Your legal bill will include fees (the amount the lawyer is getting paid) and disbursements (the amount the lawyer has to pay on your behalf).

For example, as of 2026, Erin charges a fee of $1300 + HST + disbursements for a standard residential purchase or sale. This includes a first mortgage on purchases.

Disbursements are costs your lawyer pays upfront for, such as title searching, registration, title insurance and mortgage discharge fees. You then pay your lawyer back on closing. Disbursements vary between transactions and most lawyers do not quote them, and instead quote their fee “plus disbursements”.

You should know that disbursements are going to significantly increase your legal bill for real estate transactions - often by 40% or more, depending on what’s required.

We suggest our clients be prepared for $750-$1150 for disbursements for most real estate transactions.

And example of what your legal bill may look like is:

Legal Fees

for Purchase and First Mortgage $1300

HST on Legal Fee $169

Total Fee $1469

‍ ‍Disbursements‍ ‍

Title Insurance $500*

Software Transaction Fee $50

Title Search Fee $70.00

Wire Transfer Fee $17.50

Writ Searches $26.00

Registration of Deed $85.00 ‍

Total Disbursements $748.50

Total Legal Bill:` $2217.50

This is not meant to be an exhaustive list of disbursements you may incur, but an example. Again, disbursements vary depending on the property, which is why they are so difficult to estimate.

*Title insurance varies a lot, from $350 for starter homes, up to approximately $950 for more expensive homes or homes purchased with private mortgages. The title insurance company sets the premium based on their assessment of risk once your lawyer enters your property and loan particulars.

When you purchase a home or land in Ontario, you must pay land transfer tax. If you are in Toronto, you also have to pay “muncipal land transfer tax”. You can calculate your own land transfer tax here: https://trreb.ca/buying-selling-intelligence/ltt-calculator-residential/.

The tax is payable at closing. Your lawyer takes the tax from you and pays it to the Ministry of Finance. It is part of your “closing funds” (downpayment, land transfer tax and legal fees).

If it’s your first time buying a home, you’ll qualify for a new home buyer’s tax rebate of up to $4000.

There are limited exemptions to land transfer tax, for instance, when transferring title between spouses.

You’ll also pay tax (HST) on your legal fees and disbursements.

No, you do not pay tax directly on the sale of your primary residence in Ontario. However, if you are purchasing a new primary residence, you will pay Land Transfer Tax on the purchase (see above).

You do pay HST on your realtor’s commission, legal fees and disbursements.

Your real estate lawyer will start their day with a cup of coffee and a prayer that your transaction goes smoothly.

Hopefully, you have already dropped off your closing funds in the form of a bank draft or certified check. Now your real estate lawyer will be waiting for your lender to send your mortgage funds and for the seller’s real estate lawyer to send the closing documents.

Once the closing documents arrive, your real estate lawyer will be checking to ensure they are complete and executed.

If all of the documents are in order, your real estate lawyer will then forward the funds to the seller’s real estate lawyer in escrow (not to be released to the client until the deal is complete). The seller’s real estate lawyer will then release the deed to be registered. Once the deed is released, your real estate lawyer will perform a final execution search and register your deed and mortgage.

It is only once your deed has been registered that you officially own the property and can “take possession” (aka, move in).

Many lawyers used skilled law clerks to complete some of these tasks.

Yes. In Ontario, only lawyers can access the Land Registry System to transfer legal title of real property. You cannot get on the deed of real property without a lawyer. If anyone tells you that you do not need a lawyer to buy or sell land in Ontario, they are either are uninformed or are trying to take advantage of you.

Land Transfer Tax is collected by the government evey single time you purchase a home or land in Ontario.

It is a staggering amount: for instance, on a home purchase in Orillia for $650,000, your land transfer tax would be $9475.00, or $5475 for a first time home buyer.

You can calculate your own land transfer tax here: https://trreb.ca/buying-selling-intelligence/ltt-calculator-residential/

The goverment has authority to collect Land Transfer Tax under the Land Transfer Tax Act, RSO 1990, c L.6.

The government could repeal the Land Transfer Tax Act, reduce the tax, or limit the application of the Tax to homes above $2 million, to assist working and middle class families in affording a home. In Alberta, the tax on a $650,000 home in 2025 is $555.00.

Write to your MPP if you think Land Transfer Tax is impacting housing affordability in Ontario.

You don't, and it might be better if you didn't!

Many home buyers choose to buy and sell on the same day., and plan to do both moves in a single day.

While this might be ideal if you owned your new home as of 9am on the day of closing and could move right in, but this isn’t true.

Most deals don't close until after 3pm, and some don't close until 5pm, especially if you choose the most popular day to close: the last Friday of the month. This means you won't be able to start moving into your new house until quite late in the day.

If you don’t fancy an evening move, you can likely purchase your house a few days before your sale for a less stressful experience. You'll just need bridge financing from your bank - they will loan you the money you need to buy your new home for a few days, and then you pay them back the day you sell. There is interest on these loans but many clients consider it money well spent to be able to move on their own schedule.

Contact us to talk about your transaction: erin@whiteoaklaw.ca

Fridays, and especially, the last Friday of the month. In my experience, at least half of the transactions for a month are scheduled to close on Fridays. The result is the banks and real estate lawyers are extremely busy on these days, so transactions are more likely to close very late, right up to 5pm.

The process is different depending on your lawyer. If your lawyer is Erin at White Oak Law, this is what will happen:

-You’ll meet Erin at her office. She works out of her home and there is plenty of street parking available.

-Erin will take a copy of your ID and ask you what your job is and what the source of your downpayment is. Erin isn’t being nosey, she’s required by law to ask these questions.

-Erin will then show you the “Statement of Adjustments”, which shows the amount you are paying the seller for the house once the deposit, property taxes, fuel oil and propane are adjusted for (if applicable).

-Next, Erin will show you a “Funds Summary”. This will show how you much you are paying for the house, the land transfer taxes, and your legal fees and disbursements, and how much your mortgage advance and downpayment are (if any).

-Erin will then take you through the legal documents you need to sign in order to purchase your house. Erin will point out anything that needs your clarification or confirmation. Don’t be afraid to ask questions - Erin doesn’t want to force you to endure a property law class at your signing appointment, but if you want to learn more and have the time, she’s happy to get into the finer points.

-Erin will also be taking you through the documents your lender sent her to have you sign (if you have a mortgage). Erin did not draft these documents, and may roll her eyes if your lender sends her documents to “open a chequing account” at their institution, or sends three seperate documents that all say the same thing. Regardless, Erin will happily advise you on the legal effect of any and all documents your lender sends, and will ensure they are all signed so your lender funds your mortgage.

-Erin will confirm your phone number for closing day, and ask that you be available by phone all day that day, in case she needs instructions. 99% of the time, you will only hear from Erin on closing day when she has completed your purchase - she’ll give you the key code by email once you are on title, and you’ll be good to move into your new home. 1% of the time, something goes amiss - most often, the parties run out of time to register the deed (which must be registered by 5pm). If this happens, Erin will need to speak to you about what has happened, and confirm whether you want to extend the deal. If everyone wants to extend (and usually they do), the deal will close the next morning (unless it’s a Friday….see “what’s the worst day to close” above).

-The appointment will not take longer than an hour. You will not have to go back to see Erin again, she will mail (or email) you all the documents you need for your records.

On page 2 of your Agreement of Purchase and Sale, there are two sections which dictate what you sold with the house, versus what you didn’t.

“Chattels Included” are items that are not screwed down or glued down, but are being sold with the house. Most people include large appliances with their house, such as the fridge or oven, and list those here. Anything that’s not screwed down or glued down, and isn’t listed as a “Chattels Included” needs to go with you. That includes all your furniture and personal effects, and that pile of debris you’ve been keeping in the garage.

The other section is called “Fixtures Excluded”. A fixture is something permanently affixed to the home, either through screws, glues, nails, etc. This includes hardwired light fixtures, light switches, doorbells, doorknobs, floating shelves, and your TV mount (but not the TV itself). If you want to take something with you and you need a tool to remove it from your house, make sure you write it into “Fixtures Excluded”, or you will inadvertenly sell it with your house.

If your chandelier is hard wired, and you didn’t add it to “Fixtures Excluded”, you cannot take it with you. If it’s plug in, you take it with you.

Buying property with friends can quickly derail into litigation without careful preparation and advice before the purchase. There should be a written co-ownership agreement covering the contingencies of property ownership. Preferably, Erin or another qualified real estate lawyer is drafting this agreement. Otherwise, what happens if one friend wants to sell at a loss?

Any owner who wants to sell but can’t get their co-owners to agree can apply under the Partition Act to force a sale of a property they own a partial interest in. This is the case even if doing so will cause a significant economic loss. The Courts will allow the sale unless there’s a private contract or agreement to the contrary, or evidence of malicious intent.

This recently happened to friends in Green et al. v Gardeazabal, 2023 ONSC 2683. Three friends bought an investment property in April 2022. They did not enter into a co-ownership agreement. One year later, two of the friends wanted to sell despite the $150,000 loss that would result. The third friend opposed the sale, arguing she had a reasonable expectation the parties would hold on to the property for 2 years. The Court allowed the sale, largely because there was nothing in writing documenting an agreement to hold the property for a specific amount of time.

This loss could have been avoided if the parties had gotten a co-ownership agreement which set out their intentions and obligations to each other explicitly before buying property together. It would have been a lot less expensive than the partition application litigation that resulted in this decision.

Thinking of buying a property with your friends? Get some advice from erin@whiteoaklaw.ca.

Yes, if you are legally married, you must have your spouse’s consent in order to sell the matrimonial home. The only exception to this is if there is signed Separation Agreement in which your spouse has released all rights under the Family Law Act to the matrimonial home, or if a Court has ordered that you can sell your home without your spouse’s consent.

It doesn’t matter if you bought the house solely with your own money, or if you have been the only one making mortgage payments. When you legally marry someone and have them move into your house, your spouse automatically gains an interest in the home you share. It is irrelevant whether they are on title.

The only way to avoid your legally married spouse from gaining an interest in your shared home is by contracting out of the current legislative scheme through a co-habitation or pre-nuptial agreement. If you want to get married, but to not want to share your assets, you should consult a Family Law Lawyer and have them prepare such an agreement. We are happy to recommend Family Law Lawyers in our community if you reach out to Erin.

Clients often call real estate lawyers wanting to add their adult children to title as a “estate planning” method. However, adding your children to title could derail your estate plan or cost your children hundreds of thousands in capital gains.

Here are a few examples to illustrate:

The Accidental Disinheritance

In this example, a couple accidentally disinherit their daughter by adding their son to the title of their house.

Donna and Peter heard at the coffee shop that they should add their son to title of their house as a joint tenant save on probate taxes. They instruct their real estate lawyer to do so. They don’t update their wills, which divide everything equally between their son and daughter. Donna and Peter’s Estate includes their house and 1 million dollars.

Donna and Peter die. Because their son is a joint tenant on their house, their house transfers directly to him. It doesn’t matter that their will divides everything equally, because the right of survivorship from a joint tenancy overrides it. As a result, their son inherits their house and $500,000, and their daughter only inherits $500,000. While no probate tax is payable on the house, Donna and Peter have disrupted the equal distribution under their will by adding their son as a joint tenant on their property.

The Accidental Capital Gain

In this example, a couple adds their son to the title of their house so he doesn’t have to pay probate tax, but he ends up paying even more in capital gains.

Judy and Stanley have one son. When they are 60 years old, they go to their real estate lawyer and add their son to the title of their house as a joint tenant. At that time, their house is worth $500,000. Their son has his own house where he lives with his family.

Judy and Stanley die 20 years later. Their house appreciates by $400,000 over those 20 years. Their house passes directly to son because he is a joint tenant, and he avoids probate tax of 1.5% ($13,500) on the $900,000 asset.

However, when their son sells the house for $900,000, he now has to pay capital gains tax. Capital gains tax is payable on any property that is not your primary residence. The amount of tax payable on a capital gains depends on your tax bracket. For instance, if the son’s annual gross income is $100,000, he will end up paying a capital gains tax of $21,999.

In addition to the above, there are some other concerns arising from adding children to your title, including land transfer tax, impacting your ability to sell or refinance, exposing your asset to your child’s creditors, or getting caught up in your child’s matrimonial dispute. Always get legal advice and accounting on your specific situation before instructing your real estate lawyer to make changes to your title.

Get in touch with Erin Murray at erin@whiteoaklaw.ca to discuss whether it makes sense to add your children to the title of your home.

Title insurance is an insurance policy that your lawyer will secure for you when you purchase a property. It protects you against hidden defects to your title, title fraud, and issues with the boundaries of your property that would have been disclosed by a current survey.

Title insurance deals primarily with what happened with the property before you bought it, and only deals with the unknown. Below are examples of things a title insurance policy will typically payout for:

• The cost of closing an open building permit you didn’t know about;

• The cost of correcting an encroachment of your house on your neighbour’s land;

• The cost of correcting title fraud - for instance, if the seller is actually a fraudster, and you give them money, only to find out the legal owners never agreed to sell. Title insurance will reimburse you for the money you paid the fraudster, and will pay your lender back the money they lent you.

Title insurance doesn’t deal with known defects (for instance, if the seller told you they never closed the kitchen permit). It also doesn’t deal with Aboriginal land claims or Environmental claims.

Title insurance typically costs around $500 for the average home. It is a one time premium that your lawyer will pay at the time of closing on your behalf as a disbursement. The coverage lasts the entire period you own the home.