Buying a home in London, explained.

Before we start looking: are you already represented?

Before Jonathan begins working with a buyer, he needs to establish whether they're already represented, or have entered into a representation agreement with another agent or brokerage.

Representation affects the relationship and the services that can be provided. Ontario's RECO Information Guide explains how representation works.

Read the RECO Information Guide↗ (opens in a new tab)

Source: Real Estate Council of Ontario↗ (opens in a new tab), RECO Information Guide (Residential) (December 1, 2023)

Understand the financing before we choose the houses

Before we decide which houses to look at, we need a realistic understanding of the price range you're shopping in.

So Jonathan will ask whether you've worked out how the purchase will be financed and, if you'll need a mortgage, whether you've spoken with a mortgage professional. Jonathan doesn't determine whether you qualify for a mortgage or give mortgage advice; that's for your lender or mortgage professional.

A mortgage pre-approval can help establish a realistic starting price range. The Financial Consumer Agency of Canada explains that a pre-approval can show the maximum mortgage you could qualify for, and may let you hold an interest rate for a period, but it doesn't guarantee that you'll get a mortgage for that amount.

Once there's a particular property and purchase involved, the lender may still need to consider the property and the transaction before the financing is finally approved. The buying process, step by step explains how this fits into making an offer.

Source: Financial Consumer Agency of Canada↗ (opens in a new tab), Getting preapproved for a mortgage (October 15, 2025)

What are you actually looking for?

Once the financial starting point is clear, the conversation turns to the home itself: the location, the type and style of property, its size, bedrooms and bathrooms, parking and outdoor space, and accessibility where it matters. It also covers the bigger picture: who will live there, your plans for the future, how long you expect to own the home, whether it's for you, your children, your parents or grandparents, or an investment, and how much renovation you're comfortable taking on.

Must-haves and nice-to-haves

Some features are essential. Others would be great to have but aren't essential. Establishing that distinction gives the search a useful starting point, but the list can change.

The first search is a starting point

With a price range, locations and priorities in place, Jonathan generally sets up an initial search of the homes on the market that fit.

That search isn't the final definition of what you want. Once you start seeing actual homes, your preferences can become much clearer.

Seeing a few homes teaches us a lot

What you think you're looking for before we start doesn't always match what you discover once you're standing inside actual houses. After seeing some homes, you might find that:

• something you considered essential matters less than you expected;
• something you thought was optional turns out to be important;
• you prefer a different layout or style;
• a location feels different in person;
• your comfort with renovation changes;
• room size and flow matter more, or less, than you thought.

That's useful information, not a sign the original search was wrong. The search can then be refined, so the homes you see increasingly reflect what you're actually looking for.

You get better at reading listings

The more homes you see in person, the better you become at interpreting what you see online. Real spaces give you reference points for:

• room dimensions and how much of a room is usable;
• how a room in the photographs feels when you're standing in it;
• how camera position and composition shape what a photo shows;
• how rooms relate to each other and how the home flows;
• things that aren't obvious from individual photographs;
• details that deserve a closer look.

Professional listing photography is meant to present a home effectively. Seeing real homes simply makes you better at reading photographs, dimensions, floor plans and listing details, because you have real spaces to compare them with.

There is no perfect house

That doesn't mean you shouldn't be excited about a home, or look for one you can make into exactly what you want. It means every property comes with its own combination of features, condition, location, costs and future decisions.

Some things are relatively easy to change, like a paint colour. Others, such as a kitchen, a bathroom, a roof or a major system, may involve considerably more money or deserve a closer look by a qualified professional.

Something that may cost money isn't automatically a reason to walk away. It's a reason to understand it.

Look at the whole financial picture

The purchase price isn't the whole financial decision. Depending on the property and your situation, the picture can include:

• your down payment and mortgage;
• closing costs, including land transfer tax, legal fees and adjustments where they apply;
• moving and setting up;
• ongoing property taxes, utilities and insurance;
• condominium fees, where they apply;
• maintenance, repairs and any improvements you plan to make.

The question isn't only “Can I buy this house?” It's also “What will owning this house look like financially?”

What will buying really cost? →

First-time buyer? The process isn't fundamentally different

If this is your first purchase, you'll likely meet more unfamiliar terms and decisions, but you don't need an entirely separate process.

You don't need to become a real estate expert before buying a home. You need the right information to understand the decisions you're being asked to make.

First-time buyers may qualify for government programs, rebates or incentives that affect the financial side of the purchase. Because these change, what will buying really cost? points you to the current official information.

London isn't one housing market

“London real estate” isn't one uniform market. Condo apartments, townhouses, semi-detached homes, detached homes and other property types can involve different considerations, and different areas, price ranges and individual properties can see different levels of competition.

That's why market information is most useful when it's interpreted in relation to the property you're actually considering.

Current London market information →

What a website can, and cannot, do

A website can explain how an offer works, what costs to expect and what you may want to look at when viewing a home.

What it cannot do is stand in the basement with you, look at the house you're considering, understand your finances and priorities, interpret what's happening in the market and help you work through the trade-offs.

That's where professional experience becomes particularly useful.