Frequently asked questions

In most Ontario transactions the buyer's agent is paid a co-operating commission offered by the seller's brokerage, so buyers typically pay nothing directly. Under TRESA (Ontario's Trust in Real Estate Services Act), your buyer representation agreement must state exactly how your agent is paid, in writing, before you make an offer — and if a seller offers less than the amount in your agreement, we discuss it with you before you're ever on the hook. No surprises is the legal standard, not just ours.

Only to the extent you agree — the term, the geographic area, and the property types are all negotiable before you sign, and TRESA requires them to be spelled out clearly. New clients typically start on shorter terms so the relationship is earned, not contractual. If it isn't working, say so — holding an unhappy client to paper isn't how Jahan does business.

In Ontario a deposit is customarily around 5% of the purchase price, delivered within 24 hours of acceptance unless your offer says otherwise — usually by certified cheque or wire to the listing brokerage's trust account, where it's held until closing. The deposit forms part of your down payment. Plan for it before offer night: scrambling to move five figures in 24 hours is a stress you can avoid.

Ontario charges a provincial land transfer tax on every purchase, calculated on a sliding scale. First-time buyers can claim a rebate of up to $4,000 — and at Hamilton-area price points, that rebate often covers most or all of the tax on a first home. (Only purchases inside the City of Toronto pay a second, municipal land transfer tax on top.) Your lawyer claims the rebate at closing; we make sure it isn't missed.

A conditional offer includes conditions — commonly financing, home inspection, or status certificate review — that must be satisfied or waived before the deal becomes binding; if a condition fails, you walk away with your deposit. A firm offer has no conditions: you're committed the moment it's accepted. Firm offers win competitive situations but shift all the risk to you, so we only recommend going firm when your financing and due diligence are genuinely done in advance.

A status certificate is the condo corporation's disclosure package — its budget, reserve fund, insurance, arrears, special assessments, and any lawsuits. Ontario caps its cost at $100 and your lawyer reviews it, typically under a condition in your offer. It's how you find out the building needs a $30,000-per-unit repair before you own the problem. We never let a client firm up on a condo without one.

Wells need potability and flow tests; septic systems need inspection and a permit history; zoning determines what you can actually do with the land — agricultural, rural residential, and conservation-authority or Niagara Escarpment overlays all carry different rules. Financing can differ too: many lenders cap what they'll lend against large acreage, and farmland can attract HST where a house doesn't. We build all of it into the conditions before you commit.

Your lawyer and the seller's lawyer exchange funds and documents electronically, your mortgage advances, land transfer tax is paid, and the deed is registered in your name. Keys are usually released in the afternoon or early evening once registration confirms — so book movers for later in the day, not 9 AM. We do a final walk-through with you shortly before closing to confirm the home is in the condition your agreement requires.

Jahan visits your home, then prepares a written comparative market analysis: recent sold prices for genuinely comparable homes near you, the active listings you'd compete against, and days-on-market trends for your pocket of the neighbourhood. You get a realistic range and a pricing strategy — at market, under for competition, or above with room. It's free, it takes about 48 hours, and there's no obligation to list.

The main levers are matching closing dates, negotiating longer or flexible closings, and bridge financing — a short-term loan that covers the gap when your purchase closes before your sale. Sell-first gives you certainty on your budget; buy-first avoids a double move. We model both paths with your actual numbers, and in most markets we recommend securing the sale before firming up the purchase.

Rarely directly — most buyers come through booked showings with their own agents. But a strong first-weekend open house concentrates traffic, creates visible competition, and occasionally surfaces the unrepresented buyer who falls in love. We run them as part of a coordinated launch week, not as a substitute for one. What sells homes is pricing, presentation, and exposure working together.

If the buyer's lender appraises the home below the agreed price, the lender funds a percentage of the appraised value — leaving the buyer to cover the gap. A firm deal legally obligates them to close regardless; a financing condition may let them walk. Sellers can respond by holding firm, negotiating, or meeting partway. It's one more reason we vet the strength of an offer — deposit size, financing, and buyer profile — not just its headline number.

It can be — but only when it's underwritten as a business, not bought on a hunch. At today's rates many condos carry negative monthly cash flow, while small multiplexes, homes with legal second suites, and select markets like Brantford or St. Catharines can still work. Before you offer, we build the full model: achievable rent, taxes, insurance, maintenance, vacancy, and financing. If the numbers don't work, we tell you.

Cap rate is a property's net operating income divided by its price — the yield before financing. Ontario residential caps typically run in the low single digits: lower for polished core condos, higher for Hamilton, Brantford, and Niagara duplexes and multiplexes. A higher cap usually means more management effort or slower appreciation; a lower cap prices in liquidity and growth. We compare candidates on cap rate, cash-on-cash return, and exit liquidity together — one number alone will mislead you.

The market standard for full tenant placement in Ontario is typically half of one month's rent to one month's rent, covering pricing, marketing, showings, verified screening (credit, employment, references), and Ontario's standard lease properly executed. Compared to one month of vacancy — or one bad tenant — professional placement usually pays for itself. We quote the fee up front in writing.

A complete package: a rental application, a full credit report, an employment or income letter, references, and government ID. Landlords in Ontario may collect first and last month's rent and a refundable key deposit — nothing more. Newcomers and students without Canadian credit can compete with international documents, a guarantor, or lawful prepayment arrangements; we structure that package so it gets approved instead of skipped.