Residential Real Estate
Buying or selling a home is a major transaction, and the legal side of it should not make the process harder. Align Counsel handles residential purchases, sales, refinances, and related transactions across Ontario, and keeps you informed from the moment we receive the deal through to closing day.
We handle residential purchases, sales, condominium transactions, refinances, and private mortgages across Ontario, acting for buyers, sellers, and borrowers, and providing independent legal advice where a lender requires it.
A residential closing runs on strict deadlines, significant funds, and documents that determine who owns the property and what obligations come with it. We work through the title, the mortgage, the closing funds, the adjustments, and the registration, and we make sure you understand what you are signing before the deal closes.
What we cover
Buying a house, condo, townhouse, or other residential property, including title review, lender requirements, closing adjustments, registration, and completion of the purchase.
Selling a home or investment property, including closing documents, title matters, mortgage payouts, adjustments, and distribution of the sale proceeds.
Buying a condominium unit, including review of the status certificate and the condominium corporation’s governing documents where applicable.
Refinancing a property you already own, placing a new mortgage, or discharging an existing one, including lender instructions, registration, and payout of the prior mortgage. We act for borrowers and for private lenders.
Advice for a spouse, guarantor, or co-owner who is being asked to sign mortgage or transfer documents and needs to get that advice from a lawyer who does not act for the other side. Lenders often require it, and we can usually arrange it on short notice.
Send us the Agreement of Purchase and Sale, mortgage commitment, or other relevant paperwork, along with the closing date and a short summary of the deal.
We identify the legal work required, flag anything that needs attention, and tell you what we need from you and when we need it.
We send you an engagement letter setting out what we will handle, what you can expect from us, and the legal fee, before the work begins.
Title searches and off-title enquiries, lender instructions, closing documents, adjustments, title insurance, and coordination with the lawyer on the other side and with your lender.
We coordinate the final documents, funds, and registrations, confirm when the transaction has legally closed, and let you know the same day.
Most of the legal closing happens between the lawyers, not around a table with the buyer and the seller. Funds and documents are exchanged, the registrations are completed electronically, and the lawyers confirm when the transaction has legally closed. If you are buying, we tell you as soon as the property is registered in your name and the keys are released. If you are selling, we complete the transfer, deal with the mortgage payout and the other required payments, and then account to you for the remaining proceeds.
Earlier than most people expect. If you want legal advice on an Agreement of Purchase and Sale before you are bound by it, contact a lawyer before you make the offer or before the agreement becomes firm. If the agreement is already signed, send it to your lawyer as soon as you can. That gives us time to identify the closing requirements, complete the searches, coordinate with your lender, and deal with problems while there is still room to fix them.
More than signing paperwork on closing day. We review the transaction documents, investigate title and deal with anything the search turns up, obtain and satisfy your lender’s mortgage instructions, prepare the transfer and mortgage documents, calculate land transfer tax and the closing adjustments, arrange title insurance where appropriate, coordinate the transfer of funds, and register your ownership of the property.
Yes. We go through the agreement with you, explain what each term commits you to, identify the conditions and deadlines you will need to meet, and tell you where the wording creates risk or leaves something open. Once an agreement is signed and accepted you may already be committed to its terms, subject to any conditions in it, so getting advice before you sign is worth the time.
Title insurance is a policy that protects a property owner, and usually the mortgage lender, against certain title-related problems and other risks connected to owning the property. Depending on the policy, that can include title defects, existing liens, fraud or forgery, errors in public records, and some problems that were not discovered before closing. It does not replace due diligence and it does not cover every possible problem with a home. On a purchase we arrange the policy as part of the closing and explain what it does and does not cover before you commit to it.
There are additional considerations. With a condominium you are buying your individual unit together with an interest in the common elements, and your ownership is affected by the condominium corporation’s declaration, by-laws, rules, and finances. A status certificate gives important information about the corporation and about your unit. If your offer is conditional on a satisfactory review of the status certificate, get it to your lawyer quickly, because those conditions run on short deadlines.
Whether you are buying, selling, or refinancing, we make the legal side straightforward, explain what matters, and keep the deal moving. The first conversation is on us.
Book a free consultationThe information above is general in nature and is not legal advice. Every situation and transaction is different, and advice tailored to your specific circumstances is required to address your particular needs. If you have questions, contact Align Counsel at [email protected].