Buying a Home in Canada? Here’s What You Need to Know About Your Notary Public/Real Estate Lawyer

The process of home buying can be quite overwhelming especially when it comes to signing the paperwork. During this process, you need to get a notary public or a real estate lawyer to give you advice on filling out the paperwork. However, there are a lot of them out there and you need to work with someone you can trust. You will need someone who has the right knowledge, skills, and experience to help you through this process. You can ask these 7 questions to help you choose:

1. What field of practice do you specialize in? You shouldn’t just assume the field your notary public or real estate lawyer specializes in. You should go on and ask  them so you know who you are working with. This will also enable you to know if the notary has the right credentials to walk you through the entire notarization process of your property documents.
2. How many years of experience do you have? You might want to work with an experienced person so you don’t get into any issues. Ask the notary public or lawyer how much experience they have in dealing with real estate matters and legal matters in general. If it is a notary public just starting, you might need someone with much more experience.
3. How many people will be signing these documents? You should ask how many people will be signing the documents to know how many people will be handling your documents. Too many people handling your documents can lead to mistakes. 
4. What do your availabilities look like? Ask the notary public about their availabilities as they may not fit your schedule. Some notaries have short hours and some notaries have extended hours. For instance, if you can’t make it during the day, you might want to find a notary with evening hours. 
5. What do you offer that others don’t? Asking about what they offer that others don’t can help you make the final decision of choosing between 2 potential notaries. 
6. How many clients do you take on at once? Some notaries maximize the number of clients they take at once so they can increase their income. Taking on too many clients, however, may lead to mistakes on your paperwork because of too much going on at once.
7. Do you see any challenges with the notarization of these documents? Some notaries/lawyers are more experienced than others and know how to decipher some potential issues that may arise with your specific documents. Noticing these challenges may help you prevent some problems in the near future.

During your notary appointment when buying a home, your notary will verify that you are the true owner/seller of the property, that you have the right to sell/buy the property and that the other person signing gives their consent to the sale/purchase. The notary will also make you sign various important property documents. Property documents are sometimes difficult to comprehend, and since the signing process is so rapid, you may not have the time to read them thoroughly. To better understand property documents check out our guide to understanding property documents when buying a home.

Getting a home is a good investment. However, there are several steps involved. You need to get a notary public or a real estate lawyer to guide you through the paperwork and notarize it. This notary public will ensure that you are getting value for your money and that everything is done legitimately. Hiring an experienced notary who doesn’t charge too little or too much is the right way to go. When going through the notarization process, there are so many property documents that are difficult to understand. To help you better understand these documents, here’s a guide to understanding property documents when buying a home.