Home Buyer, Seller and Moving Checklists (BC)

Home buyer checklist

Before you start looking

• Check your credit score and pay down high-interest debt
• Work out your budget with the affordability calculator
• Get a mortgage pre-approval (it usually holds a rate for 90 to 120 days)
• Save your down payment plus 1.5% to 4% for closing costs
• First-time buyer? Open an FHSA and check the savings you qualify for
• Write your must-haves and nice-to-haves (area, bedrooms, parking, schools, commute)
• Choose a REALTOR® and read the BCFSA agency disclosure together

Viewing homes

• Visit at different times of day and check the drive or transit to work
• Look for signs of water: stains, musty smells, a damp basement or crawl space
• Ask the age of the roof, furnace, hot water tank and windows
• Check the property disclosure statement and any permits for renovations
• For condos and townhomes, ask for the strata documents (see the strata guide)
• Look up the BC Assessment value and the property tax

Making an offer

• Review recent sales nearby with your REALTOR® to decide on price
• Choose subjects: financing, inspection, strata documents, insurance
• Agree on the deposit, completion date and possession date
• Know your 3-business-day rescission right (a 0.25% fee applies if you use it)
• Book the home inspection and send documents to your lender right away

From subject removal to keys

• Remove subjects in writing before the deadline
• Pay the deposit within the time in the contract
• Hire a lawyer or notary and send them the contract
• Arrange home insurance for the completion date
• Send your down payment and closing costs to your lawyer or notary a few days before completion
• Do a final walk-through if your contract allows it
• Collect the keys on possession day

Home seller checklist

Before you list

• Get a free home evaluation based on recent sales
• Estimate what you will walk away with using the net proceeds calculator
• Ask your lender for the mortgage payout amount and any prepayment penalty
• Find your permits, warranty papers, utility bills and renovation receipts
• Strata: order or gather the Form B, minutes, bylaws and depreciation report
• Fix small repairs: dripping taps, loose handles, burnt-out bulbs, touch-up paint
• Declutter, deep clean and depersonalize each room
• Tidy the yard and the front entrance

While your home is for sale

• Complete the property disclosure statement honestly (latent defects must be disclosed)
• Keep the home ready for showings and secure valuables and medication
• Review every offer for price, subjects, deposit and dates, not only the price
• Remember buyers have a 3-business-day rescission period after acceptance

After it sells

• Hire a lawyer or notary and send them the contract
• Book movers and plan the possession day
• Cancel or transfer utilities, internet and home insurance for the right dates
• Leave keys, garage remotes, manuals and warranties for the buyer
• Clean the home and leave it as agreed in the contract

Moving checklist

4 to 6 weeks before

• Book movers or a truck (end of month fills up fast)
• Start decluttering, donating and selling what you won’t take
• Collect boxes, tape and labels
• Strata: book the elevator and moving times with the building

2 weeks before

• Update your address with Canada Post (mail forwarding), CRA, ICBC, your bank and employer
• Transfer BC Hydro, FortisBC gas, internet and phone
• Arrange home or tenant insurance for the new address
• Set up school or daycare changes if needed

Moving week and day

• Pack a first-night box: chargers, toiletries, medication, bedding, snacks, tools
• Defrost the fridge and freezer
• Take meter photos at both homes
• Do a last walk-through of the old home: closets, cupboards, garage
• Change the locks or recode the door at your new home
• Update your driver’s licence address with ICBC within 10 days