How does a home sale actually work in Ontario, step by step?
Once your offer is signed, a lawyer checks title, handles your mortgage paperwork, calculates closing costs, and registers the deed on closing day. Most GTA deals close 30 to 90 days after the offer is accepted.
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What happens right after the offer is accepted?
The deal is binding once both sides sign, subject to conditions like financing or inspection, usually satisfied or waived within 5 to 10 business days. Hire your lawyer as soon as the deal is firm, not the week before closing. A lawyer needs weeks to do the work properly, not days.
What does the lawyer do before closing?
Most of the work starts 2 to 3 weeks out:
- Title search: confirms the seller owns the property and no liens, easements, or old mortgages remain registered against it.
- Mortgage instructions: your lender's conditions, which must be followed exactly before funds release.
- Tax and utility certificates: confirms taxes and utilities are paid up, so you don't inherit the seller's bills.
- Statement of adjustments: the final accounting of who owes what, like prepaid taxes and utility credits.
What happens on closing day?
Closing isn't a meeting around a table. Documents move electronically between lawyers, funds transfer, and the deed registers in your name. You sign your documents a day or two beforehand; keys come once registration is confirmed, often early afternoon.
What can delay closing?
A lender needs more paperwork, a title issue turns up, or the seller's own purchase further up the chain falls behind. If closing slips, your lawyer negotiates new terms, which can include interest on the purchase price per day of delay.
What does it cost?
Legal fees plus disbursements: land transfer tax, registration fees, title insurance, and similar charges. Land transfer tax is usually the biggest single cost. First-time buyers may qualify for a refund; see our first-time buyers page.
Where to go from here
- Line up a lawyer as soon as your offer is firm, ideally before your financing condition expires.
- Send your lawyer the full signed agreement, not a summary.
- Ask your lender to send mortgage instructions to your lawyer's office directly.
People also ask
How long does closing take from offer to keys?
Most GTA deals close 30 to 90 days after the offer is signed.
Do I need to attend closing in person?
No. You sign at your lawyer's office a day or two before; registration happens electronically.
Can one lawyer act for both buyer and seller?
Generally no. Law Society of Ontario rules require separate lawyers on each side.
My closing is in two weeks and I don't have a lawyer. Now what?
Call right away. Tight, but often workable if your financing is already approved.
Sources
This page is general information about Ontario law as of September 2026. It isn't legal advice about your situation.