Buyer questions

Yes. You can represent yourself: book showings with the listing agent, have a real estate lawyer draft or review your offer, and let the lawyer handle the closing. The listing agent works for the seller, so they cannot advise you on price or terms. With DirectOffers you find and view homes yourself, write the offer in our wizard, and a licensed agent reviews it and submits it to the listing brokerage for you.

Not automatically. The commission is set in the seller’s listing agreement, and many listing agreements let the listing brokerage keep both sides when the buyer has no agent. To get that money you have to negotiate it into your offer, as a lower price or a credit on closing. With DirectOffers you get up to 80% of the buyer-agent commission back, as cash or applied to your offer price. The amount depends on the commission the seller offers, and the reviewing agent confirms it before you sign.

Usually, but they do not have to. Many listing agents will show you the home because they might earn both sides of the commission; some refuse, or push you to sign with them first. If they agree to help you as a self-represented buyer, they must first give you RECO’s Information Guide and a self-represented party disclosure. DirectOffers does not book showings: you arrange them yourself and come to us when you are ready to write the offer.

No, not to view it as a self-represented buyer. An agent who acts for you must have a written agreement, but you decide its scope: it can cover a single property, be non-exclusive and run for a short time. If an agent insists before a viewing, ask for an agreement limited to that one address. DirectOffers never asks you to sign anything to view a home.

Read the agreement first: its expiry date, whether it is exclusive, and its termination and holdover clauses. The agreement is with the brokerage, not the individual agent, so ask the broker of record for a release or a different agent. A holdover clause can still require you to pay the brokerage if you buy a home they showed you after the agreement ends. DirectOffers cannot submit an offer for you while you are under an agreement with another brokerage, so settle that first.

Most buyers should not. The listing agent’s duties are to the seller. If one brokerage represents both you and the seller (multiple representation), it must tell you in writing and get your consent before continuing, and it must tell every other buyer who makes a written offer. You can say no.

It depends on the commission the seller offers. Buying without an agent does not guarantee you any of the buyer-side commission; a rebate pays you a share of it, in writing. Compare rebates on their terms, not the headline number: some pay the full rebate only if you use their lender, and some cap it. DirectOffers returns up to 80% of the buyer-agent commission the seller offers, you use your own lender and lawyer, and there is no upfront cost.

In Ontario a resale offer is written on the OREA Agreement of Purchase and Sale (Form 100 for a house, Form 101 for a condo), with a Schedule A for conditions and extra terms, and delivered to the listing brokerage. Without an agent, have a real estate lawyer draft or review it. On DirectOffers you answer the wizard’s questions about price, deposit, closing date, irrevocable time, conditions and what stays with the house. A licensed agent then reviews the offer and calls you before anything goes to the seller; you sign electronically, and the agent delivers it to the listing brokerage.

As far as the comparable sales support; an offer below asking is not rude. Look at what similar homes nearby sold for in the last three to six months, and how long this one has been on the market. The seller can accept, counter (sign back) or let it expire.

It is the date and time until which you cannot withdraw your offer. If the seller accepts it and the acceptance is communicated back to you before then, you have a deal; if not, the offer is void. It is separate from your condition deadlines, which start after acceptance. A short irrevocable pressures the seller; a long one gives them time to shop your offer. DirectOffers suggests one based on how long the home has been on the market, and you can set your own date and time.

Usually you cannot see them. The seller sets an offer date, collects every offer, and accepts one or signs one back. Buyers do not see each other’s prices unless the seller directs, in writing, that offer details be shared. The seller’s agent must tell every buyer who made a written offer how many offers there are, and if you made one you can ask RECO to confirm the number.

Only what is written in the Agreement of Purchase and Sale is included, so name each chattel (fridge, stove, washer, dryer) in the offer. If something is missing, raise it with your lawyer before closing; after closing, the usual remedy is a claim in small claims court. DirectOffers fills the included chattels, excluded fixtures and rental items (such as a water heater) from the listing, and you can edit the list before you submit.

There is no legal minimum; the deposit is negotiable. About 5% of the price is the usual starting point in Ontario and the amount DirectOffers suggests. Some listings state what the seller expects, and a smaller deposit is often accepted in a slower market. A larger deposit reassures the seller that you will close. The deposit counts toward the purchase price, so it is not an extra cost.

On the standard form, a deposit payable “upon acceptance” is due within 24 hours of the seller accepting. It is paid to the deposit holder named in the offer, usually the listing brokerage’s trust account, by bank draft or wire. Have the money ready before you offer: weekends, and withdrawals from an FHSA or RRSP, take time, and a late deposit is a breach of the agreement. DirectOffers sets “upon acceptance” and the listing brokerage by default, and you can change either.

No, not unless you could close without the mortgage. A pre-approval is about you; the lender still has to approve the property, usually after an appraisal, and can lend less than you offered. Sellers do prefer firm offers, so if you must go firm, get the appraisal and a written mortgage commitment before the offer date. DirectOffers recommends a financing condition, and if you remove it you sign an acknowledgement (OREA Form 127) that you chose to go without it.

Not without inspecting first. In a slower market, most sellers accept an inspection condition, and DirectOffers recommends one on houses. When there is an offer date and you expect to compete with firm offers, pay for an inspection before you offer, or ask whether the seller has a pre-listing inspection you can review.

Yes, it is standard on a resale condo, and DirectOffers recommends it on every condo offer. The status certificate shows the condo corporation’s finances, reserve fund, special assessments and any lawsuits. If you want to offer firm, ask the listing agent for the certificate before you offer and have a lawyer review it.

You will almost certainly lose your deposit, and the seller can sue you for more, for example the difference if they resell the home for less. Talk to a real estate lawyer before you miss a deadline or stop responding.

Legal fees for a purchase with a mortgage are commonly $1,000–1,700; with disbursements, title insurance and registration, expect about $2,500–4,000 in total. Land transfer tax is on top, and the lawyer pays it to the government for you. See land transfer tax in Toronto vs. the GTA for the rates and first-time buyer rebates. Before you submit, DirectOffers estimates your land transfer tax, title insurance and any first-time buyer rebate, and you name your own lawyer.