Real Estate FAQs

When will you tell me how much money I need to bring in for my purchase transaction?

We will do our best to provide you with this information as early as possible. If you are obtaining a mortgage, we won’t know until we have received the mortgage instructions, which can sometimes be very close to the completion date. Our goal is to provide you with the exact figure one week prior to your completion date, unless circumstances disallow.

I have a rush transaction that needs to be completed as soon as possible, are you able to accommodate me?

Beacon Law Centre has a well established real estate department, with 4 experienced closing specialists and 3 lawyers who are available to assist you. We are almost always able to accommodate a rush transaction (although additional fees may apply). If you have a rush transaction, please contact our office as soon as possible.

Are Notaries cheaper than Lawyers?

Not necessarily. Beacon Law Centre offers very competitive pricing for your real estate transaction. Lawyers are also able to provide you with legal advice, which can be crucial should an issue arise during your real estate transaction. Do not hesitate to call our office for a quote and find out for yourself!

After I sign the mortgage approval documents with my bank or mortgage broker, how long until I can sign the legal documents at your office?

We are unable to finalize the documents for your signature until we receive the mortgage instructions from your mortgage lender. Once we receive the mortgage instructions, we generally require at least 2 business days to prepare your documents. This time frame can vary depending on your lender, so do not hesitate to contact our client care manager, Whitney Salvador, for further information.

When do I come in to sign documents?

Your appointment will likely be within 2 to 5 business days prior to your completion date. The closing specialist handling your transaction will contact you to arrange this appointment. If you are going to be out of town, please contact our office as soon as possible so we can make alternate arrangements for signing of documents.

What do I need to bring to my appointment?

We will always need each person who is signing documents to bring 2 pieces of identification (one of which must be photo ID and both of which must bear signatures). Some other common required items may include a VOID cheque for your bank account and a bank draft (if you are purchasing). When your closing specialist contacts you to book an appointment, they will confirm what you need to bring to your appointment.

My spouse is not on title but is a guarantor/covenantor on our new mortgage. Why does my spouse need independent legal advice (ILA) from a lawyer outside of Beacon Law Centre?

In this situation it may be a conflict of interest for our office to represent both parties, as your spouse is guaranteeing repayment of the mortgage without having a registered interest in the property. The intended use of the mortgage monies and other circumstances may affect the requirement for ILA.  Please contact our office for further information.

Testimonials

I just wanted to extend my thanks for your absolutely first class service. When we were purchasing our home, as you know, we had many obstacles to overcome and actually thought in the last two days that our deal might not go through. It was a very stressful time in our lives and I want you to know that we’ll always appreciate your calm, caring, professional manner and how you made us feel at ease and that it would all work out because we had you representing us.

You and the rest of your team are awesome, and this is why I will continue to refer you to anyone I know who needs legal representation. As a realtor being able to refer my clients to someone who I know without a doubt will provide them with the best legal advice and service adds to my confidence in terms of the overall service I am providing.

You have, in essence become a key element of my business team and I look forward to building on what is already a successful business relationship.”

M.D.

Over the past year Lianne Macdonald has provided excellent legal advice to my real estate clients. I am always impressed with the quality of her services, as well as the care shown by Lianne and her staff. Lianne is always available if I have any questions or concerns. Her sound advice and legal counsel has greatly helped me in difficult and unusual situations. Lianne Macdonald is a proactive lawyer, an honest and caring person and a trusted friend. Without hesitation, I would recommend Lianne’s services to others, and will continue to use her service where they pertain.

C.W.

Lianne, thank you so much for your excellent work on our conveyance. Your extra work helped save us thousands of dollars.

Dear Mr. Elgersma, I want to thank you and your team for all your help during my recent sale in Victoria. My lawyer here in Ontario was very impressed by your fee and said it was a very good deal in his experience. Thank you very much.

C.G.

I recently had the experience of selling my condo. As I am not in the habit of frequently buying and selling my home I find the whole process a bit unnerving. To add to my unfamiliarity with home transactions, I was due to be out of the country on the completion date of my sale. Needless to say this was somewhat worrisome to me.

I hired Del to handle the legal transaction of my sale. What a great decision this turned out to be. Del and I got together a week prior to my trip and completed the necessary paperwork. There are a lot of papers to sign when selling a home and Del took the time to explain each document to me and answered all the questions I had. He then assured me that he had everything he needed in order to handle the transaction in my absence.

Del had explained everything so clearly to me and made me feel so at ease about the process that I felt completely comfortable leaving my legal interests in his hands while I was off vacationing. This made quite an impression on me as I have never felt comfortable leaving my fate in the hands of others, especially the likes of lawyers!

Previously I would have worried about everything going smoothly on the actual day of my home sale but to my delight and surprise on the completion date of this sale I laid in my hammock and drank champagne in the sunshine celebrating with complete confidence that the transaction would be handled just fine. I returned home only to have my suspicions confirmed . . .yes, in my absence, money had been quietly deposited to my account!

Thank you Del for allowing me to let go of the stress and worry around this large, important and infrequent type of event in my life.

A.W.