Ten public resources to prepare a first home purchase in Quebec: taxation, law, brokerage and neutral information. They explain the rules without giving rates or personalised advice.
How to use this list
Buying a first home brings a lot of information at once: financing, taxation, law, inspection, brokerage. The risk is not a lack of information but not knowing where to start. This list gathers ten public resources that frame a first purchase in Quebec, from taxation to the notary.
It contains no rates and does not tell you what to decide. It gives you neutral sources to understand the steps, check the people you will work with and prepare your questions.
One way to proceed is to go through it in the order of your project: first information on financing and taxation, then checking professionals, then the legal steps of the transaction. As you go, note the terms you do not know and the questions that come up.
These readings help you prepare more useful meetings with a lender, a broker or a person registered with the Autorité des marchés financiers (AMF). They do not replace them.
Disclosure: CompareTaux is in the list
CompareTaux publishes this article and is one of the ten entries. We say so clearly so that you read the list with full knowledge.
The entries are in alphabetical order, with no ranking. The order expresses no preference, and none of the resources paid to appear. Each is included for what it does, described in its own paragraph.
For CompareTaux, the description is limited to what the service does and does not do: it passes a request to an authorized person, and that is all. It shows no rates, makes no automatic decision and does not replace any public body in this list.
If you prefer not to use it, nothing requires you to. The other nine resources are enough to prepare a first purchase well, and you can go directly to a lender, a broker or an authorized person of your choice.
It is healthy to ask who publishes a piece of information and what interest they may have. This note answers that question.
Autorité des marchés financiers (AMF)
The AMF is Quebec’s financial-sector regulator. It oversees, among others, mortgage brokers, insurance and investment representatives, and it receives consumer complaints.
What you find there: a public register that lets you check whether a person or firm is authorized to practise, in which sector and with what restrictions. The site also offers general-public information on your rights and available recourse.
When to use it: before entrusting your file to a mortgage broker, an investment adviser or an insurance representative, and whenever you have doubts about someone’s status.
Practical tip: ask for the person’s full name and licence number, then do the check yourself. It is free and takes a few minutes. A first purchase is often your first contact with the financial sector: make checking a habit.
The AMF protects the public and explains the rules; it recommends no particular product or professional.
Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC)
CMHC is the federal housing agency. It publishes buying guides, provides mortgage loan insurance and releases data on the housing market.
What you find there: guides for first-time buyers, explanations of mortgage loan insurance, calculation tools and housing statistics. These resources help place your project in the context of the market.
When to use it: early in the process, to understand the steps of a purchase, and when you learn that your loan might require insurance, to grasp what it is for and what it generally costs.
Practical tip: use the guides as a checklist and tick each step as it is done. Also note the questions the guide raises for your meeting with a lender.
CMHC informs about housing; it does not give personalised financial advice. To apply these notions to your file, speak to an authorized person.
Canada Revenue Agency (CRA)
The CRA is the official source for the rules and contribution room of the TFSA, the RRSP and the FHSA. For a first purchase, these accounts can play a role in building a down payment.
What you find there: a description of the accounts, their conditions of use, the withdrawal rules and an online account that shows your contribution room. It also covers the federal tax measures tied to buying a first home.
When to use it: when you start saving for a down payment, and again before any withdrawal, to know the conditions you must meet.
Practical tip: open your online account well before buying. You will see your unused room and avoid going over a limit by mistake. Keep your contribution statements too.
Rules and amounts change: do not rely on a page from a few years ago. The CRA explains the rules, but to apply them to your case, an authorized person can run the numbers with you.
Chambre des notaires du Québec
The Chambre des notaires du Québec is the professional order of notaries. It publishes information on buying a property, on title verification and on the notary’s role in the transaction.
What you find there: explanations of the steps in a purchase, of the deed of sale, of the mortgage and of the legal checks made before signing. The site also helps you find a notary.
When to use it: as soon as your offer to purchase approaches, to understand what the notary will do and what they will ask of you. It helps to consult one early, before committing to a promise to purchase, to learn the points to check.
Practical tip: prepare your questions before the meeting, notably on fees, timelines and the documents to provide. Ask what is included in the fees and what is extra.
The notary is a neutral legal adviser for the transaction. The order informs the public, but for your specific situation, it is the meeting with a notary that counts.
CompareTaux
CompareTaux is a referral service. It passes a mortgage, insurance or investment request to an authorized person, who then replies directly to the person who made the request.
What the service does: it collects a few details about your purchase project, then forwards them to a person registered with the AMF. You can describe your situation so that someone contacts you.
What the service does not do: it shows no rates, does not compare products for you and makes no automatic decision. It does not replace a lender, a notary or the public bodies in this list.
When to use it: if you would like to talk to an authorized person without searching for one yourself.
Practical tip: before filling in the request, gather the essentials: the state of your down payment, your income in general terms, your debts and the type of property you have in mind. The more precise the information, the more useful the exchange. You remain free to compare several people and to decline any proposal.
Éducaloi
Éducaloi is a non-profit that explains Quebec law in plain language. It is written for citizens, not lawyers.
What you find there: guides on buying a property, the promise to purchase, hidden defects, condominium ownership, contracts and available recourse. The texts explain what the law says and what to check before committing.
When to use it: before signing a promise to purchase, because it is a binding document. The site also helps you understand the legal differences between a house, a condo and a plex.
Practical tip: find the guide that matches your type of property and keep it for your meeting with the notary. You will be able to ask precise questions about clauses you do not understand.
Éducaloi informs, but it does not give personalised legal advice. For a particular situation, consult a notary or a lawyer. Always keep a copy of every document you sign.
Financial Consumer Agency of Canada
The Financial Consumer Agency of Canada (FCAC) is a federal agency that publishes neutral information on mortgages, credit and bank accounts. It is a useful entry point for anyone discovering the vocabulary of financing.
What you find there: explanations of the down payment, term, amortization, rate types, costs tied to a purchase and consumer rights. Calculators and practical guides often complete the pages.
When to use it: right at the start of your process, before meeting a lender, to understand what you will be asked and what the terms used mean.
Practical tip: read the pages on the costs of a purchase beyond the price of the property. Notary, inspection, moving or transfer-duty costs add up and belong in a realistic budget.
The FCAC informs in general terms. To know what applies to your file, a lender or an authorized person can answer your questions.
Office de la protection du consommateur
The Office de la protection du consommateur (OPC) is the Quebec agency that informs consumers of their rights and receives complaints. It oversees the application of the Consumer Protection Act.
What you find there: practical sheets on credit contracts, advertising, prohibited commercial practices and recourse. The site explains how to file a complaint and when the agency can step in.
When to use it: if the way an offer or a product is presented seems misleading, if you feel pressure to sign quickly, or if you want to know your rights before accepting a credit contract tied to your purchase.
Practical tip: keep every document exchanged, emails and advertisements included. If difficulties arise, a written record makes any step much easier.
Some transactions fall under other laws and other bodies. If you do not know which is competent, the OPC site will guide you, as will the AMF for authorized persons in the financial sector.
Organisme d’autoréglementation du courtage immobilier du Québec (OACIQ)
The OACIQ oversees Quebec real estate brokers and keeps a searchable register. It acts to protect the public in real estate transactions.
What you find there: a register to check that a real estate broker holds a valid licence, information on brokerage contracts, on a broker’s obligations toward the buyer and on the forms used in a transaction. The body also explains the recourse available if you file a complaint.
When to use it: before signing a brokerage contract with a real estate broker, and before committing to a promise to purchase. It also helps you understand what a broker can and cannot do.
Practical tip: ask your broker what the brokerage contract provides, notably its length and conditions, and read it in full before signing.
The OACIQ oversees real estate brokerage, not mortgage brokerage, which falls under the AMF. Do not mix up the two roles when you run your checks.
Visit Organisme d’autoréglementation du courtage immobilier du Québec (OACIQ)
Revenu Québec
Revenu Québec administers provincial taxation: taxes, credits, and measures tied to housing and savings. It is the official source for anything touching Quebec tax.
What you find there: information on tax measures that may concern a first-time buyer, on real estate transfer duties and on the tax obligations of owners. The site also offers online services to consult your file.
When to use it: when setting your purchase budget, because transfer duties are a cost to plan for on top of the price, and before assuming that a measure applies to you, because conditions vary.
Practical tip: check the measures currently in force directly on the site rather than relying on an old text or a memory. Rules evolve, and a measure that existed for a relative may have changed.
Revenu Québec explains the rules but does not advise on your situation. To apply a measure to your case, an authorized person or a tax specialist can help.
How to combine these resources
None of these resources covers a first purchase on its own. Their value lies in how they complement each other, and a small plan keeps you from scattering.
For financing, the FCAC and CMHC give the frame. For savings and taxation, the CRA and Revenu Québec are the official sources. For the transaction itself, Éducaloi and the Chambre des notaires explain the law and the steps. Finally, the AMF and the OACIQ serve to check professionals, and the OPC to know your consumer rights.
One possible sequence:
- well before buying, read the pages on financing and savings accounts and note your questions;
- as the project firms up, check the people you will work with;
- before the promise to purchase, reread the legal pages and consult a notary;
- before signing the financing, have each unclear point confirmed in writing.
Keep a single file with your notes, documents and exchanges. It will be useful until signing, and beyond.
These readings prepare your meetings; they do not replace them.
Questions to ask an authorized person
Once you have done your reading, you can meet a lender, a broker or an authorized person with precise questions. Here are a few, to adapt.
- What documents do you need to review my file?
- What costs should I plan for on top of the price of the property?
- Can my savings accounts be used for the down payment, and under what conditions?
- Will my loan need mortgage loan insurance, and what does it cover?
- What are the consequences if I want to repay early or move?
- How are you paid, and which lenders do you work with?
Ask for the answers in writing and compare them from one person to the next. A clear and consistent explanation is a good sign.
Before the meeting, check the person in the AMF register, or the OACIQ’s for a real estate broker. An authorized person can apply the rules to your situation, but the decision remains entirely yours.
Frequently asked questions
Where do I start?
With neutral information on financing and taxation, then by checking the people you will work with. The legal steps come next, before the promise to purchase.
Why is CompareTaux in the list?
CompareTaux publishes this page and says so. It appears for what it does: routing a request to an authorized person. Entries are in alphabetical order, with no ranking of value.
Do these resources replace advice?
No. They inform in general terms. An authorized person can apply these rules to your situation, and a notary can clarify the legal aspects of the transaction.
What is the difference between the AMF and the OACIQ?
The AMF oversees, among others, mortgage brokerage and insurance and investment representatives. The OACIQ oversees real estate brokerage. Check each person in the register matching their role.
Do these resources give rates?
No. They explain rules, rights and steps. For a financing offer, go to a lender or an authorized person, who will present their terms in writing.
Sources
No rate, price, or recommendation on this page. Amounts and limits change: verify them with official sources before deciding.