You may already have an estate lawyer
The most logical candidate is the lawyer you hired when you bought your home. S/he is already familiar with the property and could easily draft the required documents.
Other ways to find a lawyer
Ask people you trust for recommendations – friends, family, business associates.
REALTORS® can give you the names of several lawyers so you know your home will be in the right hands.
Your lawyer should help you review important documents you have to sign and answer any of your questions about these papers. Know exactly to what you are agreeing.
Receive an offer
You’ve been working hard towards this point. Now you get to see how much your efforts are paying off.
Your realtor can walk you through the process
Your realtor will present every offer that is submitted for your review. The buyer’s realtor may be present, too. However, the buyer will probably not be there, so you can review and respond to the offer without any awkward pressure. Stay calm, whether good or bad, and stay focused on what you want to do next.
Discuss the offer
You may ask your realtor for advice regarding the offer. Maybe it’s time to celebrate, or it could be time to plan a counter offer. If your partner and family are involved, you can request private time to discuss matters. At this point, you have three options:
Accept the offer – sold!
Reject the offer
“Sign back” the offer – negotiate some more
Reasons why you want to “sign back”
You want more money that what was offered
You want a different closing date
There are other details with which you’re not satisfied
See above
Points of Contention:
Buyer to obtain financing – this means the buyer doesn’t have a mortgage in place yet
Approval to assume mortgage – you have a great mortgage rate and the buyer want to take over these payments
Sale of purchaser’s home – they are still trying to sell their home and don’t want to pay for two homes at the same time
Property inspection – this is becoming standard industry practice, so to refuse this condition could ruin the sale of your home.
Close the sale
Before your house is truly sold, your realtor and lawyer have to help you through the final steps known as the “closing.”
This is where your realtor and lawyer take care of the time-consuming and complicated legal work.
Canada's money laundering reporting requirements
By the time you accept an offer, your REALTOR® will also advise you of reporting requirements by FINTRAC, the federal agency responsible for administering Canada's Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing legislation and regulations. Your REALTOR® is required by federal law to complete a client identification form, and must ask you as the vendor or seller for verified ID such as a driver's license or passport. You can find out more on the FINTRAC web site at http://www.fintrac-canafe.gc.ca.
Your closing checklist:
Advise your lawyer that an agreement has been signed; make sure your lawyer is ready to close the transaction
Immediately start satisfying any conditions of the agreement that require action on your part
Notify your lawyer and lending institution whether the buyer is assuming your mortgage
Notify the utilities, telephone, and cable companies about transferring or removing service. Often, your lawyer handles the utility transfer.
Cancel or transfer your homeowner’s insurance
Contact a moving company to arrange your move on or prior to the closing date.
Fill out a change of address card at the post office and send out your new address information. Contact the Ministry of Transport about updating your
driver's license.
Notify your realtor immediately if anything about your property or situation changes
Contact with your lawyer
If you plan to pay off your mortgage with proceeds of the sale, your lawyer will obtain a statement from your lender showing your outstanding mortgage
balance and any penalties owing to discharge the mortgage
Before closing, your lawyer will help you sign over the title of your property to the buyer.
On closing day, your lawyer will receive and distribute the proceeds from the sale, pay off your mortgage and other costs, and give you a cheque for
