How to sell your home yourself in Montreal

A notary (notaire) is mandatory in Quebec. Unlike most other provinces, Quebec does not use real estate lawyers to close a sale. The notary searches title, prepares and authenticates the acte de vente, discharges your existing mortgage with your lender, and registers the new ownership at the Registre foncier du Quebec. You and the buyer both attend the notary's office to sign. The buyer typically chooses and pays the notary for the purchase deed itself; your cost as seller is mainly the mortgage discharge fee, which can run a few hundred to over a thousand dollars depending on your lender and loan balance. Book the notary early since popular offices fill up weeks ahead of typical closing dates.

The buyer pays it, not you. The welcome tax (taxe de bienvenue, formally the droits de mutation immobiliere) is a one-time municipal duty billed to the new owner by the City of Montreal after the deed is registered. Montreal is the only Quebec municipality authorized to charge a fourth bracket above 3 percent, currently applying to the portion of the purchase price over roughly 3.1 million dollars. As seller, you owe nothing on this tax. What you do need to budget for is your own mortgage discharge and any amount owing on your property tax account, which must be prorated and settled at closing.

No. Centris is the provincial MLS operated by the Quebec Professional Association of Real Estate Brokers (QPAREB) and only accepts listings submitted by licensed real estate brokers. As an owner you cannot post there directly. Your main alternative is DuProprio, which dominates the for-sale-by-owner market in Quebec and offers flat-rate listing packages with no commission. Anyone.com offers a zero-cost listing channel that works across multiple languages and countries, which is practical in Montreal where seller costs already include surveyor work and mortgage discharge; it is especially valuable if you expect interest from international or out-of-province buyers who won't find you on Centris. Neither platform gives you Centris exposure, so price competitively and promote through social media and neighbourhood groups to compensate.

The certificat de localisation is a surveyor's document showing your lot boundaries, building footprint, encroachments, servitudes, and whether the property conforms to current zoning. It is prepared exclusively by a member of the Ordre des arpenteurs-geometres du Quebec. In practice, the notary will not close without one, and in Quebec the seller is expected to provide it. If your existing certificate is more than ten years old, has become inaccurate due to renovations, a fence moved, or a permit issued, you need a new one. A new survey typically costs between 1,000 and 2,000 dollars and can take several weeks to schedule, so order it before you list rather than after you accept an offer. Delays here are one of the most common reasons closing dates get pushed back.

The declaration du vendeur is an OACIQ standardized form mandatory for residential properties of five units or fewer. You answer detailed questions about the condition of the building: roof age and history, basement water infiltration, foundation cracks, plumbing, electrical panel type, presence of pyrite, urea-formaldehyde foam insulation, and more. The form has been required since 2012. You must disclose defects you know about; you are not required to discover hidden defects you genuinely did not know of. However, if a buyer proves after closing that you knew about a problem and did not disclose it, you can face a legal claim for latent defects (vices caches) under the Civil Code of Quebec, which can cover repair costs and damages. Fill it out carefully and err on the side of disclosure. For plexes, attach current leases and the rent roll, because tenants have rights of first refusal under Quebec law and a buyer will want to verify rents.

Yes, in the vast majority of Montreal sales the buyer orders a pre-achat inspection by a building inspector (inspecteur en batiment). For single-family homes this typically costs the buyer 400 to 600 dollars. For a plex or an older stone or brick property, expect a more detailed inspection covering the shared systems, roof membrane, masonry, and exterior drain condition. As seller, you are not required to commission your own inspection beforehand, but doing so on an older property lets you price accurately and address obvious issues before buyers find them. Montreal's housing stock skews old, and inspectors routinely flag knob-and-tube wiring and galvanized plumbing in properties built before 1960, which can complicate buyer financing.

Quebec's Charter of the French Language (Bill 101) means that any contract signed in Quebec, including the promesse d'achat and the acte de vente, can be in French. In practice, parties can agree to use English, but the default expectation in Montreal is that documents are available in French. The OACIQ seller's declaration form and most standard offer forms are published in French first. The notary will conduct the signing session in French unless all parties agree otherwise. If your buyer's broker or the buyer themselves prefers French throughout, you need to be prepared to work with translated documents or have someone who can explain them. This is especially relevant if you receive an offer through a francophone broker.

A notary (notaire) is mandatory in Quebec; unlike other provinces, Quebec does not use real estate lawyers to close. The notary searches title, prepares and authenticates the acte de vente, discharges your existing mortgage, and registers the new ownership at the Registre foncier du Quebec. The buyer normally chooses and pays the notary for the purchase deed. Your cost as seller is mainly the mortgage discharge (radiation), roughly CAD 300 to CAD 700 in fees plus about CAD 150 to register it, per Chambre des notaires du Quebec guidance. Book early, since popular Montreal offices fill weeks ahead.

The OACIQ Declarations by the Seller (DS) form is legally mandatory only when a licensed broker is involved, for residential immovables of fewer than five units (a DSD version covers divided co-ownership). In a true no-broker sale that specific form is not compelled. However, your duty to disclose known defects in good faith still applies, and if a buyer later proves you knew about a problem and hid it, you can face a latent-defect (vices caches) claim under the Civil Code of Quebec. Using the DS form anyway is a clean way to document what you disclosed.

It depends on property type. In May 2026, QPAREB reported typical selling times of about 30 days for single-family homes, 39 for plexes, and 47 for condos in the Montreal CMA, with the island still a seller's market at roughly 5.4 months of inventory in April 2026. Condos are slower because supply has risen sharply, so a downtown condo needs realistic pricing and patience. On top of marketing time, allow about four to eight weeks from accepted offer to the notary signing, plus a few weeks beforehand to get your certificate of location ready.