Buying a property – Steps to follow

You’ve just found the home of your dreams! What’s next?

Don’t worry, our mortgage PROS will guide you throughout the entire purchase process.

• Steps to follow
• Offer to purchase
• Signing the deed of sale

Steps to follow

• Put an offer on the seller’s property by using an offer to purchase form (existing home) or sign a sale agreement with a builder (new home).
• Negotiate. The seller can accept or refuse your offer to purchase. If he refuses, he can make a counter-offer, which you can either accept or refuse. Negotiations continue until the offer is accepted or refused.
• Get a mortgage with your Caisse advisor.
• See a lawyer, for example to look for a title or confirm that the seller is in deed the owner of the property.
• Have the home inspected by a specialist to make sure there are no major problems.
• Insure your home. It’s mandatory! To find out more, see Protect your family, home, and assets.
• Conclude the sale and take possession of the keys to the residence. This takes place at the lawyer’s office in presence of the seller and realtor.
• Move in!

Offer to purchase

Be aware of the commitment involved
The offer to purchase is a highly important document that is legally binding on the parties. It is a contract in which one person offers to buy a property from another under certain conditions. Consequently, you should never sign an offer to purchase hastily.

The offer to purchase includes all the details needed to identify the property, along with the conditions for the transaction. For example:

• address and lot number
• deposit amount
• date of possession
• distribution of taxes
• length of time that the offer is valid (generally between 24 and 48 hours)
• what is included in or excluded from the selling price (e.g., light fixtures, curtains, carpeting, household appliances)
• approval of mortgage loan
• satisfactory inspection of premises by an expert
• sale of your current home
• any other condition(s) deemed appropriate

Forms for presenting an offer to purchase are available at bookstores or from your realtor.

Note: Once an offer to purchase has been accepted, neither party can refuse to carry it out. Otherwise, the seller or buyer can be sued for damages caused to the other party. The buyer could even lose the deposit.

Signing the deed of sale

Upon concluding the sale, make sure that your notary or lawyer has all the necessary documents on hand (mortgage deed, tax receipts, location certificate/building location survey).