STEP 01
A conversation, not a pitch
What you want, what you can carry, and where those overlap on a map. I will be honest if your budget and your list do not meet anywhere in this city yet — and what would change that.
Home / Buying
For buyers
Buying a home without the guesswork.
Everything below is what I would tell a friend over coffee: what it costs, what to check, what the programs are worth, and where people lose money without noticing.
The short version
The listing agent works for the seller. I work for you.
It sounds obvious until you are standing in a kitchen you love and the only person there is being paid to sell it to you. Buyer representation is free to you and it changes every conversation that follows.
- I tell you what a house is worth, not what it is listed at.
- I will talk you out of a house. It has cost me commission and saved clients far more.
- Everything I know about a street, a builder or a school goes to you unfiltered.
- No dual agency games. If I list it, I will refer you rather than represent both sides.
The process
Six steps, start to keys
Typical London timeline
- Pre-approval
- 2–5 days
- Searching
- 3–8 weeks
- Offer to firm
- 5–10 days
- Firm to closing
- 30–90 days
Book the first call
STEP 02
Financing before browsing
A real pre-approval, not a rate quote. You will know your ceiling, your payment, and your cash-to-close before you walk into a house you cannot have. I will introduce you to two brokers and you pick.
STEP 03
The search, filtered hard
Instant alerts the moment something fits, plus exclusive and pre-market listings. I send fewer homes than the portals do, on purpose, and I tell you why I skipped the rest.
STEP 04
Showings that answer questions
We look at what it costs to own: furnace and roof age, window seals, panel size, grading and drainage, water pressure, and what the neighbours are doing. Photos hide all of it.
STEP 05
The offer, priced from evidence
Comparable sales, days on market and seller motivation in writing before we submit. Conditions that actually protect you — and a clear plan for a multiple-offer night, including the walk-away number we agree on in advance.
STEP 06
Closing, and the year after
Lawyer, lender, inspector and final walkthrough on one timeline. Afterwards: the trades list, the assessment appeal window, and a valuation every spring so you always know where you stand.
First-time buyers
Money the government will give you
Used together these are worth well over $10,000 to most London first-time buyers. Most people use one of them and never hear about the rest.
First Home Savings Account
$8,000 a year to a $40,000 lifetime cap. Deductible going in like an RRSP, tax-free coming out like a TFSA. The single best account for a first purchase.
RRSP Home Buyers’ Plan
Withdraw up to $60,000 per person from your RRSP tax-free toward a first home. Repaid over 15 years, starting five years after you take it.
Land transfer tax rebate
Up to $4,000 back in Ontario, applied by your lawyer on closing day. On a $500,000 London home it wipes out most of the bill.
Home Buyers’ Tax Credit
A $10,000 non-refundable federal credit worth about $1,500 at tax time. Claimed the spring after you close, and easy to forget.
30-year insured amortisation
First-time buyers and buyers of new builds can stretch an insured mortgage to 30 years, lowering the monthly payment. It costs more interest overall — we will run both.
GST rebate on new builds
Partial GST/HST relief on qualifying newly built homes, usually credited by the builder. Worth confirming before you sign a builder agreement.
Program rules and limits change. These are current as of this writing — confirm the details with your accountant, mortgage broker or lawyer before you rely on them.
Before you look
Find your ceiling
Same arithmetic a lender runs, including the stress test. Knowing this number before you tour anything is the difference between shopping and window shopping.
You could likely buy up to
- Housing budget / month
- Qualifying rate
- What is limiting you
At every showing
What I look at while you look around
Expensive to fix
- Roof age and the state of the fascia
- Furnace, AC and water heater dates
- Panel size, breakers, any knob and tube
- Foundation cracks, efflorescence, sump
- Window seals and failed glazing
Easy to miss
- Which way the lot grades — toward the house?
- Water pressure with two taps running
- Noise: rail line, arterial road, flight path
- Cell signal in the basement
- Where the sun actually lands at 4pm
On paper
- Survey, and whether anything encroaches
- Permits closed on past renovations
- Rental contracts: water heater, furnace, solar
- Property tax and utility history
- Condo status certificate, if it applies
Free download
The London Buyer’s Playbook
Thirty-two pages of the things buyers usually learn the expensive way: the full showing checklist, how offer nights really work here, and every cost from deposit to closing day.
- Showing checklist
- Offer night tactics
- Every closing cost
- FHSA & HBP
- Inspection red flags
Buyer questions
The ones that come up first
How much do I need saved in total?
Your down payment plus 1.5% to 3% of the price in closing costs. On a $700,000 home with 20% down that is $140,000 plus roughly $16,000 to $21,000. The closing cost calculator itemises every line.
Should I get a pre-approval or a pre-qualification?
A pre-approval. A pre-qualification is a rate estimate based on what you told someone over the phone; a pre-approval means a lender has looked at your documents and holds a rate for you. Sellers can tell the difference and so can I.
Is a home inspection still worth it?
Yes. Even where a condition is not competitive, a pre-offer inspection is money well spent on anything older than fifteen years. I will tell you honestly when a house is new enough that it is optional.
What if I need to sell my current home first?
We run both orders with real numbers, including bridge financing costs, before you commit. There is no universal right answer — it depends on your financing and on how the market is treating each side that month.
Can I buy a home in London from out of town?
Regularly. Video walkthroughs where I narrate the things a camera misses, neighbourhood breakdowns before you visit, and a tour day built around a shortlist rather than a scramble.
What is the deposit and when is it due?
Usually 3% to 5% of the price, delivered within 24 hours of an accepted offer, held in the listing brokerage’s trust account and credited to your down payment on closing. It is not an extra cost, but it does need to be liquid.
No obligation
Let’s find out what is possible.
Twenty minutes on the phone will tell you more than a month of scrolling. Bring your questions and whatever you have already found.