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Local Resources · St. John's, NL

Everyone You Need.
All in One Place.

Buying or selling a home involves a lot more than the transaction itself — and one of the first questions everyone asks is what does it actually cost? Below you'll find approximate home-inspection and closing costs (with a free estimator you can run on any price), a step-by-step buying roadmap, the settle-in essentials for anyone new to St. John's, and our team's curated directory of trusted local lawyers, inspectors, lenders, contractors and movers.

Buying a Home

Starting the buying process?

The two questions everyone asks first: how much will it cost, and who do I call. Start with the cost breakdown and run the estimator on your price range, then follow the step-by-step roadmap — each step links the local pros you'll need.

New to St. John's

Just arrived — or arriving soon?

Start with a lawyer to handle your closing, a mortgage specialist if you're still financing, and a home inspector before you finalize. Then set up utilities, insurance, and movers. The settle-in essentials — power, water, schools, healthcare — are all below.

Getting Ready to Sell

Preparing your home for the market?

The order matters. Get an inspection to know what buyers will flag, then address repairs before listing. Cleaning, painting, and curb appeal come last. Our team can advise on what's worth doing and what isn't — before you spend a dollar.

For Buyers

What It Costs
to Buy a Home in NL.

Beyond the purchase price, buyers in Newfoundland & Labrador pay a handful of one-time closing costs. Here's roughly what to budget — and the good news comes first.

🎉 Newfoundland & Labrador has no land transfer tax. Most provinces charge thousands at closing as a percentage of the price. Here you pay only a modest provincial Registration of Deeds fee instead — making NL one of the least expensive provinces in Canada to close a home purchase.
🔍 Home Inspection
$400–600
+ HST for a typical St. John's-area home. A travel fee may apply for out-of-town or rural Avalon properties. Strongly recommended before you remove conditions — see our recommended inspectors below.
📜 Registration of Deeds
~$1,300 ea.
NL's land-transfer-tax alternative: $100 for the first $500 + $0.40 per additional $100, charged separately on the price and on the mortgage (each capped at $5,000). ≈ $1,300 each on a $300K home — the estimator combines both.
⚖️ Legal Fees
$1,000–1,800
Your lawyer's fee to search title, register the deed and mortgage, and handle closing. Varies by firm and complexity.
🛡 Title Insurance
$250–500
A one-time policy (often arranged by your lawyer) protecting against title defects, survey issues and fraud.
📐 Survey / Real Property Report
~$2,000
Only a registered NL land surveyor can prepare these. A Real Property Report runs around $600; the survey itself depends on travel — cheaper in town where the surveyor is based, more for out-of-town properties — so together they're often about $2,000. If the existing survey is more than ~10 years old (or sheds, fences or additions have been built since), a current one is usually needed, and who pays is negotiated in the offer: buyer, seller, or a 50/50 split. See surveyors below.
🏦 Down Payment
From 5%
Minimum 5% on the first $500,000, 10% on any portion above. 20%+ avoids mortgage insurance entirely.
📈 Mortgage Insurance
2.8–4.0%
CMHC / Sagen default insurance if you put down less than 20%. Added to your mortgage (not paid in cash). Rate depends on your down payment.
🔁 Adjustments
Varies
You reimburse the seller for prepaid property tax (and sometimes fuel) from the closing date forward. Usually a few hundred dollars.
🧾 HST
New builds
Resale homes are HST-exempt. HST applies only to new construction — rebates may apply. Ask your lawyer.

Figures are approximate Newfoundland & Labrador ranges for general guidance only — your actual costs depend on the property, your lender and your lawyer. Always confirm exact amounts with your inspector, lawyer and mortgage professional (all listed in the directory below).

Free Tool

Closing-Cost Estimator

$

Estimates the one-time cash you'll need at closing, including your down payment. Adjust the price to match what you're shopping for.

For Buyers

Your Home-Buying
Roadmap.

From "thinking about it" to keys in hand — the order that keeps a purchase on track in Newfoundland. Each step links the local professionals you'll work with along the way.

01

Get Pre-Approved

Know your budget before you shop. A mortgage pro confirms what you qualify for and locks a rate hold — so your offer is taken seriously.

02

Choose Your Agent

A local agent who knows St. John's and the Avalon Peninsula guides you through search, offers, negotiation and closing — at no cost to you as a buyer.

03

Search & View

Browse live MLS® listings, save favourites, and get new homes texted to you the moment they hit the market — within 15 minutes during business hours.

04

Make an Offer

Your agent prepares the offer with the right price, conditions and deposit. In NL, offers are typically conditional on inspection and financing.

05

Home Inspection

Once your offer is accepted, a certified inspector checks the home's structure and systems so you know exactly what you're buying. Budget ~$400–600.

06

Lawyer & Financing

Your lender finalizes the mortgage and your lawyer searches title, arranges title insurance and prepares closing documents.

07

Closing Day

Funds and keys change hands, your lawyer registers the deed, and the home is yours. This is when your closing costs are paid — run the estimator above so there are no surprises.

08

Settle In

Set up power, water, internet and your move. Everything you need to get up and running in St. John's is in the settle-in guide below.

⚖️ Real Estate Lawyers & Notaries 5 providers
French & Associates
Residential Real Estate · Conveyancing · Full-Service Since 1952
100 Elizabeth Ave (Elizabeth Towers, Suite 122), St. John's
Gittens, Escott, Nwokedi & Associates
Real Estate · Full-Service Firm
8 Kenna's Hill, St. John's
Rogers Rogers Moyse & Conway
Real Estate Law · 30+ Years in NL
102 LeMarchant Rd, St. John's
Parsons Law
Real Estate · Buying, Selling & Leasing · Family-Run
94 LeMarchant Rd, St. John's
Cox & Palmer
Dedicated Residential Real Estate Team (formerly Benson Buffett)
Scotia Centre, Suite 1100, 235 Water St, St. John's
🔍 Home Inspectors 4 providers
Thornhill Inspection Services
InterNACHI Certified (CPI) · Residential & Commercial · Eastern NL
Torbay, NL
LPM Home Inspections
Leon Murphy · InterNACHI CPI · CTech · Red Seal Carpenter
St. John's & the Avalon
Pillar To Post — Ed Mercer
Certified Inspector · 40+ Years Construction Experience
St. John's · Mount Pearl · Eastern NL
MEG Inspections
Michael Gravelle · InterNACHI Certified
St. John's, NL
🏦 Mortgage & Financial Advisors 4 providers
Leslie Penney Team — East Coast Mortgage Brokers
Mortgage Broker Team · Award-Winning Brokerage
141 Torbay Rd, St. John's
Jennings & Associates — East Coast Mortgage Brokers
Rob Jennings · 16+ Years · Top-Producing Broker
141 Torbay Rd, St. John's
Newfound Mortgage Professionals
Independent Brokerage · All of NL
391 Empire Ave, Unit 12, St. John's
The Home Mortgage Centre
Mortgage Centre Network · Since 1993
St. John's, NL
🏗 General Contractors & Renovations 1 provider
Kildare Renovations
Full Residential & Commercial Renovations
St. John's · Torbay · CBS · Mount Pearl · Paradise
⚡ Electrical & Heat Pumps 2 providers
Iceberg Heat Pumps
Licensed Electricians · Ductless Mini-Split Heat Pumps
20 Garden Place, CBS
Down Home HVAC Ltd.
Licensed HVAC + Electrical · Heat Pump Dealer
Paradise (serves St. John's metro)
🔧 Plumbing 1 provider
A1 Plumbing & Heating Ltd.
Residential & Commercial · 24-Hr Emergency · BBB-Accredited
11 Lower Rd, Torbay (serves metro)
🎨 Finishing & Painting 1 provider
Triple E Painters Ltd.
Interior & Exterior Painting + Carpentry · Owner On-Site
St. John's, NL
🌿 Lawn Care & Snow Clearing 2 providers
C&A Landscaping Services Inc.
Lawn Care + Snow Clearing + Ice Control
St. John's · CBS · Paradise · Torbay
Snow & Mow Inc.
Lawn Care + Snow Clearing · Consumer Choice Award
460 Torbay Rd, St. John's
🚚 Movers 2 providers
Movers NL
Local + Long-Distance Residential Moves
622 Empire Ave, St. John's
Bob LeDrew & Sons
Family Movers Since 1873 · Local + Storage
78 Glencoe Dr, Mount Pearl
🛡 Home Insurance 2 providers
Wedgwood Insurance Limited
NL's Leading Independent Brokerage · Home Insurance
85 Thorburn Rd, #102, St. John's
Steers Insurance Limited
Largest Independent NL Broker · Home + Auto
99 Airport Rd, Suite 201, St. John's
🏘 Property Management 2 providers
OXEN Property Management
Residential & Commercial Tenancy Management
74 O'Leary Ave, Unit 002, St. John's
Home Base NL
Full-Service Residential Property Management
St. John's & the Avalon
🧹 Cleaning & Janitorial 2 providers
Clean Freeks
Residential & Commercial Cleaning · Since 2005
St. John's metro & the Avalon
Kildare Cleaning
Residential Home Cleaning · One-Time, Recurring & Deep
St. John's · Mount Pearl · CBS · Torbay · Paradise
📐 Land Surveyors 1 provider
Brown & Way Surveys Ltd.
ANLS-Licensed · Real Property Reports · Boundary Surveys · Est. 1998
314 Hamilton Ave, St. John's

New to St. John's

Settling In
The First-Week Checklist.

Once the keys are yours, here's what to set up — utilities, registration, schools and healthcare. The essentials for getting up and running in St. John's and the Avalon.

⚡ Utilities

Set these up a few days before move-in so the home is ready when you arrive.

  • Newfoundland Power — open your electricity account.1-800-737-1296 outages
  • City of St. John's — water & sewer, property tax, garbage & recycling.709-576-8000 · municipal services
  • Bell Aliant · Eastlink · Rogers — internet, TV & home phone.

🪪 Registration

Moving from another province? You have a window to transfer these — sooner is simpler.

  • Service NL — driver's licence & vehicle registration.709-729-4748
  • MCP health card — register for the NL Medical Care Plan.
  • Canada Post — mail forwarding & change of address.

🎓 Schools

St. John's metro schools are part of the Newfoundland & Labrador English School District.

🏥 Healthcare

The Avalon's hospitals are run by NL Health Services (Eastern zone).

  • Health Sciences Centre — ER, surgery & specialist services; the Janeway children's hospital adjoins it.
  • St. Clare's Mercy Hospital — ER & acute care in west-end St. John's.
  • Find a family doctor — join the provincial patient registry through NL Health Services.
  • 811 HealthLine — free 24/7 registered-nurse advice.Dial 811 from any NL phone

Common Questions

Buying in St. John's,
Answered.

How much does a home inspection cost in St. John's, NL?
A typical residential home inspection in the St. John's area runs about $400–600 plus HST, depending on the size and age of the home. A travel fee may apply for properties outside the metro, since inspectors charge for the drive. It's strongly recommended before you remove conditions on a purchase — we list trusted local inspectors in the directory above.
Does Newfoundland and Labrador have a land transfer tax?
No. Newfoundland & Labrador is one of the few provinces with no land transfer tax. Instead, buyers pay a modest provincial Registration of Deeds fee — $100 for the first $500 of value plus $0.40 per additional $100, charged on both the price and the mortgage and capped at $5,000 each. This makes NL one of the least expensive provinces in Canada to close a home purchase.
What are the closing costs when buying a home in NL?
Beyond your down payment, budget for a home inspection (~$400–600), the Registration of Deeds fee (about $1,300 each on the price and the mortgage for a $300K home), legal fees (~$1,000–1,800), title insurance (~$250–500), an up-to-date survey or Real Property Report where one is needed, and adjustments for prepaid property tax. Use the closing-cost estimator above to get an approximate total for your price range. HST applies only to new construction — resale homes are exempt.
How much is the minimum down payment?
In Canada the minimum is 5% on the first $500,000 of the purchase price and 10% on any portion above $500,000. If you put down less than 20%, you'll also pay mortgage default insurance (CMHC or Sagen), which is added to your mortgage rather than paid in cash.
Do I need a lawyer to buy a home in Newfoundland?
Yes. In Newfoundland & Labrador a lawyer handles your closing — searching title, registering the deed and mortgage, arranging title insurance and disbursing funds. We list several experienced local real estate lawyers in the directory above; legal fees typically run $1,000–1,800.
Do I need a new property survey when buying?
Often, yes. A survey and Real Property Report show where the house and improvements sit relative to the legal boundaries, and only a registered Newfoundland land surveyor can prepare them. If the existing survey is more than about 10 years old — or sheds, fences or additions have been built since — a current one is usually needed. A Real Property Report runs around $600; the survey itself depends on travel (cheaper in town where the surveyor is based, more for out-of-town properties), so the two together are often about $2,000. Who pays is negotiated in the offer: the buyer, the seller, or a 50/50 split. We list local land surveyors in the directory above.

The professionals listed on this page are independent service providers. Royal LePage Turner Realty does not assume responsibility for the services they provide. We recommend these individuals based on client feedback and our team's direct experience working alongside them. Listings are included at the sole discretion of Royal LePage Turner Realty, and we reserve the right to decline or remove any listing at any time.