Why the listing isn't the whole story
The MLS listing is written by the seller's side. Most are accurate, but mistakes happen, and a listing agent can only report what they know. With tens of thousands of agents in the Toronto area, you can't assume every one of them has done their homework.
Our job as buyer's agents is to verify the listing details, not repeat them. For me, precision is a habit: I'm half German and trained as an economist. It's also the job, and I take it seriously.
No single record tells you much on its own. The picture comes from putting them together: a City file, a line on the parcel register, something you notice on a showing, a word from a neighbour.
Our pre-offer checklist
This happens before we prepare an offer, not after. And one rule comes first: we never offer on a home we haven't walked through ourselves.
The paperwork
- How long have the sellers owned it? The parcel register shows the owners, how they hold title, when they bought and for how much, and every mortgage or lien with amounts and lenders. If they bought near the 2022 peak and owe more than the house will sell for today, closing can become a problem. It happens more often than people think. When the margin looks thin, we ask the listing agent, in writing, how the gap will be covered, and we verify the answer. If we don't get a straight one, a lawyer gets involved, and I may suggest moving on. The decision is always yours.
- MLS history. Five sales in 15 years isn't a fun fact. It can point to a difficult neighbour or a recurring problem. I don't believe in coincidences of that kind.
- MPAC and residential detail reports. Assessed value, legal description and property details, cross-checked against the parcel register and the listing. Any discrepancy means we dig further.
- Permit history. Open permits, closed permits and any City orders. An open permit isn't necessarily a problem, but it needs an answer before we offer.
- Parking. If the listing claims parking, we confirm with City records that it's legal.
- Termites. If the street has a treatment history and the seller hasn't had an inspection done, we may order our own.
Reading the house: the Big 6
A showing is more than a look at the space and the neighbourhood. It's a chance to read the house. I bring a moisture meter and an outlet tester, and I give the six systems that matter most a health check:
- Foundation and structure
- Roof
- Windows and doors
- Electrical
- HVAC
- Plumbing
I'm not a home inspector and don't pretend to be one. Think of me as a general practitioner: I spot the symptoms and refer you to the right specialist if necessary.
The people
- The neighbours. We send every buyer to talk to them. Five minutes on the sidewalk can tell you who owned the house, what work was done and how well.
- Specialists. Structure, erosion, zoning, legal: we find the right professional and, where possible, build time for them into the offer.
- Our own inspection. If the seller's report and what we see don't line up, we get our own.
Three times it mattered
The triplex that wasn't legal
My clients asked me to prepare an offer on a house run as three units. My permit check turned up an Order to Comply. During the showing, the buyers had chatted with the next-door neighbour. The tenants were great, he said, the owner less so, and some of the work hadn't been done by the book.
Together, the picture was clear. After a complaint, the City had inspected and ordered the house returned to a single-family home, which is what it legally was. The listing agent didn't know about the order. My clients walked away, and the listing was suspended.
Sagging floors above a missing wall
Another couple loved a house with a bright, open main floor. On the showing, we noticed the second floor sagging, more than you'd expect even in an older home. My pre-offer check then found an open permit for removing a structural wall, directly below that spot. The work was done, but the permit was never closed.
Either finding alone might have been harmless. Together, they pointed to a structural change that may not have been done right. I laid out what it could mean and what it would take to find out. My clients walked away with the facts in hand, before they were committed.
The house on the edge of the Bluffs
After a long search, my clients offered on a house near the edge of the Scarborough Bluffs. The offer included a due diligence condition so they could hear from someone who truly understands erosion. I tracked down the specialist the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) had hired to study erosion along the Bluffs.
His verdict: the chance of failure was very low, but the consequences would be catastrophic, and he wouldn't buy there himself. After a 30-minute call, my clients happily walked away. Someone else bought the house a few weeks later, and it may be fine for decades. But my clients made one of the biggest decisions of their lives knowing the real risk.
Wide as the ocean, a foot deep
Someone once told me a good realtor's knowledge should be as wide as the ocean and a foot deep. I'm not a structural engineer, a lawyer or a geologist. My job is to check everything, notice what doesn't add up and ask the uncomfortable question. When there's a real problem, I don't need to solve it myself. I need to know who can, and get my clients to them before they're committed.
The Porchlight MO: Do the heavy lifting before the offer, and there are fewer surprises after it.
Frequently asked questions
Can I check a house's permit history myself? Yes. The City of Toronto publishes building permit records online, searchable by address. The skill is in reading them: knowing which open permits matter, and what an order on the property means for a buyer.
What does the parcel register show a buyer? The owners, how they hold title, when they bought and usually for how much, and every mortgage or lien registered against the house. It's the quickest way to judge whether the seller can pay off what they owe on closing.
Does an open permit mean something is wrong? Not necessarily. Sometimes the work was done properly and the permit was never closed. It's still a question to answer before you offer, especially for structural work.
Can I include a due diligence condition in a competitive market? Sometimes, depending on the property and the competition. When the risk is specific, like erosion or zoning, a short, targeted condition is often worth asking for.
Should I really talk to the neighbours? Yes. It's free, it takes five minutes, and neighbours often know a house's history better than anyone involved in the sale.
