Don't have one? Call ours, Roger Grubb at Main Street Mortgages.

First-time buyer? Ask about the First Home Savings Account (FHSA) and the RRSP Home Buyers' Plan. Both can help with your down payment.

Not ready to buy? We'll help you rent until you are →

Send us their contact info. Don't have one? Call one of ours, Mia at MMA Law or Manpreet at Legal Studio.

The law requires a signed Buyer Representation Agreement before we can make an offer for you. Before you sign, we'll give you a short guide from Ontario's real estate regulator. Please read it and ask us anything.

Do this before looking at homes. Keep at least 5% of your price in your chequing account, with no holds on it, so it's ready the moment your offer is accepted.

Set aside closing costs too. These are paid on closing day, on top of your down payment: land transfer tax (paid twice in Toronto), legal fees, title insurance and small adjustments like prepaid property tax. First-time buyers may qualify for land transfer tax rebates. Your lawyer or mortgage broker can give you an estimate.

Tell us what you're looking for and we'll set up listing alerts. We also search for you daily. When you find a home you like, reach out and Sam will show it to you.

Found the one? Nick prepares your offer and sends it to you electronically, so you can e-sign from anywhere, while Rav negotiates with the seller's agent from start to finish. Expect to work closely with Nick, signing documents back and forth. Offers move fast, so please stay close to your phone.

Unless you decide otherwise, we include two conditions:

• Home inspection: gives you time to have a professional inspect the home. If they find serious problems, you can walk away.
• Financing: gives your mortgage broker time to fully approve your mortgage for this specific home. If they won't approve it, you can walk away.

Buying a condo? We add a third condition: the status certificate, a report showing the building's financial health: money saved for future repairs, whether fees may go up, and any lawsuits. The seller has up to 10 days to get it to you once your offer is accepted. Then you and your lawyer have 3 days to review it for red flags before we remove the condition.

Now it's go time. Your deposit is due within 24 hours of the accepted offer, by bank draft, certified cheque or wire transfer. It's held in the listing brokerage's trust account until closing. If it isn't received, your agreement is not valid.

Home inspection. We book our trusted inspector to fit within your condition deadline. Prefer your own inspector? That's fine. Either way, you pay the inspector directly, about $400 to $500. Buying a condo apartment? An inspection is optional, but the status certificate review is not.

Once the inspection passes and your mortgage broker issues full approval (commitment), we waive both conditions and the deal goes firm. Conditions typically last 5 days, or 13 to 15 days for a condo to allow for the status certificate. If they aren't waived in time, the deal ends.

• Protect your mortgage: until closing, don't change jobs, finance a car, open new credit or move large sums of money. Any of these can put your mortgage at risk.
• Home insurance: your lender needs proof of insurance before closing. Set it up as soon as the deal is firm.
• Utilities: arrange hydro, water, gas and internet to start on closing day.
• Rental equipment: many Ontario homes have a rented water heater or furnace. If yours does, you take over the rental contract.

We suggest saving the second visit for close to closing day.

You can move in as soon as the lawyers finish everything. Keys usually arrive in the early-to-mid afternoon. At the very latest, the home is yours by 6 p.m.

• Your house key will be in the lockbox outside.
• All other keys will be on the kitchen counter.

Our fee is 2.5%. The seller pays it. You pay nothing out of pocket. If a seller isn't offering the full 2.5%, we build the difference into the offer price.