10 Days is a Long Time To Think
When you buy a new condo in Ontario, you have 10 days after you receive your copy of the executed agreement of purchase and sale and the condominium documents to rescind on your agreement if you choose to do so. This can be for any reason whatsoever, technically you do not even have to provide a reason. You are released from your obligations and your deposit cheque(s) are returned to you.
I think this law is valuable and necessary and that it does what it is supposed to do – protect buyers from doing something they will regret. Unfortunately, some people are thinkers, and thinkers often think too much. A lot what-ifs and worst-case scenarios can play out in your mind over the course of 10-days and the initial joy and excitement of buying a condo can be replaced by anxiety and fear over future events that may or not occur.
Typical rescission rates for most new condos is about 20%. That means out of every 5 purchasers, 1 will change their mind during the 10 days and will return their unit. By contrast, conditional deals in the resale market go firm about 95% of the time.
In my own experience, buyers who rescind on their agreements tend to do so because of one reason: risk. They just don’t have the stomach for the risk involved in buying pre-construction – and there is a lot of it! This has led me to believe that some people just should not buy a pre-construction condo. They are not cut out for it, and they would be far better off looking at lower risk investment opportunities in the resale market.
Buying a pre-construction condo is a high-risk, high-reward scenario. If you tend to be a risk-averse person, understand the inherent risk involved and use the 10-day cooling off period to carefully consider whether you are comfortable proceeding. Questions or comments? Contact me.
