Your team
Nobody buys a home alone
A purchase runs through six or seven professionals, and most buyers meet them in a scramble. Here's who you need, when each one enters, and what to ask them — so you're choosing rather than reacting.
Who you'll need, and when
The full cast in order, what each one costs, and the questions worth asking before you hire them.
Read the list →Work with me
Realtors, lawyers, accountants and contractors — what I do for your client, and how to reach me.
See the pitch →For buyers and sellers
Who you'll need, and when
Roughly in the order they enter a purchase. You won't need all nine on every deal.
Mortgage agent
That's me. A pre-approval tells you your real number and holds a rate while you look, so you're not guessing or falling for a home you can't finance.
Cost: nothing for advice on a standard residential mortgage. The lender pays me on closing.
Ask: how many lenders they compare, and whether any fee applies to your situation.
Realtor
Finds the properties, reads the neighbourhood, writes and negotiates the offer. On a purchase they also manage the condition period, which is where deals live or die.
Cost: on most purchases the commission comes out of the seller's proceeds, so a buyer doesn't write a cheque. Confirm the arrangement in writing.
Ask: how many deals they've closed in your target area, how they handle a bidding war, and who covers you when they're away.
Home inspector
Walks the property and reports on roof, foundation, wiring, plumbing and heating. The cheapest way to avoid a five-figure surprise after closing.
Cost: commonly $400–$700 for a typical home, more for large or rural properties.
Ask: for a sample report, whether they carry errors-and-omissions insurance, and whether you can attend the inspection. Go if you can.
Appraiser
Confirms the property is worth what you agreed to pay. You usually don't choose the appraiser — the lender orders it from its own approved list.
Cost: commonly $300–$600 when it's charged to you; some lenders cover or waive it.
Ask: me — before you firm up, I'll tell you whether an appraisal is likely on your file and who pays.
Real estate lawyer
Mandatory in Ontario. Searches title, reviews the agreement, registers the transfer, handles the money and gets you your keys. Retain one early, not the week before closing.
Cost: commonly $1,200–$2,500 in legal fees and disbursements. Land transfer tax is separate and much larger — and in Toronto there are two of them, provincial and municipal.
Ask: for a flat quote that names the disbursements, and whether title insurance is included.
Insurance broker
Your lender will not release funds without proof of home insurance effective on the closing date. This is the single most common last-minute delay, and it's entirely avoidable.
Cost: varies widely with the property, its age and your coverage.
Ask: for the binder in writing, and send it to your lawyer and to me as soon as you have it.
Accountant
Essential if you're self-employed, buying a rental, or holding property in a corporation. Lenders read business income through a specific lens, and how your last two years were filed decides what you qualify for.
Cost: depends entirely on the engagement.
Ask: them to prepare your notices of assessment and financials early. If you're self-employed, talk to me before you file — not after.
Contractor
Worth involving before you close, not after. Certain purchase-plus-improvements mortgages let you finance renovations into the mortgage itself, but that needs written quotes before the deal completes.
Cost: get three written quotes, itemised.
Ask: for WSIB clearance and proof of liability insurance, and never pay the full amount up front.
Movers
Book earlier than feels necessary, especially for a month-end or summer closing. Those dates go first.
Cost: varies with distance, volume and season.
Ask: whether the quote is binding, what insurance covers, and don't schedule the truck for the morning of closing.
Cost figures are general Ontario estimates and vary by property, provider and complexity. Always get a written quote before you engage anyone.
Introductions
Need one of these people? Ask me.
I work with realtors, lawyers, inspectors, accountants and contractors across the GTA, and I'd rather introduce you to someone I've seen do the work than let you pick a name off a search page.
An introduction costs you nothing, and you're never obliged to use anyone I suggest. Compare quotes and pick who you're comfortable with — it's your money and your closing.
For professionals
Send me your client and they come back to you
Realtors, lawyers, accountants and contractors: a financing file that drags is a deal that dies, and a client who felt looked after is a client who calls you for the next one. That's the whole arrangement.
Fast
Documents chased the same day, not next week. When a condition period is running you'll hear from me before you have to ask.
Reliable
I handle the lender back-and-forth so you're not the one relaying conditions. One application, shopped across dozens of lenders.
Hungry
I'm building my practice, so every file gets attention a busier agent can't spare. Nobody's client is a file number here.
English, Farsi and Dari
I take newcomer and Persian- and Afghan-community files directly, with no interpreter in the middle and no meaning lost on the details that matter.
Materials
Co-branded handouts for your clients
Four pieces, with your name and mine on them, yours to hand out at showings and signings:
Email me and I'll send them over with your details on them.
melodnawabi@gopineapple.com · Melod Nawabi, Mortgage Agent (Level 1), Pineapple Financial Inc.