A buyout still needs to be based on a real number, since The Family Property Act expects the buying-out spouse to pay a fair value for the share received, and an inflated or deflated figure can be challenged later.
The buying-out spouse also needs financing that supports removing the other spouse from the mortgage, which a lender qualifies separately, and legal work to remove the other name from title, typically through the same lawyer handling the rest of the file for $800 to $1,500.
A hand-reviewed valuation from Joel Dyck gives both spouses a defensible number to build a buyout on, or to compare against listing the home instead. Get your hand-reviewed valuation from Joel Dyck.