Seller's Guide
The Real Cost of Selling a House in Quebec
Most sellers calculate their net proceeds like this: sale price, minus the mortgage balance, minus broker …
In many cultures, homeownership is not understood as an investment category. It is understood as security: something that cannot be taken away. That is especially true in immigrant families, where housing instability has often been experienced firsthand.
This reading completely changes how a purchase is approached, and it deserves to be taken seriously.
What ownership actually does for a family
The financial argument is well documented: forced savings through principal repayment, leverage on an appreciating asset, protection against rent increases.
But the most convincing arguments are not purely financial. A family that owns its home does not receive a rent increase letter. Children who grow up in owned housing tend to experience greater residential stability, which is associated with better school outcomes.
The barriers are real, but often navigable
Down payment requirements, the mortgage stress test, credit score thresholds, language barriers in understanding the process. These obstacles exist. But examined one at a time, many can be worked around.
Someone who believes they cannot buy because their credit score is 650 often needs a year of targeted work on their file, not five years of resignation.
Someone who believes they cannot afford Montreal often needs a conversation about Laval, Terrebonne or the South Shore, where the same budget buys something different.
The difference between “impossible” and “not yet” is rarely obvious when you look at your own file alone.
The language factor, widely underestimated
One of the least discussed obstacles is linguistic. Navigating complex financial and legal concepts in a second or third language demands cognitive effort a native speaker does not spend.
Quebec’s notarial system, the OACIQ regulatory framework, mortgage insurance rules and the mechanics of civil law are genuinely unfamiliar territory for a newcomer, however educated.
Being able to handle these subjects in your own language is not a comfort. It is what makes it possible to ask the questions you would not otherwise dare to ask.
Wherever you are on the path to ownership, let’s talk honestly about your situation.
Georges Matar
Residential Real Estate Broker · RE/MAX DU CARTIER INC.
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