You sold the house. The legal work decides whether you actually get paid on time.

Yes. In Ontario, only a lawyer licensed by the Law Society of Ontario can transfer title from your name to the buyer's and arrange the discharge of your mortgage. You cannot legally close on a sale without one. Your lawyer responds to the buyer's lawyer's requisitions, obtains your mortgage payout statement, prepares the statement of adjustments, transfers title to the buyer, pays out your mortgage and any other registered charges, and disburses your net proceeds.

Net proceeds are typically disbursed on the same day as closing where the buyer's funds clear our trust account in time. If funds arrive late in the day, disbursement may carry over to the next business day. We send proceeds by certified bank draft, wire transfer, or direct deposit, depending on what works best for you. The amount you receive is your sale price minus your existing mortgage payout, real estate commission, our legal fees, and any other registered charges or adjustments.

Real estate commission is paid out of your sale proceeds on closing. Your listing brokerage sends us a commission invoice in advance. We deduct the commission, plus HST, from your proceeds and pay it directly to the brokerage. The full breakdown appears on your statement of adjustments and disbursement statement before closing so you can see exactly what is being paid and to whom.

A mortgage discharge is the document that removes your existing mortgage from title once it has been paid in full. After closing, we use a portion of the buyer's funds to pay out your mortgage to your lender. Your lender then prepares a discharge and sends it to us, which we register on title. Discharges are typically registered within 60 days of closing, though some lenders process them faster. We follow up with your lender until the discharge is filed.

Yes. We close files for sellers anywhere through secure electronic signing and video witnessing. Whether you have already moved, you are travelling, or you are out of the country, we can sign with you remotely as long as you have valid government-issued ID and a stable video connection. If you would rather sign in person, our office is at 625 Erie Street East in Windsor.

Title issues come up more often than people think. Old mortgages that were never discharged. Liens registered by trades who were never paid. Court judgments registered against someone with a name similar to yours that need to be cleared from title. We deal with each one differently. The buyer's lawyer sends us a list of requisitions during the requisition period, which is your first chance to address anything we find. Most issues can be resolved before closing through discharge, payout, or title insurance coverage. We tell you what we find as soon as we find it.

No. The actual closing is electronic. There is no event you attend on closing day. The signing, where you sign the closing documents and the disbursement statement, happens with us beforehand. That can be in person at our Erie Street office in Windsor or remote by video, whichever works for you.