Not just any lawyer or inspector. The ones who know what a status certificate means, how to evaluate a reserve fund, and what's different about buying in a managed building versus a freehold.
A condo purchase typically involves at least three of these five trade categories. The right ones make the difference between a smooth closing and an expensive surprise.
A status certificate review is not optional on any resale condo purchase. You need a lawyer who reads condo status certificates regularly — not one who handles occasional condo deals alongside a primarily freehold practice.
Find a Status Cert Lawyer →A condo inspection is different from a house inspection. The unit's mechanical access is limited, the inspector must assess what's unit versus common element, and their understanding of what the status certificate says matters as much as what they see in the unit.
Find a Condo Inspector →Investor condo owners who want professional rental management need a property manager who knows the Residential Tenancies Act and the specific requirements of managing a unit in a managed building with condo rules that sit above and alongside the RTA.
Find a Property Manager →Condo financing has specific considerations: CMHC eligibility for certain buildings, lender appetite for investor condos versus owner-occupied units, and the financing structure for pre-construction purchases with occupancy periods.
Find a Mortgage Broker →Staging a condo unit requires different skills than staging a house. Small spaces, limited storage, narrow doorways for furniture movement, and buyer expectations in a competitive downtown market all shape how a condo should be staged to sell.
Find a Condo Stager →Before you search seriously, a condo-experienced broker confirms your financing. CMHC eligibility and building-specific lender policies matter before you fall in love with a unit.
Your condo agent negotiates the deal. Conditions should include status certificate review and, where appropriate, an inspection period.
Your condo lawyer reviews the status certificate within the ten-day window. Reserve fund, litigation, arrears, budget, by-laws, and rules all get reviewed.
A condo-experienced inspector assesses the unit within its common element context. Not mandatory but recommended, especially for older buildings.
Your lawyer handles the title transfer, reviews the closing adjustments (including any maintenance fee prepayments), and registers the deal.