Buying with Deborah Winer Homes

Our site shows every active MLS® listing across York Region and Toronto, updated through the day, and you can save homes and searches. What the portals cannot do is tell you which listings are priced to draw several offers, which have sat for a reason, or what is about to come up on a street you love. That is the part we do.

Reviewers mention it often: we send you listings we think would work, not just the ones that match a filter. When a home fits, we book it quickly. When it does not, we say so.

At a showing, keep your list in mind: does the home have what you need, and does the location suit how you live? Then look past the staging at the technical things: wiring and outlets, heating and cooling, the foundation, roof, windows and plumbing. We point out what the listing photos are not showing you.

A professional home inspection is almost always worth it. We can recommend inspectors, lawyers and other trades we trust, and many of our reviews mention exactly that.

When you find the one, we prepare the Agreement of Purchase and Sale with you. It sets out the price, the deposit, the date the offer expires, the closing date and any conditions. Common conditions include:

• Financing: your lender confirming the mortgage.
• Home inspection by a qualified inspector.
• Sale of your current home, when you need to sell first.
• Lawyer's review of the status certificate, for a condo.
• What stays and what goes: appliances, light fixtures, window coverings.

A deposit goes with the offer as a show of good faith and is held in trust until closing. In competitive situations, such as a listing with an offer date, conditions can weaken an offer, so we talk through the risk and the options (for example, a pre-offer inspection) before you decide.

Deborah is a Certified Negotiations Expert (CNE) and an Accredited Buyer Representative (ABR). Jamie's background is in finance and real estate management. Between them, they will tell you what a home is likely worth and where to stop.

Once conditions are satisfied or waived, the deal is firm and binding on both sides, so make sure you understand every term before signing. Before closing you will arrange home insurance and show proof of it to your lender. Your lawyer searches title, receives the mortgage funds and the balance from you, pays the land transfer tax, and registers the transfer.

Then the keys are in your hands and the home is yours. We are still a phone call away after closing, for trades, questions, or the next move.

Budget for these from the start so there are no surprises on closing day:

• Land transfer tax: Ontario's, plus Toronto's if the home is south of Steeles (try our land transfer tax calculator).
• Legal fees and disbursements, including title insurance.
• Home inspection, and an appraisal if your lender requires one.
• Mortgage default insurance if your down payment is under 20 per cent.
• Adjustments for property tax or condo fees the seller has prepaid.
• Moving costs, and utility hook-ups.