I'm selling — where does the process actually start?

With a valuation: an agent's assessment of what your property is likely worth in the current market, based on recent comparable sales and the property's own condition and features. That valuation is what everything after it — pricing strategy, listing timing, prep work — gets built around. See The seller's path below for the full sequence.

Do I need to stage my home before listing it?

Staging isn't mandatory, but it addresses a real fact of how buyers shop: most decide how they feel about a space within moments of walking in, and staging is aimed squarely at that first impression. Our home staging guide covers decluttering, repairs, and showing logistics in detail — see Preparing to list below.

How does pricing strategy actually work — is it just picking a number?

It's a strategic decision built on your valuation and current market conditions, not a single formula. Listing too high can cost you the early-interest window when a property gets the most attention; listing too low leaves value on the table. See our pricing myths guide for how listing price actually gets set, and what separates price from what a home ultimately sells for.

What happens once an offer comes in?

Negotiation over price and terms, then — if you reach agreement — a firm or conditional Agreement of Purchase and Sale. Conditions (financing, inspection, and on a condo, status certificate review) give the buyer a defined window to confirm the deal before it's binding. See Offers, negotiation and conditions below, and our guide to making an offer for how the agreement itself is built.

I'm buying, not selling — does this page still apply to me?

Yes — see The buyer's side below. Buying and selling are the same transaction from opposite ends, and CRESI works both. If you're a first-time buyer specifically, see First-Time Buyers for the extra ground that path covers.

Buy & Sell

Buying or selling in Ontario, start to finish.

Selling and buying are two ends of the same transaction, and each has its own sequence — valuation to closing on the sell side, offer to keys on the buy side. Here's how both actually work, and where CRESI, RE/MAX Hallmark, fits at each stage.

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The seller’s path

Selling a property in Ontario follows a set sequence, and knowing where you are in it helps you know what to expect next:

Valuation — an agent’s assessment of likely market value, built from recent comparable sales and your property’s own condition, features, and location.
Preparing to list — repairs, decluttering, and the kind of presentation work covered in the next section.
Pricing strategy — setting a listing price against current market conditions, not just the valuation number alone.
Listing and showings — the property goes to market and prospective buyers view it.
Offers and negotiation — one or more offers arrive; price and terms get negotiated.
Conditions — a conditional agreement gives the buyer a defined period to confirm financing, inspection, and (for a condo) status-certificate review before the deal is firm.
Closing — the legal transfer of the property, handled through a real estate lawyer.

Our home selling process guide walks through this full sequence stage by stage, including representation and listing agreements.

Preparing to list

How a property shows during the listing period is a real factor in how buyers respond to it — most form an impression within moments of walking in. Preparing to list generally means decluttering, addressing visible repairs, attending to curb appeal, and staging the space so buyers can picture themselves living in it. Our home staging guide covers this season by season, room by room.

Pricing strategy

Pricing sits between your valuation and the market itself: the valuation tells you what comparable properties have sold for, and pricing strategy is the decision about where to set your own listing against that backdrop and current conditions. It’s a genuinely strategic call, not a single calculation — and it’s easy to confuse with related but separate questions, like what actually comes off the sale price before you net proceeds. Our pricing and commission myths guide separates those questions out.

Offers, negotiation, and conditions

Once an offer arrives, it’s negotiated on price and terms; agreement on both produces a signed Agreement of Purchase and Sale, either firm or conditional. Conditions are the buyer’s defined window to confirm specifics — financing approval, a satisfactory home inspection, and on a condo resale, review of the status certificate — before the deal becomes binding. Our guide to making an offer explains the agreement itself: the deposit, common conditions, and what TRESA entitles a buyer to know in a multiple-offer situation.

Closing

Closing is the legal transfer — the point at which a real estate lawyer completes the paperwork, funds change hands, and possession passes. Sellers and buyers each have their own closing-day obligations and costs; our closing costs guide breaks down what a buyer specifically pays and to whom.

The buyer’s side

Buying runs the same sequence from the other direction: financing pre-approval, engaging representation, searching and viewing properties, submitting an offer with conditions attached, and closing. Our home buying process guide walks through the whole buyer journey in order. If this is your first purchase, First-Time Buyers covers the additional ground that path adds — unfamiliar vocabulary, program eligibility, and no prior sale proceeds to draw on.

Looking at a specific property, or a specific segment?

This page covers the transaction itself, on both sides. For what’s actually for sale right now, see Live Listings to search current Ontario listings on the RE/MAX portal. For the property type itself, see Residential for detached, semi, townhome, and condo purchases, or Commercial for office, retail, and mixed-use.

Ready to talk?

Whether you’re getting a valuation, preparing to list, or ready to make an offer, tell us where you are in the process and CRESI, RE/MAX Hallmark, will pick up from there.

Common questions

Frequently asked

I'm selling — where does the process actually start?: With a valuation: an agent's assessment of what your property is likely worth in the current market, based on recent comparable sales and the property's own condition and features. That valuation is what everything after it — pricing strategy, listing timing, prep work — gets built around. See The seller's path below for the full sequence.
Do I need to stage my home before listing it?: Staging isn't mandatory, but it addresses a real fact of how buyers shop: most decide how they feel about a space within moments of walking in, and staging is aimed squarely at that first impression. Our home staging guide covers decluttering, repairs, and showing logistics in detail — see Preparing to list below.
How does pricing strategy actually work — is it just picking a number?: It's a strategic decision built on your valuation and current market conditions, not a single formula. Listing too high can cost you the early-interest window when a property gets the most attention; listing too low leaves value on the table. See our pricing myths guide for how listing price actually gets set, and what separates price from what a home ultimately sells for.
What happens once an offer comes in?: Negotiation over price and terms, then — if you reach agreement — a firm or conditional Agreement of Purchase and Sale. Conditions (financing, inspection, and on a condo, status certificate review) give the buyer a defined window to confirm the deal before it's binding. See Offers, negotiation and conditions below, and our guide to making an offer for how the agreement itself is built.
I'm buying, not selling — does this page still apply to me?: Yes — see The buyer's side below. Buying and selling are the same transaction from opposite ends, and CRESI works both. If you're a first-time buyer specifically, see First-Time Buyers for the extra ground that path covers.