- Most purchases take 30 to 90 days from accepted offer to keys. The search before that can take a weekend or a season.
- Your team: a REALTOR®, a lender or broker, a home inspector, a lawyer and an insurance agent.
- Conditions are your safety net. Know their deadlines.
Buying a home is a sequence of small, clear steps. Here's the order I follow with every buyer, with what happens at each one.
- Free consultation: goals, budget, timeline
- Mortgage pre-approval with a trusted broker
- Choose areas and must-haves
- Personal listing alerts, including new and coming-soon
- Showings and honest notes on each home
- Written price analysis of the home
- Write and negotiate your offer
- Conditions: financing, inspection, insurance
- Lawyer, documents and final walk-through
- Keys and moving-day checklist
Before you look: budget and pre-approval
Start with your real budget (see how much house you can afford) and a pre-approval. This takes a few days and saves weeks of looking at the wrong homes.
The search
We agree on areas, must-haves and nice-to-haves, and I set up alerts so new listings reach you quickly. In Winnipeg, homes in popular price ranges can sell within days of listing, so speed matters. Showings are usually 20 to 30 minutes. I'll tell you honestly what I see: the good, the tired furnace, and the grading that slopes toward the house.
The offer
In Manitoba, offers are written on a standard Offer to Purchase. It sets the price, the deposit, the conditions, what's included (appliances, window coverings), and the possession date. Read more in how to make an offer.
Conditions
Most offers include conditions, each with a deadline:
- Financing: your lender approves the mortgage for this home.
- Inspection: you're satisfied with a professional home inspection.
- Insurance: you can get home insurance at a normal cost.
- Condo documents: for condos, you review the corporation's documents.
When every condition is satisfied or waived in writing, the deal is firm. Your deposit is held in trust by the listing brokerage until closing.
Your lawyer's part
Once firm, your lawyer receives the paperwork, searches the title, prepares the mortgage documents, and calculates the final numbers. You'll meet (often virtually) to sign about a week before possession.
Possession day
Your lawyer sends the funds, the transfer is registered, and you get the keys. I recommend a walk-through shortly before possession, if the offer allows it, to check that everything included is still there and working.
A realistic timeline
| Stage | Typical time |
|---|---|
| Pre-approval | 2 to 5 days |
| Searching | 2 weeks to 4 months |
| Offer to accepted | Same day to 2 days |
| Conditions | 5 to 10 business days |
| Firm to possession | 30 to 60 days, sometimes more |
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When does a deal become "firm"?
Who holds your deposit?
Want this as a plan with your dates on it?
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- Winnipeg and all of Manitoba
Questions people ask
Can I buy and sell at the same time?
Yes, and it's common. See buying and selling at the same time for how to sequence it.
How soon can I move in after an accepted offer?
Possession dates are negotiated. 30 to 60 days is common; faster is possible if your lender and lawyer can keep up.
This article is general information for Manitoba, not legal, tax, mortgage or financial advice. Rules, rates and programs change; figures are estimates as of October 2026. Check your situation with a lawyer, lender or accountant before you act. Adela Strycharz is a REALTOR® with Real Broker Manitoba Ltd. If you already have an agreement with another brokerage, please speak with your own REALTOR® first.