Step-by-step checklist

The BC Home-Buying Checklist

Last reviewed May 15, 2026 by Bronson Job PREC, REALTOR®Sources: BC.gov.ca, BCFSAHow we verify

Every step of a BC home purchase, in order — from the first mortgage conversation to the keys in your hand.

A BC residential purchase runs on a fixed sequence: get your financing straight, find the home, write an offer with the right subject clauses, do your due diligence inside the subject-removal window, firm up, and complete. Miss a step or run it out of order and the cost is real — a blown subject deadline, an under-budgeted closing-day cheque, an inspection you waived to win a bidding war. This is the running order. Tick each item as you go; the linked guides and calculators carry the detail.

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1 · Get your finances in shape

Done before you book a single viewing — it sets the price band and stops you falling in love with a home you cannot finance.

Get a real mortgage pre-approvalA pre-approval — not a rate-quote — confirms a lender will fund you, holds a rate, and tells you the mortgage you actually qualify for under the OSFI stress test. Bring the income, debt, and down-payment documents up front so it is firm, not provisional.
Budget the full cash-to-close, not just the down paymentProperty Transfer Tax, legal / notary fees, the home inspection, the property-tax adjustment, and — under 20% down — the PST on the CMHC premium all land in cash on completion day. The Closing-Day Cash calculator bundles every line item.
Use the tax-advantaged down-payment accountsFirst-time buyers should check the FHSA and the RRSP Home Buyers’ Plan — both let you fund a down payment with pre-tax or tax-sheltered dollars. Open the FHSA early; contribution room only starts accruing once the account exists.
Confirm whether the First-Time Home Buyer PTT exemption appliesThe FTHB exemption can erase or sharply cut Property Transfer Tax below the price thresholds. Eligibility has residency and ownership-history conditions — confirm them before you bank on the saving.
Choose a REALTOR® before you start viewingBuyer representation is typically paid from the listing side, so the cost of having your own agent from day one is usually nil to you — and they run the comparables, the offer strategy, and the subject-clause drafting.

2 · Find the home

The search itself — narrowed by what the financing and your life actually need.

Separate must-haves from nice-to-havesWrite the list down before you tour. Location, bed/bath count, and property type (detached, townhouse, condo) are hard constraints; finishes are not.
Learn the neighbourhood, not just the listingCheck the live market snapshot for the area — months of inventory and the sales-to-active ratio tell you whether you are in a buyers’ or sellers’ market — plus commute, school catchments, and what is being built nearby.
Understand strata vs. freehold before you tour eitherA strata purchase buys you into a corporation with bylaws, fees, and a contingency reserve fund. A freehold purchase puts every repair and every cost on you. They are different products; decide which you are shopping for.
View enough homes to calibrateSee a range before you write. Calibration is what lets you recognise a fairly priced home — and a mispriced one — when it appears.

3 · Write the offer

The Contract of Purchase and Sale — price, deposit, dates, and the subject clauses that protect you.

Price the offer off recent comparable salesYour agent pulls genuinely comparable recent sales — same area, same property type, similar size and condition — and the list price is an asking position, not the value.
Set the deposit and where it is heldThe deposit is paid into a brokerage trust account after subject removal and is credited to the price on completion. Confirm the amount and the timing in the contract.
Include the subject clauses that protect youTypical subjects: financing, a satisfactory home inspection, title review, and — for strata — review of the strata documents. Each is a defined window to verify something before you are bound. Waiving a subject to win a competitive offer transfers that risk entirely to you.
Agree the key datesSubject-removal date, completion date, possession date, and adjustment date all go in the contract. Give the subject-removal window enough room to actually do the inspection and get the lender’s final word.

4 · The subject-removal period

The due-diligence window — the one stretch where you can still walk away. Use all of it.

Book and attend the home inspectionA licensed inspector checks structure, roof, electrical, plumbing, and the envelope. Attend it — the verbal walkthrough is worth as much as the report.
Get the lender’s final financing confirmationPre-approval is not final approval. The lender underwrites the specific property, may order an appraisal, and only then issues firm financing. Do not remove the financing subject until that confirmation is in writing.
Review the strata documents — if it is a strataRead the Form B Information Certificate, the depreciation report, two years of meeting minutes, the financial statements, and the contingency reserve fund balance. Special levies, litigation, and deferred maintenance all surface here.
Have title reviewedA title search surfaces the charges, easements, covenants, and liens registered against the property. Your lawyer or notary flags anything that should give you pause.
Remove subjects — in writing, on timeSubjects are removed by signed addendum before the deadline. Once removed the deal is firm and the deposit is at risk; until then, a subject left unsatisfied lets you walk.

5 · From subject removal to completion

The deal is firm. Now the legal and money mechanics line up for closing day.

Pay the depositThe deposit is delivered to the trust account on the timeline the contract specifies — usually within a day or two of subject removal.
Retain a lawyer or notaryThey handle the conveyance: title transfer, mortgage registration, the statement of adjustments, and the trust accounting. Engage them as soon as the deal is firm so they have time to do the work.
Arrange home insuranceA lender will not advance mortgage funds without proof of home insurance effective on the completion date. Bind the policy well before closing.
Confirm the final cash-to-close figureYour lawyer or notary prepares the statement of adjustments — the exact amount to wire, including the property-tax proration. Reconcile it against your own closing-cost estimate before completion day.

6 · Completion and possession

Closing day, key day, and the few things that still need doing afterward.

Do a final walkthroughShortly before completion, walk the home to confirm it is in the contracted condition, the included items are present, and nothing has been damaged since the inspection.
Completion day — funds and registrationYou sign mortgage and transfer documents with your lawyer or notary ahead of time; on completion day the funds move and the transfer registers at the Land Title Office. You become the legal owner — but not yet the occupant.
Possession day — the keysOn the possession date the keys are released and the home is yours to occupy. Completion and possession are usually a day or two apart, both set in the contract.
After possessionTransfer utilities, file your change of address, and apply for the BC Home Owner Grant if the home is your principal residence. If there is any chance you sell within two years, note that the BC Home Flipping Tax may apply.

Bronson Job PRECREALTOR® · GVR Member #6015742 · FVREB Member #FJOBBR