OTTAWA REAL ESTATE
How to Make an Offer on a House in Ontario (Step by Step)
Last updated: October 2026
To make an offer on a house in Ontario, you sign an Agreement of Purchase and Sale that sets out your price, deposit, conditions, closing date and a deadline for the seller to respond, and your agent presents it to the seller’s brokerage. The seller can accept it, reject it, or sign it back with changes, and once both sides sign and every condition is satisfied or waived, the deal is firm.
That’s the short version. The details are where buyers win or lose. The price you write is only one part of the offer. The deposit, the conditions you keep or drop, the closing date and how quickly you can respond all decide whether your offer gets chosen. They also decide whether you are protected if something goes wrong after you sign.
This guide walks through the process the way it actually happens in Ottawa and across Ontario, including what changed under the Trust in Real Estate Services Act and how to approach a multiple-offer night without giving away protections you need. It is part of our complete guide to buying a house in Ottawa.
Before You Write an Offer: What to Have in Place
The strongest offers are usually decided before you ever see the house. Three things should be settled first.
A Mortgage Pre-Approval You Can Rely On
A pre-approval tells you what a lender is prepared to lend, at what rate, and for how long that rate is held. The Financial Consumer Agency of Canada is clear that a pre-approval is not a guarantee of final financing. The lender still has to approve the specific property.
That distinction matters when you decide whether to include a financing condition. If you are planning to offer without one, talk to your lender before offer night. Ask what they need to see on a specific property, such as an appraisal or a condo’s status certificate, and how quickly they can turn it around. Our guide to getting a mortgage pre-approval in Ottawa covers what lenders look at and how long a pre-approval lasts.
A Signed Buyer Representation Agreement
Under Ontario’s Trust in Real Estate Services Act, 2002 (TRESA), a brokerage working for you as a client must put your buyer representation agreement in writing and give it to you to sign before you make an offer. Your agent must also give you, and explain, the RECO Information Guide before providing services.
None of this is paperwork for its own sake. The agreement sets out what your agent owes you, how they are paid, and how long the relationship lasts. Read it before offer night, not at 9 p.m. with a deadline looming. Our page on the buyer representation agreement explains each section in plain language.
A Real Estate Lawyer Lined Up
Your lawyer handles the title search, mortgage documents, land transfer tax and closing. You don’t need them before you offer, but you should have one chosen. Questions about title, easements or an unusual clause can come up quickly once you are firm. The Law Society of Ontario has a referral service if you don’t already have one. Our guide to choosing an Ottawa real estate lawyer covers what to ask.
How to Make an Offer on a House in Ontario: Step by Step
The steps below follow the order in which a resale offer actually comes together. Each one can be read on its own.
Step 1: Do Your Homework on the Property
Before you decide on a price, find out everything the listing doesn’t tell you. Ask the listing brokerage:
- whether there is an offer date
- whether a pre-listing inspection exists
- what’s included and excluded
- whether any equipment is rented
Rental water heaters, furnaces and air conditioners are common in Ottawa. A rental contract becomes your monthly bill when you close.
For condos, find out whether a status certificate is available. For rural properties, ask about well water and septic records.
This is also the point to look at the house with a critical eye. On a showing, Jason Polonski is looking past the staging at the things that cost real money:
- the age and type of the electrical panel
- the roof
- grading and downspouts
- signs of moisture in the basement
- the furnace and air conditioner
- the windows
That assessment shapes both the price and which conditions are worth fighting for. Our guide to what to look for when viewing a home has a fuller checklist.
Step 2: Decide What to Offer
Your price should come from evidence, not from the list price. The list price is a marketing decision. The value of the home is set by what comparable homes have actually sold for. More on this below, in “How Much Should You Offer on a House?”
Step 3: Choose Your Deposit
The deposit shows the seller you are serious. It is credited to you on closing. On a standard Ontario resale offer, it is usually delivered either with the offer (“herewith”) or within 24 hours of acceptance (“upon acceptance”).
That 24-hour window is strict. If your offer is accepted on a Friday evening, the deposit has to arrive by Saturday evening. Weekends and holidays don’t extend it, so have the funds ready and know how your bank handles a large bank draft or wire before you sign.
The deposit is usually held in trust by the listing brokerage, never paid to the seller directly. There’s no fixed rule on the amount. It is negotiated, and in competitive situations a larger deposit signals commitment. If a firm deal collapses because the buyer defaults, the deposit is at risk, so treat it as real money on the line.
Step 4: Set Your Conditions
Conditions are the escape hatches in your offer. The most common are:
- Financing: your lender approves a mortgage on this specific property.
- Home inspection: a professional inspection is satisfactory to you.
- Status certificate review: for condos, your lawyer reviews the corporation’s finances and rules.
- Sale of your current home: you sell your existing property first.
Each condition has a deadline, usually a few business days. If it isn’t met or waived in writing by that date, the agreement typically becomes void and your deposit is returned.
Fewer conditions make an offer more attractive to a seller. They also shift risk onto you. Our guide to conditional vs. firm offers explains the trade-off. If you are thinking about going in clean, read buying a house with no conditions first.
Step 5: Pick a Closing Date and Fill In the Details
The closing date can be as valuable to a seller as the price. A seller who has bought elsewhere may need a specific date. Offering the date they want can beat a higher offer with an awkward timeline.
The rest of the agreement covers details that cause disputes when they are vague:
- Chattels: movable items included, such as appliances.
- Fixtures: attached items, such as light fixtures. Fixtures are included unless excluded, so spell out any exceptions.
- Rental items: listed specifically, with the buyer assuming the contract.
- Title search date: how long your lawyer has to raise problems with title.
- HST: on a resale home, HST is generally not payable. The agreement still addresses it, so confirm the clause is correct.
Step 6: Set the Irrevocable Deadline
The irrevocable date and time is how long the seller has to respond before your offer expires. On a scheduled offer night it is often just a few hours. Outside of competition it may run until the next day.
A short irrevocable period puts pressure on the seller. It can also backfire if the seller wants time to review several offers. Your agent should know how the listing brokerage plans to handle the review before you set it.
Step 7: Submit and Present the Offer
Your agent sends the signed offer, the deposit details if it’s “herewith,” and any supporting documents, such as a pre-approval letter, to the listing brokerage. Some brokerages still take in-person or video presentations. Others review offers in writing only.
If the brokerage represents more than one party in the transaction, it has disclosure obligations under TRESA. For example, it must tell competing buyers if it also represents another buyer making an offer. Your agent should confirm this before you submit.
Step 8: Respond to the Seller’s Answer
There are three possible outcomes:
- Acceptance. The seller signs your offer as written before the irrevocable deadline, and you have a binding agreement, subject to your conditions.
- Sign-back. The seller changes the price, date or terms and sends it back, with a new deadline for you to respond. Our guide to how to make a counter-offer covers how to handle this.
- Rejection. The seller declines, or lets your offer expire.
Step 9: Deliver the Deposit and Work Through Your Conditions
Once your offer is accepted, the clock starts. Deliver the deposit on time. Book your home inspection immediately. Get your lender everything it needs. If you are buying a condo, send the status certificate to your lawyer.
When you are satisfied, you sign a waiver (or notice of fulfilment) for each condition before its deadline. Missing a deadline can void the deal even if everything checked out.
Step 10: Go Firm and Prepare to Close
Once every condition is waived or fulfilled, the deal is firm. Your lawyer takes over the title work, and you arrange insurance, utilities and your final walkthrough. Our guide to closing day in Ottawa covers what happens next.
Sell Your Ottawa Home for Just 1% Listing Commission
How Much Should You Offer on a House?
Offer what the house is worth to the market, adjusted for its condition and for how much competition you’re facing. Base it on recent comparable sales, not the asking price.
Start with homes that sold in the last few months that match on:
- neighbourhood
- style
- size
- lot
- age
- condition
Active listings show you the competition. Sold prices show you what buyers actually paid. The Ottawa Real Estate Board publishes board-wide trends. Pricing a specific house needs sold data for that street and that style. Our recently sold homes in Ottawa page is a starting point.
Then adjust for what the comparables don’t show:
- Condition and near-term costs. A 25-year-old roof, an original furnace or an outdated electrical panel are real costs. They belong in your number, not just your inspection report.
- Pricing strategy. A home listed below value with an offer date is designed to draw multiple offers. A home that has been sitting for weeks may be priced above the market. These call for very different approaches.
- Days on market and price changes. A home that has been relisted or reduced tells you something about the seller’s flexibility.
- Your terms. A flexible closing date or fewer conditions can carry real weight with a seller. That can matter as much as the price.
Finally, decide your walk-away number before offer night and write it down. The most expensive mistakes happen at 10 p.m. when you are emotionally invested and a sign-back asks for “just another $15,000.” Our guide on how to negotiate a better deal goes deeper on tactics.
What Goes Into an Ontario Agreement of Purchase and Sale
Most Ontario resale offers use the standard Agreement of Purchase and Sale published by the Ontario Real Estate Association (Form 100 for freehold homes, with a condominium version for condos). Here is what the key parts mean in practice.
| Section | What it covers | What to watch |
|---|---|---|
| Parties and property | Buyer, seller and legal description | Names must match your ID and mortgage; legal description must match the property |
| Purchase price | Your offered price | Written in numbers and words |
| Deposit | Amount, timing (herewith or upon acceptance) and holder | The 24-hour window is strict |
| Irrevocable | Deadline for the seller to respond | Too short can backfire, too long gives the seller leverage |
| Completion date | Your closing date | Must work with your lender, lawyer and any sale |
| Chattels and fixtures | What stays and what goes | Exclude fixtures explicitly; name chattels clearly |
| Rental items | Water heater, furnace or other rental contracts | You take on the contract at closing |
| Title search | Your lawyer’s deadline to raise title issues | Make sure your lawyer has the agreement promptly |
| Schedules | Conditions and additional clauses | This is where most of the negotiation lives |
If you want to see a real offer marked up the way a seller reads it, our guide on how to read a real estate offer is written from the other side of the table. It’s useful for understanding what a seller is weighing.
Get Cash Back When You Buy a Home in Ottawa
Making an Offer in a Multiple-Offer Situation in Ottawa
Ottawa has a long-standing practice of holding offers until a set date and time. When a home is priced to attract interest, that can mean several buyers competing on the same evening. The rules for those nights are worth understanding before you’re in one.
How Offer Nights Work
The listing brokerage sets an offer date. Buyers submit by a deadline, and the seller reviews everything together. Under TRESA, the seller can choose to share the contents of competing offers with other buyers. They must give that direction in writing, and nothing can be shared that identifies who made an offer.
If the seller hasn’t chosen to share details, don’t expect to hear other buyers’ prices. You are writing your best offer in the dark. The Real Estate Council of Ontario’s TRESA FAQs explain these rules in detail.
Pre-Offer Inspections
When conditions are likely to be a disadvantage, many buyers get the home inspected before the offer date so they can offer without an inspection condition. You pay for the inspection whether you win or not. It is still far cheaper than discovering a foundation or electrical problem after you’re firm.
Bully Offers
Sometimes a buyer submits before the offer date, hoping the seller will accept early. Whether that works depends on the seller and the market. Our explainer on bully offers covers when it makes sense.
Don’t Waive What You Can’t Afford to Lose
Dropping a financing condition when your lender hasn’t confirmed this specific property is a real risk. If the appraisal comes in low, you’re responsible for the gap. The same goes for skipping an inspection on an older home without looking at it properly first. Winning the house is only a good outcome if you can close on it.
Making an Offer When You Still Have a Home to Sell
Move-up buyers face a timing problem first-time buyers don’t. An offer conditional on the sale of your current home protects you. It is also weaker in a competitive market, because the seller can’t count on the deal.
When a sale condition is accepted, it often comes with an escape clause. If the seller receives another acceptable offer, you get a short window (commonly 72 hours) to remove your sale condition or step aside. That’s workable only if you know in advance whether you could firm up without selling.
The alternatives are:
- Sell first, then buy with certainty about your budget.
- Buy first with bridge financing to cover the gap.
- Coordinate both closings so they line up.
Our guide on whether to sell first or buy first lays out the trade-offs. Jason’s move-up buyer service is built around avoiding a timing mistake first and optimizing price second.
Offering on a Condo, a Freehold or a New Build
The basic process is the same, but a few rules change depending on what you’re buying.
Resale condos. Your offer should normally be conditional on a satisfactory status certificate. That is the condo corporation’s disclosure of its finances, reserve fund, lawsuits and rules. The corporation has a set period to provide it once requested. The Condominium Authority of Ontario explains buyers’ rights. Our guide to the status certificate in Ontario covers what to look for.
Resale freehold homes. There is no cooling-off period on a resale home in Ontario. Once your offer is accepted and your conditions are met or waived, you are committed. That’s why the conditions you choose matter so much.
New construction. Builders use their own purchase agreements, not the standard resale form. New freehold homes in Ontario carry a statutory warranty through Tarion. Newly built condos from a developer come with a 10-day rescission (cooling-off) period under Ontario’s condominium legislation. Resale homes and new freehold homes don’t. Our guide to buying a new build home in Ottawa covers builder agreements in detail.
What a Trades Background Catches Before You Sign
Most buyers rely entirely on a home inspection to tell them what’s wrong with a house. An inspection is essential, but it happens after your price is set, and in a competitive situation it may not happen at all. That’s where Jason Polonski’s construction and electrical background changes the conversation.
Before you write a number, Jason is flagging the issues that should move it:
- Electrical. Panel age and capacity, signs of aluminum branch wiring in homes from the right era, or knob-and-tube in older Ottawa homes. These can affect insurance and cost thousands to correct. The Electrical Safety Authority sets the standards that any remediation has to meet.
- Water and grading. Negative grading, short downspouts, efflorescence on foundation walls and fresh paint in odd places in the basement.
- Mechanical systems. Furnace and air-conditioner age, venting, and whether the water heater is owned or rented.
- Radon. Radon is present across the Ottawa area. A long-term test is the only way to know a specific home’s level. Health Canada recommends testing every home, and mitigation is usually a manageable cost to plan for.
- Renovation quality. Whether a finished basement or kitchen looks like permitted, professional work, or a weekend job hiding something.
None of this replaces a licensed home inspector. It means you go into offer night knowing what the house is likely to cost you after closing. Then you can decide which conditions to keep and price the offer accordingly. Our guide to home inspections in Ottawa explains what an inspection covers and what it doesn’t.
Common Offer Mistakes Ottawa Buyers Make
- Anchoring on the list price. In a priced-to-sell offer night, the list price is often well below where the home will trade. In a slow market, it may be above value.
- Waiving financing without lender confirmation. A pre-approval isn’t approval of this property.
- Forgetting the costs on top of the price. Ontario land transfer tax, legal fees, title insurance, adjustments and moving costs all come due at closing. First-time buyers may qualify for a land transfer tax refund of up to $4,000. Ottawa has no additional municipal land transfer tax. Our closing costs in Ontario guide breaks down the full list.
- Missing a condition deadline. An unsigned waiver can void the deal.
- Not reading the rental contracts. A rented water heater or furnace becomes your monthly obligation.
- Letting emotion set the ceiling. Decide your maximum before the night, not during it.
For more, see mistakes to avoid when buying a home. The CMHC home buying guide is also a reliable national reference.
How Jason Polonski Helps You Make a Winning Offer in Ottawa
An offer is a strategy as much as a document. Jason Polonski has spent more than 15 years helping hundreds of buyers and sellers across Ottawa, from Kanata, Stittsville and Barrhaven to Westboro, Manotick and The Glebe. His recognition includes Right at Home Realty’s Chairman’s Club (2025) and seven consecutive years as a Best in Ottawa Top REALTOR®.
On every offer, Jason works through the same sequence:
- Pull the right comparable sales for that street and that style.
- Walk the house with a tradesperson’s eye.
- Find out what the seller actually needs, whether that’s price, timing or certainty.
- Build the terms around it.
You’ll know your walk-away number before offer night and what every clause means before you sign. If you are buying and selling at the same time, he plans the timing so you don’t end up carrying two homes. Buyers working with Jason may also qualify for up to $3,000 cash back at closing. See the cash back program for details.
Ready to Make an Offer on an Ottawa Home?
Call Jason Polonski at (613) 601-9333 or email polonskiottawa@gmail.com to talk through a home you’re considering. He’s available seven days a week. You can read what clients say on Google or learn more about Jason.
Jason Polonski is a REALTOR® with Right at Home Realty, based in Kanata and serving buyers and sellers across Ottawa. Before real estate, he worked in the construction and electrical trades, and he holds a Bachelor of Commerce from Concordia University with a double major in Marketing and Finance. That mix of hands-on building knowledge and financial training is what he brings to every offer. He prices the house on what it’s worth and what it will cost to own, then structures the terms so his clients win the right home without taking on risk they didn’t see coming.
OTTAWA REAL ESTATE How to Make an Offer on a House (FAQs)
Your REALTOR® prepares an Agreement of Purchase and Sale with your price, deposit, conditions, closing date and an irrevocable deadline. You sign it, and they submit it to the seller’s brokerage. The seller can accept, reject or sign it back with changes.
There is no fixed legal amount; the deposit is negotiated. It is usually delivered with the offer or within 24 hours of acceptance and held in trust by the listing brokerage. In competitive situations, a larger deposit signals a stronger commitment.
Before the seller accepts, you can generally withdraw your offer. After acceptance, you can only walk away through a condition in the agreement, such as financing or inspection, before its deadline. There is no cooling-off period on resale homes.
Until the irrevocable date and time written in your offer. On an Ottawa offer night that may be a few hours. In a quieter market it may be the next day.
It depends on how the home is priced. A home listed below value with an offer date will often sell above asking. A home that has been on the market for weeks may accept less. Base your offer on recent comparable sales, not the list price.
Under TRESA, a seller can direct their brokerage in writing to share the contents of competing offers with other buyers. Nothing can be shared that identifies who made an offer. If the seller hasn’t given that direction, the details stay confidential.
You don’t need one to submit an offer, but you should have one chosen. They’ll need the agreement promptly to complete the title search, and they can review any unusual clause before you sign.
You deliver the deposit, work through each condition and sign waivers before the deadlines. Once every condition is satisfied, the deal is firm and your lawyer prepares for closing.
