Unlocking the Secrets to Smart Pre-Construction Home Buying in Toronto and the GTA
Considering a pre-construction home in Toronto or the GTA? You’re not alone in eyeing one of Canada’s hottest real estate markets. Pre-construction homes promise…
Services
Real estate services for Pickering
Our real estate law page explains each service in full. Here is how they apply to a Pickering home; for wills, estates and immigration, see our Pickering page.
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Pre-construction agreement review
A written review of a Seaton, Duffin Heights or other builder’s agreement, ideally before you sign it.
$450 + HST -
Buying a resale home
Agreement review, title and execution searches, title insurance, your mortgage and registration.
Fee by price — instant quote -
Closing a new build
The builder’s statement of adjustments, your mortgage, HST rebate paperwork and the final closing.
Fee by price — instant quote -
Selling
Mortgage payout and discharge, the buyer’s requisitions and your proceeds on closing.
Fee by price — instant quote -
Condo and POTL status certificates
For condo townhouses and freehold homes on a common elements road. Complimentary if we close your purchase.
$250 + HST -
Refinancing
A new lender at renewal, or borrowing to build an additional dwelling unit.
Fee by mortgage amount — instant quote
Land transfer tax
Cross the Rouge and the land transfer tax halves
Only the City of Toronto charges a municipal land transfer tax. A Pickering purchase pays Ontario’s tax alone, which is one reason buyers priced out of Scarborough look east.
Ontario’s land transfer tax is charged in brackets: 0.5% on the first $55,000, 1% up to $250,000, 1.5% up to $400,000 and 2% up to $2,000,000 for a home with one or two single-family residences (as of 2026). Worked example: on a $900,000 Pickering home that is $275 + $1,950 + $2,250 + $10,000 = $14,475. The same price in Scarborough pays about the same again to the City of Toronto.
| Price | Pickering (Ontario tax only) | Pickering, first-time buyer | Scarborough (Ontario + Toronto) |
|---|---|---|---|
| $700,000 | $10,475 | $6,475 | $20,950 |
| $900,000 | $14,475 | $10,475 | $28,950 |
| $1,100,000 | $18,475 | $14,475 | $36,950 |
| $1,300,000 | $22,475 | $18,475 | $44,950 |
The first-time buyer refund
Ontario’s refund of up to $4,000 applies to new homes as well as resale. You must be at least 18, a Canadian citizen or permanent resident, never have owned a home anywhere in the world, and move in within nine months; if your spouse owned a home while you were together, you don’t qualify. We claim it on registration, so it comes off the tax you pay on closing.
On a new build, the tax is calculated on the price in the builder’s agreement, and the builder’s closing adjustments are paid on top. The instant quote shows the tax and our legal fee for your price; the adjustments come from your agreement.
Why Wannes Law
A Toronto law firm that keeps you informed
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A licensed Ontario lawyer
Rosalie Wannes, licensed by the Law Society of Ontario, is responsible for your file from start to finish.
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Fees before you commit
Instant online quotes and published flat fees, so you know the cost before you retain us.
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Every step explained
Plain-language explanations of what happens, what you provide and what we handle, at every stage.
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Direct access
Reach your lawyer and law clerk directly by phone and email while your matter is underway.
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Sign in person or remotely
Meet at our Sheppard Ave E office in Toronto, or review documents by video and courier the originals.
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English, Armenian and Arabic
Talk through your matter in the language you are most comfortable with.
Buying new
Seaton, Duffin Heights and the builder’s agreement
The City of Pickering describes Seaton, planned under the Central Pickering Development Plan, as a community for about 61,000 residents when built out. Much of it is sold from plans, often as freehold towns and detached houses.
Freehold: no cooling-off until 2027
A new condominium comes with a 10-day cancellation period under the Condominium Act, 1998. A new freehold home only gets an equivalent 10-day cooling-off period for agreements signed from January 1, 2027, and even then it starts only once the builder has delivered the new home information sheet and addendum that Tarion’s new builders’ forms require. Until then, a freehold agreement is generally binding the moment you sign. Ask for time to have it reviewed, or make it conditional on a lawyer’s review.
What we read closely
- How far and how often the builder can move the closing date, and the delay compensation Tarion provides
- The adjustment schedule: development charge increases, utility connections, tree planting, driveway paving and similar items, some capped and some not
- The HST clause. For agreements signed between April 1, 2026 and March 31, 2027, the Ontario enhanced new housing rebate can return up to $80,000 of the provincial HST on a home that will be your or a relative’s main residence; the builder usually takes the rebate and credits you, so the agreement must get your eligibility right
- Whether you can assign the agreement before closing, and at what cost
After you sign
Since April 1, 2026, freehold buyers must register their purchase with Tarion within 45 days of signing. Keep every notice the builder sends about closing dates, and arrange your mortgage well before the final closing date. Our guide to buying pre-construction in the GTA covers what to negotiate.
Basement apartments
Pickering requires additional dwelling units to be registered
Many Pickering houses now have, or could have, a basement apartment or a unit over the garage. Registration is what separates a legal unit from a liability.
Under By-law 8040/23, registering an additional dwelling unit is mandatory in Pickering. Both the City’s fire and building inspectors must inspect and approve the unit before it is registered, and the owner receives a registration certificate. Most residential lots with a detached house, semi or townhouse can have up to two additional units, inside the house or in a separate building in the yard.
If you are buying a house with a unit
Ask the seller for the building permit and the registration certificate before your conditions expire. If the unit isn’t registered, the obligation to bring it up to standard and register it, or to stop renting it, becomes yours on closing. That can affect the price, whether your lender counts the rent, and your insurance.
If there is a tenant
A tenant who stays becomes your tenant on the existing lease, with rights under the Residential Tenancies Act. The agreement should say whether the unit will be vacant, and a home that isn’t vacant on closing is priced beyond our standard fee.
If you plan to add one
Talk to your lender before you buy; construction financing or a later refinance is a separate transaction.
How it works
A Pickering purchase, handled from Toronto
Our office is the part of the process closest to Pickering, and you only need to visit it if you want to.
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Step 1: Send us the agreement
For a resale home, as soon as your offer is accepted and before the conditions expire. For a new build, before you sign if you can, or immediately after. We read the schedules and tell you what needs to be raised with the seller or builder while you still have leverage.
You provide
- Agreement of purchase and sale, with every schedule
- Status certificate, for a condo townhouse or POTL
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Step 2: See every cost
Our legal fee comes from the quote. Before you sign we send the statement of adjustments, the land transfer tax after any refund, and the total you need on closing, so the numbers are settled well before the day.
The standard fee applies when we have the agreement and mortgage instructions at least five business days before closing.
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Step 3: Title, mortgage and insurance
We search title and executions, check any easements or common elements the home is tied to, arrange title insurance through Stewart Title and prepare your lender’s mortgage documents against its instructions.
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Step 4: Sign by video or in person
We verify your identity and go through each document with you by video while you sign on paper, and you courier the originals back. If you would rather sign face to face, come to our office on Sheppard Ave E.
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Step 5: Closing day
The transfer and mortgage are registered electronically, the tax is paid, funds are released and your keys follow. A reporting letter with your registered documents and title insurance policy comes after.
Questions
Pickering real estate questions
Do you have an office in Pickering?
No. Our only office is at 3319 Sheppard Ave E, Suite 103, in Toronto, west of Pickering. Pickering clients can sign there, or review the documents with us by video and courier the originals back.
Is there a municipal land transfer tax in Pickering?
No. Only the City of Toronto has one. A Pickering purchase pays Ontario’s tax only: about $14,475 on a $900,000 home, or about $10,475 for a qualifying first-time buyer (as of 2026).
Can I cancel a Seaton purchase after signing?
For a new condo, within 10 days under the Condominium Act, 1998. For a freehold house or townhouse, a 10-day cooling-off period applies only to agreements signed from January 1, 2027. Before then, have the agreement reviewed before you sign; our review is $450 + HST.
Does a basement apartment in Pickering need to be registered?
Yes. Registration is mandatory under the City’s By-law 8040/23, after fire and building inspections. Ask the seller for the registration certificate before your conditions expire.
What is a POTL, and are there many in Pickering?
A parcel of tied land: a freehold house tied to a common elements condominium that owns a shared road, parking or landscaping. Newer townhouse developments often use it. You pay a monthly fee, and the common elements corporation’s status certificate should be reviewed like a condo’s.
We are selling in Scarborough and buying in Pickering. Can you do both?
Yes. We act on both closings, the quote prices them together, and we time them so your sale proceeds fund the purchase. See our page on real estate in Scarborough.
Should we make wills when we buy in Pickering?
It’s a natural time, especially with a mortgage and children. See wills for Pickering families.
Guides
Guides for Pickering buyers
Real Estate Lawyer Fees in Ontario (2026): A Transparent Breakdown
If you are buying or selling a home, real estate lawyer fees in Ontario are one closing cost you cannot skip — the law…
Real Estate Lawyer Disbursements in Ontario: What Each One Costs
Real estate lawyer disbursements are third party costs that your lawyer pays to complete your transaction. The legal fee covers the firm's own work.…
Related
Related pages
Areas We Serve
Real estate across Durham Region and the GTA
We act on purchases, sales and builder agreements from Ajax, Whitby and Oshawa to Scarborough, York and Peel regions.
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Scarborough
Real estate lawyer for Scarborough clients. Our office is on Sheppard Ave E.
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North York
Real estate lawyer for North York clients.
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Markham
Real estate lawyer for Markham clients.
Here to help
Know your fee and your tax before you buy in Pickering.
Enter your price for an instant quote, or book a free 15-minute call before you sign with a builder.
Prefer to talk now? Call (647) 707-7718 · Service in English, Armenian and Arabic