Joel DyckReal Broker SK Ltd.
Saskatoon · From the topic map

What is the real total cash needed?

The real total is more than the down payment alone: minimum down payment is 5 percent up to $500,000 and 10 percent above that, plus legal fees of $800 to $1,500, a home inspection around $400 to $600, and PST on the CMHC insurance premium if your down payment is under 20 percent.

For most buyers the down payment is the number they plan around and the rest becomes a surprise, so treat legal fees, the inspection and PST on mortgage insurance as fixed costs to save for from day one, not optional extras to figure out later. A lawyer registering the transaction through Information Services Corporation handles the paperwork side of closing.

Add moving costs, a possession-day adjustment for prepaid property tax or utilities, and a buffer for anything a $400 to $600 inspection turns up that you choose to negotiate rather than walk away from, and the real number is comfortably higher than the down payment by itself suggests.

Knowing the full number before you make an offer, not after conditions are removed, is what keeps a purchase from becoming a scramble in the final week. Get your hand-reviewed valuation from Joel Dyck.

Get your hand-reviewed valuation from Joel Dyck.

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