Buying real estate: signing the deed of sale

The role of the Notary

Only the Notary is qualified to draw up the deed of sale. In principle, it is the seller's Notary who does this, but he/she can be assisted by the buyer’s Notary if he/she makes such a request. You should know that whether one or both Notaries are involved, there is no extra cost, professional fees are shared.
The Notary has several missions. He/she identifies the parties, authenticates the deed, collects information from the mortgage registry, does a title search on the property, clears any pre-emption rights, obtains the zoning certificates etc. These formalities take time, generally about 2 to 3 months between the signature of the pre-sale contract and that of the deed of sale.

Signing the deed

On the day of the signature, the buyer comes with a bank check (made out to the Notary) for the selling costs. He/she receives the keys to his/her new home as well as a declaration of ownership (he/she will receive the final deed of sale about 6 months after the signature, once it has been published with the Mortgage Registry).
The Notary provides the seller with his/her check and performs any remaining formalities. The property tax amount is generally split between the parties on a pro rata temporis basis.