When buying or selling your condo your house, you will be dealing with various professionals. The work of each of these persons entails costs that you need to know to budget your real estate transaction.

Appraiser’s fees

The certified appraiser’s role is to formalize the market value of a property. A certified appraiser, who is a member of the association of professional appraiser’s of Quebec (OEAQ), provides you with a detailed and impartial assessment report, because he/she does not have interest in the future transaction. A certified appraiser will charge you for his/her services from $350 for single-family dwellings. To find a certified appraiser, visit www.oeaq.qc.ca

Real-estate agent’s fees

The real-estate agent is responsible for marketing the property. He/she will charge the seller a commission ranging on average 3 % to 6 % + GST and QST of the selling price of the property. For a property that sells for $250,000, a commission of 6 % represents $15,000 to which you have to add $2,000 for GST and QST.  Where the vendor and buyer are both represented by a real-estate agent, the two agents will share the commission. This happens in almost two-thirds of transactions.

Mortgage broker’s fees

A mortgage broker will find you the best available offers of loans from many financial institutions and lenders. He/she is paid directly by the lender from 0.25 % to 0.75 % of the loan depending on his terms. For a loan of $300,000, his fee may range from $750 to $2,250.

Building inspector’s fees

The building inspector gives you an objective assessment of the condition of the property following a visual inspection. He will charge you an average of $500 to $800 depending on the type of property inspected (condominium, house town, duplex, triplex, etc.).

Notary’s fees

The notary will analyze numerous documents:

• Purchase offer,
• Previous title deeds going back several decades,
• Declaration of co-ownership,
• Certificate of location,
• Statement of municipal taxes,
• Statement of school taxes,

The notary will give you a personalised legal explanation of the real-estate transaction and your mortgage.

Generally, fees for buyer ranges between $1,200 and $1,700 which includes the notary’s fees plus disbursements, depending on the experience of notary, the complexity of the case and the involvement of the parties.

Fees for a seller who needs a loan discharge generally ranges between $700 and $1000 which includes the notary’s fees and disbursements, depending on the experience of the notary, the complexity of the case, and involvement of the parties.

Disbursements are the transaction fees which are not part of the notary’s professional fees. They are expenses that are required to be paid by the buyer. The notary pays the third parties, mainly the land registry for research and registration of the deeds.

It is important to consult a notary before signing a purchase offer, because you will benefit from a valuable consultation regarding the conditions to be included in the purchase offer, the consequences that arise from a purchase with or without legal quality guaranty. He/she will also provide explanations about mortgage product

Land surveyor’s fees

The land surveyor plans, organizes and draws up the official survey to establish the location of real property boundaries, the contours and other natural and artificial features. Fees are proposed by the institution of land surveyors of Quebec and range from $600 to $1,500 for a certificate of location.

Mona Salehi Notaire – monasalehinotaire.com