Alberta closings run through lawyers, not notaries or title companies, and the sequence has its own logic. Here is what happens each week, what your lawyer needs from you, and why the money moves before the keys do.
Once your conditions are removed you have a firm, unconditional deal, and the transaction shifts from your REALTOR® to your lawyer. In Alberta, conveyancing is done by real estate lawyers — not notaries as in British Columbia, and not title companies as in much of the United States. If you are moving here from elsewhere, this is the first thing that will feel unfamiliar.
The second is a genuinely good surprise: Alberta has no land transfer tax. Buyers in Toronto or Vancouver routinely budget tens of thousands of dollars for it. Here you pay modest Land Titles registration fees based on property value and mortgage amount — usually a few hundred dollars in total.
The third is that the paperwork and the money move on a schedule that puts everything in place before possession day. By the time you are standing outside with a moving truck, the work is already done — or it is not, and you are not getting in. That is why the weeks between firm and possession matter.
Budget roughly 1.5% of the purchase price for total closing costs, and expect your lawyer to be the main point of contact from here.
Have a real estate lawyer selected before conditions come off. As soon as you are firm, we send the contract to them and your lender sends mortgage instructions. A lawyer retained late is a lawyer working against your possession date.
Your lawyer searches title to confirm the seller can convey it and to find registered encumbrances — mortgages, liens, caveats, easements, utility rights of way. They review the Real Property Report against the title and the municipality's compliance. They prepare the transfer documents and your mortgage documents, calculate the statement of adjustments, receive and hold your funds in trust, and handle registration.
Legal fees for a straightforward Calgary purchase generally run $1,200–$2,000 plus disbursements — title searches, registration fees, and courier costs. Ask for a quote that includes disbursements, because the headline fee alone is not the number you will pay. A purchase with a mortgage costs more than a cash purchase, and a condo slightly more than a detached home.
Not a family friend who practises family law. Conveyancing is procedural, deadline-driven work with its own conventions, and an experienced real estate firm closes hundreds of these a year. We are happy to recommend firms our clients have had good experiences with.
The contract goes to your lawyer and to your lender. Your lender prepares mortgage instructions and sends them to your lawyer — a step entirely outside your control and a common source of delay. This is also when you should book movers, arrange home insurance effective possession day, and start utility transfers.
Your lawyer completes title searches and reviews the Real Property Report. If there is a problem with the RPR or compliance, this is when it surfaces — and when there is still time to resolve it. Your insurance binder needs to be with your lender by now; lenders will not release funds without proof of insurance.
Your signing appointment. You sit down with your lawyer, sign the transfer and mortgage documents, and review the statement of adjustments. Bring government-issued photo ID. Ask questions here — this is the meeting where the numbers are explained and it is far better to query an adjustment now than after possession.
You deliver the balance of funds to your lawyer's trust account. Your lender advances the mortgage to your lawyer. Your lawyer registers the transfer and mortgage at Land Titles, and funds are released to the seller's lawyer under trust conditions. Then, and only then, keys are released.
An RPR is a legal survey drawing showing the property boundaries and the location of all structures — house, garage, deck, shed, fence. With a municipal compliance stamp, the City confirms those structures comply with bylaws and setbacks. In Alberta it is customarily the seller's obligation to provide a current RPR with compliance.
A garage built over the property line. A deck encroaching on a utility right of way. A fence two feet into the neighbour's yard. An addition without a permit. These matter: an encroachment can require removal, and non-compliance can be expensive to remedy after you own it.
Where an RPR is missing or outdated, the common alternative is title insurance — a policy protecting you and your lender against certain title defects and survey problems. It is cheaper and faster, which is why it is often preferred.
But understand the difference. Title insurance compensates you for certain losses; it does not tell you where your property line is. If you plan to build a fence, add a garage, or develop the yard, an accurate RPR is genuinely useful information that a policy does not give you.
They will advise on which is appropriate for your specific property. On an older home with structures that may pre-date current setbacks, or where you have plans for the yard, push for the RPR.
On top of your down payment, plan for roughly 1.5% of the purchase price in closing costs. On an $600,000 Calgary home that is around $9,000 — and it is money that must be available in cash, not rolled into the mortgage.
Legal fees and disbursements. Land Titles registration fees for the transfer and mortgage. Property tax and condo fee adjustments reimbursing the seller. Home insurance first payment. Your appraisal and inspection, if not already paid. If your down payment is under 20%, GST on your CMHC or Sagen mortgage default insurance premium — the premium itself is added to the mortgage, but the GST on it is payable in cash at closing and surprises many first-time buyers.
Worth repeating because it materially changes the arithmetic against other Canadian markets. Alberta charges Land Titles registration fees calculated on property value and mortgage amount — typically a few hundred dollars, not tens of thousands.
Your lawyer will require certified funds — a bank draft or wire transfer — usually one to two business days before possession. E-transfer limits will not cover a down payment, and this trips people up constantly. Confirm the exact amount and deadline at your signing appointment, and arrange the draft with your bank in advance.
Your lender does not hand money to the seller. It advances to your lawyer's trust account. Your lawyer then submits the transfer and mortgage for registration at Alberta Land Titles and releases funds to the seller's lawyer under trust conditions — binding professional undertakings about what may happen to the money and when.
Alberta Land Titles registration is not instantaneous, and processing times have at points stretched to weeks. Lawyers bridge this gap with trust conditions and, where appropriate, title insurance, so that possession is not held hostage to a queue at the registry. This is normal and well established — but it is why your lawyer's trust conditions matter and why funds sometimes appear to sit briefly in limbo.
Practically: your possession does not usually wait for the registry, but it absolutely waits for your funds and your lender's advance. The most common reason a buyer does not get keys at noon is not the registry — it is money that arrived late.
Once registration completes, your lawyer sends you a reporting letter with a copy of the registered title and the final statement of account. Read it and file it. It confirms what is registered against your property, including your mortgage and any easements or restrictive covenants.
Alberta possession is commonly set for 12:00 pm on the possession date, though the contract governs. Keys are released once your lawyer confirms funds have flowed to the seller's side. Do not book movers for 9:00 am — and do not book a mover who charges you to wait.
In most Calgary transactions your right to view the property before possession is already written into the purchase contract — it is a term of the deal rather than a favour you are asking for. We arrange the timing, typically the day before possession. You are confirming that the home is in substantially the condition it was in when you wrote the offer, that everything included in the contract is present and working, and that nothing was damaged during the seller's move.
Tell us immediately, before funds are released if at all possible. Once the transaction closes, your remedies narrow considerably and you are pursuing the seller rather than adjusting a deal. Common issues are goods left behind, damage from moving, or included appliances that have been swapped for older ones.
Change the locks — you have no idea how many keys exist. Locate the main water shut-off and the electrical panel. Confirm utilities are in your name and running. Photograph the meters. Then stop, and enjoy it.
No. Alberta is one of the few provinces without land transfer tax, which is a meaningful saving compared with Ontario or British Columbia. You pay Land Titles registration fees calculated on the property value and the mortgage amount, typically totalling a few hundred dollars rather than the tens of thousands a land transfer tax would cost.
Roughly 1.5% of the purchase price, in cash, on top of your down payment. That covers legal fees of about $1,200 to $2,000 plus disbursements, Land Titles registration fees, property tax and condo fee adjustments, home insurance, and — if your down payment is under 20% — the GST payable on your mortgage default insurance premium, which catches many first-time buyers by surprise.
Yes. Alberta conveyancing is handled by real estate lawyers, not notaries or title companies. Retain one before your conditions come off so the contract and your lender's mortgage instructions can go to them immediately. Use a firm that does real estate work regularly rather than a general practitioner — it is procedural, deadline-driven work with its own conventions.
An RPR is a legal survey showing your property boundaries and the location of every structure, and with a municipal compliance stamp the City confirms those structures comply with bylaws and setbacks. It catches encroachments such as a garage over the line or a deck on a utility right of way. In Alberta it is customarily the seller's obligation to provide one.
No, and the difference matters. Title insurance compensates you for certain title and survey losses; it does not tell you where your property line is. It is cheaper and faster, so it is often used where an RPR is missing or outdated. If you plan to build a fence, add a garage or develop the yard, push for an actual RPR — you need the information, not just the coverage.
Usually around noon, though your contract governs, and only once your lawyer confirms funds have flowed to the seller's side. Do not book movers for early morning. The most common reason keys are late is not the Land Titles registry — it is buyer funds or a lender advance arriving later than expected.
By certified funds — a bank draft or wire transfer — typically one to two business days before possession. E-transfer limits are far too low to cover a down payment, which trips up buyers every month. Confirm the exact amount and the deadline at your signing appointment and arrange the draft with your bank in advance.
Yes — and in most Calgary transactions that right is already written into your purchase contract, so it is a term of the deal rather than something you have to negotiate. We arrange the timing, typically the day before possession. You are confirming the home is in substantially the condition it was in when you wrote the offer, that everything included is present and working, and that nothing was damaged during the seller's move. If something is wrong, tell us before funds are released — your remedies narrow considerably after closing.
We keep your lawyer, your lender and the seller's side moving in the same direction, arrange the pre-possession walk-through, and make sure nobody discovers a problem on the morning the moving truck arrives.
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