Real estate law · Fees
The fees below cover the most common residential transactions in BC under $2 million. Above that — or for First Nations Lands, multi-title files, or commercial transactions — please contact us for a quote on the file.
Our fees
Purchase, no mortgage
Cash purchase under $2M
$1,400
Purchase with one mortgage
Includes lender instructions and registration
$1,600
Cash sale
No payouts to discharge
$1,200
Refinance with one payout
New lender, one existing mortgage paid out
$1,500
Each additional mortgage discharge
On top of base fee, per discharge
+$100
First Nations Lands, $2M+, or commercial
The fees above are for standard residential transactions. Three situations are quoted on the file instead: real estate on First Nations Lands (which has its own pricing and process), properties or mortgages of $2,000,000 and above, and commercial transactions of any size. Please contact us for a precise quote on any of these.
What's not in our fee
A number of charges are paid to third parties on your behalf and are not part of our legal fee. We collect these from you and pay them out at closing — they are not hidden fees.
For budgeting, plan on roughly $750 – $1,000 for these third-party charges on a typical home purchase.
A separate line item
PTT is the BC tax payable on most title transfers. It is calculated on the fair market value of the property and is paid by the buyer at closing. There may also be GST on certain purchases (most often new construction). Both are separate from our legal fee. We calculate and apply any exemptions you qualify for.
A separate line item
GST at 5% applies on new construction, presale condos, and substantially renovated housing. The First-Time Home Buyer GST Rebate (up to $50,000) and the standard New Housing Rebate can reduce the net amount. Our GST calculator works out both.
The fees above assume a typical scope and reasonable advance notice (see our timing FAQ on the Real Estate page). Files closed on short notice or with unforeseen complications — title issues, last-minute lender changes, additional registrations — may carry additional charges. We will always confirm anything beyond the published fee with you in writing before adding it.
Send us the contract — or just the address and closing date — and we'll come back with a fixed number.