or partly rented, some or all of the gain is taxable. Non-residents of Canada face withholding at closing. Talk to an accountant before you list rather than after you close.

Full staging pays off most on vacant properties and on homes where the layout is hard to read empty. On an occupied home that is already tidy, decluttering, neutral paint and better lighting deliver most of the same benefit for a fraction of the cost. What matters more than either is the photography, because the overwhelming majority of buyers decide whether to book a showing from their phone.

Yes, but the tenant's rights continue and in Ontario they are substantial. You must give 24 hours written notice for each showing, and the tenancy transfers with the property unless the buyer or an immediate family member intends to move in, which requires proper notice and compensation. A tenanted property sells best to an investor. Marketing it to owner-occupiers usually produces a lower price and a slower sale.

Twenty percent minimum on a non-owner-occupied residential property, because mortgage default insurance is not available on rentals you do not live in. If you will occupy one unit of a two to four unit building, insured financing may be available with less down, which is why owner-occupied small multi-family is the most common entry point. Confirm the terms with a mortgage broker before you write an offer.

It has genuine strengths: a large employment base, GO and MiWay transit plus the Hazel McCallion LRT, Sheridan College, steady newcomer arrivals, and entry prices below comparable Toronto stock. It also has real drawbacks: Ontario rent control on units first occupied before November 2018, long Landlord and Tenant Board timelines when something goes wrong, and carrying costs that make many condo purchases cash flow negative today.

Commonly, yes, through a refinance or a home equity line of credit, subject to qualifying and to the usual eighty percent loan-to-value ceiling on a residential refinance. It is a normal way to fund a down payment. What it also does is tie the two properties together: if the rental underperforms, the pressure lands on the roof over your head. Model the downside before you sign.

Net rental income is taxable at your marginal rate. You can deduct mortgage interest but not principal, plus property tax, insurance, maintenance, condo fees and professional fees. Capital cost allowance is optional and claiming it can trigger recapture on sale. When you sell, the gain is a capital gain rather than an exempt principal residence sale. Use an accountant who works with property investors.

A condo is easier to buy, easier to finance and easier to sell, but the monthly fee eats the return and you have no control over special assessments. A duplex, triplex or fourplex produces meaningfully better cash flow and lets you add value, but it is more work, harder to finance, and you own every problem. Most investors start with a condo and wish they had started with the multi-family.

Buying converts rent into equity, fixes your occupancy cost and gives you an asset you can hold after you exit the business, but it ties up capital and reduces your flexibility to move or resize. Leasing preserves cash for the business and lets you relocate as you grow, at the cost of paying someone else's mortgage. The right answer usually turns on how predictable your next five years are.

Generally yes. Commercial real estate purchases and commercial rents are subject to HST, unlike most used residential property. A registered buyer can often self-assess and claim an input tax credit rather than paying it at closing, which materially changes the cash required. This is a question for your accountant and your lawyer before you make an offer, not after.

A phase one is a non-intrusive review of a property's history, past uses, records and site conditions to identify whether contamination is likely. Lenders usually require one on commercial and industrial purchases. If it flags a concern, a phase two involves actual soil and groundwater sampling. On any property that has held a gas station, dry cleaner, auto shop or light industrial use, treat it as mandatory.

Mississauga, Etobicoke and Oakville are the core, with regular work in Toronto, Brampton and Milton. Her office is at 480 Eglinton Avenue West in Mississauga. For a property well outside that footprint she will refer you to someone who works that market daily rather than learn it on your file, which is generally the better outcome for you.

Yes, and it is a significant share of the practice. First-time buyers need more explanation and more honesty about what a budget actually buys, which is the part of the job worth doing well. That means walking through the Ontario land transfer tax rebate, realistic closing costs, and being straight about which properties will and will not appraise at the price being asked.