About this video. The person on screen is an AI-generated avatar in my likeness. The voice is mine, cloned from recordings of my own voice, and the edit adjusts the sound. The image and voice may therefore differ from my real appearance and speech. The text is written and approved by me, and I am fully responsible for it. This process lets me publish regularly; it changes nothing about what is said. This video is in French — a full English transcript is provided below.
Hello. Selling your house yourself is perfectly legal in Quebec, and there are people for whom it’s the right choice. I’m not going to try to talk you out of it.
The question, as people ask it: “selling your house yourself”
Selling on your own is legal, and sometimes it’s the right choice
Selling your house yourself is perfectly legal in Quebec. And in some cases, it’s even the right choice.
Let’s start with what’s true. Selling your property yourself is legal. You need no authorization, no permit, and no one can stop you.
And there are situations where it makes perfect sense. You already have a buyer. It’s a family member, a neighbour, a tenant. The price is agreed, both sides trust each other. In that case, the transaction goes through the notary and an intermediary’s work is thin.
There are also people who enjoy it. Who have the time, who are comfortable with documents, who aren’t afraid to negotiate with a stranger in their own living room. That exists.
What I want to avoid is that you decide on a single piece of information.
What the broker’s remuneration covers, exactly
There is no official remuneration rate in Quebec. None. But here’s what it covers.
Let’s talk about the broker’s remuneration. In everyday speech people say “commission” — but the word in the Real Estate Brokerage Act is remuneration, and it’s the one I use. It’s almost always the number-one reason a seller considers selling on their own.
I won’t give you any rate. The self-regulatory organization for real estate brokerage in Quebec sets none. No schedule, no official tariff. It’s an agreement negotiated between a seller and their broker, and it’s written into the contract.
What I can do is tell you what it covers. Photography and staging. Distribution between agencies and on the portals. Showings and their coordination. Negotiation. Explaining your obligations and the deadlines to meet. Tracking the conditions of the offer through to the notarized deed. And the share that goes to the buyer’s broker, if there is one.
When you sell on your own, those elements don’t disappear. They change hands.
Asking price and sold price: the data you’re missing
The asking price of the houses on your street is public. The price they actually sold for is not.
Let’s talk about price, and the data it’s built on.
When you look for a price to sell at, you look at what’s listed. The properties for sale around you, with their asking price. That’s public information, and it’s available to everyone.
What you don’t see is the price those properties actually sold for. The gap between the asking price and the sold price is not public data. Licence holders have access to it through their listing system, under licence.
Why that gap matters. Because a house listed at a certain price for four months before selling doesn’t tell the same story as a house sold in nine days.
There’s one avenue if you sell on your own: the chartered appraiser, a professional governed by a professional order. Be aware, though, that the value established by an appraiser isn’t always the market value. Those are two different questions.
The case where selling on your own really takes little work
Already have your buyer? That’s the case where selling on your own really takes little work.
There’s one situation where selling on your own really takes little work, and it’s more common than people think: the buyer is already there.
A child buying back the family home. A neighbour who wants to expand. A tenant in place for years. A brother, a sister.
In those cases, a large part of an intermediary’s work doesn’t apply. There’s no distribution to do, no showings to coordinate, no stranger to qualify.
What remains, however, doesn’t disappear. The price has to be set. The documents have to be gathered. The declaration has to be filled out. And the deed is signed at a notary, as always.
A useful warning. A sale between relatives is sometimes prepared less carefully than a sale to a stranger, precisely because trust replaces documents. The notary is even more useful in that case, not less.
Go see them early.
The time it takes, and whose it is
A buyer who reaches a voicemail rarely calls back. They move on to the next property.
Let’s talk about the resource no one mentions at the start: your time.
Selling on your own isn’t done in an hour in the evening. Calls come during the day, while you’re working. Showings are requested on Saturday, Sunday, and sometimes on a weekday at six p.m.
A buyer who phones and reaches a voicemail rarely calls back. They move on to the next property. Answering quickly isn’t a detail — it’s a good part of the work.
And that time isn’t equally available to everyone. Someone who works from home on a flexible schedule isn’t in the same situation as someone on a factory floor or in meetings all day.
I won’t tell you how many hours it takes, because it depends on your market and your property. What I suggest is that you look at your week before deciding, not after.
The options between selling on your own and a full mandate
On your own or a full mandate isn’t a binary choice. In-between options exist.
Many sellers think the choice is binary: entirely on your own, or a full mandate. It isn’t.
In-between options exist. Some allow a listing in the licence holders’ listing system without granting a full mandate. Others cover only part of the work — the marketing, or support at the moment of the offer.
I won’t tell you which suits you, and I won’t give you any amount. What I can tell you is that these options are discussed with a broker or with the agency of your choice, and that they’re written into the contract like any agreement.
The useful question to ask: what’s included, what isn’t, and what stays on my shoulders.
A seller who knows all three options decides better than a seller who knows two.
What a buyer thinks when they see your sign
A buyer who sees “for sale by owner” often arrives with an idea in mind about the price.
Here’s an angle people forget: what your situation changes on the buyer’s side.
A buyer working with a broker shops in the listing system. If your property isn’t there, it’s not in front of them — they have to find you another way, on their own.
A buyer shopping on their own, however, will see you. And they’ll often have an idea in mind: since there’s no remuneration to pay, the price should be lower.
I’m not saying that idea is founded or not. I’m saying it exists, and it comes up in the conversation. A seller who has anticipated it answers calmly. A surprised seller answers differently.
What I suggest: decide your position on this in advance, before the first showing. Not in your living room, in front of someone.
Starting on your own, then giving the mandate to a broker
Tried to sell on your own and changing your mind? It’s not a door that closes.
Let’s talk about what happens if you start on your own and change your mind. It’s a common situation, and it’s managed very well.
As long as you’re not bound by any brokerage contract, you’re free. You can sell on your own for two months, then give the mandate to a broker. Nothing stops you.
One thing to know. If buyers have already visited while you were selling on your own, tell the broker before signing. It’s discussed in advance and written into the contract, to avoid the discussion later.
And the reverse is true too. A broker has no right to solicit a seller already bound by an exclusive contract with another broker. If you’re bound, wait for the expiry or speak to your current broker first.
What I most want you to remember. Trying on your own isn’t a door that closes.
Who to call, and for what
I don’t do the inspection. My role is to know where to look and who to call.
- Notary
- Chartered appraiser
- OACIQ — Info OACIQ
Frequently asked questions
Get a value report for your property
Get a value report for your property — no commitment, whether you sell on your own or not
Full transcript of the video
Full transcript of the video above (translated from French). Published on September 4, 2026.
Hello. Selling your house yourself is perfectly legal in Quebec, and there are people for whom it’s the right choice. I’m not going to try to talk you out of it.
My name is Ernso Cléus. I’m a residential and commercial real estate broker at RE/MAX Crystal. I have a stake in this question, and I’d rather tell you upfront than pretend otherwise.
What the work actually requires — the documents, the distribution, the showings, the offer — is covered in a separate video on my channel.
I won’t give you any remuneration figure, neither mine nor anyone else’s. And I won’t give you legal advice.
Selling on your own is legal, and sometimes it’s the right choice
Let’s start with what’s true. Selling your property yourself is legal. You need no authorization, no permit, and no one can stop you.
And there are situations where it makes perfect sense. You already have a buyer. It’s a family member, a neighbour, a tenant. The price is agreed, both sides trust each other. In that case, the transaction goes through the notary and an intermediary’s work is thin.
There are also people who enjoy it. Who have the time, who are comfortable with documents, who aren’t afraid to negotiate with a stranger in their own living room. That exists.
What I want to avoid is that you decide on a single piece of information.
What the word remuneration covers
Let’s talk about the broker’s remuneration. In everyday speech people say “commission” — but the word in the Real Estate Brokerage Act is remuneration, and it’s the one I use. It’s almost always the number-one reason a seller considers selling on their own.
I won’t give you any rate. The self-regulatory organization for real estate brokerage in Quebec sets none. No schedule, no official tariff. It’s an agreement negotiated between a seller and their broker, and it’s written into the contract.
What I can do is tell you what it covers. Photography and staging. Distribution between agencies and on the portals. Showings and their coordination. Negotiation. Explaining your obligations and the deadlines to meet. Tracking the conditions of the offer through to the notarized deed. And the share that goes to the buyer’s broker, if there is one.
When you sell on your own, those elements don’t disappear. They change hands.
The comparables you have and the ones you don’t
Let’s talk about price, and the data it’s built on.
When you look for a price to sell at, you look at what’s listed. The properties for sale around you, with their asking price. That’s public information, and it’s available to everyone.
What you don’t see is the price those properties actually sold for. The gap between the asking price and the sold price is not public data. Licence holders have access to it through their listing system, under licence.
Why that gap matters. Because a house listed at a certain price for four months before selling doesn’t tell the same story as a house sold in nine days.
There’s one avenue if you sell on your own: the chartered appraiser, a professional governed by a professional order. Be aware, though, that the value established by an appraiser isn’t always the market value. Those are two different questions.
The case where selling on your own is simplest
There’s one situation where selling on your own really takes little work, and it’s more common than people think: the buyer is already there.
A child buying back the family home. A neighbour who wants to expand. A tenant in place for years. A brother, a sister.
In those cases, a large part of an intermediary’s work doesn’t apply. There’s no distribution to do, no showings to coordinate, no stranger to qualify.
What remains, however, doesn’t disappear. The price has to be set. The documents have to be gathered. The declaration has to be filled out. And the deed is signed at a notary, as always.
A useful warning. A sale between relatives is sometimes prepared less carefully than a sale to a stranger, precisely because trust replaces documents. The notary is even more useful in that case, not less.
Go see them early.
The time it takes, and whose it is
Let’s talk about the resource no one mentions at the start: your time.
Selling on your own isn’t done in an hour in the evening. Calls come during the day, while you’re working. Showings are requested on Saturday, Sunday, and sometimes on a weekday at six p.m.
A buyer who phones and reaches a voicemail rarely calls back. They move on to the next property. Answering quickly isn’t a detail — it’s a good part of the work.
And that time isn’t equally available to everyone. Someone who works from home on a flexible schedule isn’t in the same situation as someone on a factory floor or in meetings all day.
I won’t tell you how many hours it takes, because it depends on your market and your property. What I suggest is that you look at your week before deciding, not after.
The options in between
Many sellers think the choice is binary: entirely on your own, or a full mandate. It isn’t.
In-between options exist. Some allow a listing in the licence holders’ listing system without granting a full mandate. Others cover only part of the work — the marketing, or support at the moment of the offer.
I won’t tell you which suits you, and I won’t give you any amount. What I can tell you is that these options are discussed with a broker or with the agency of your choice, and that they’re written into the contract like any agreement.
The useful question to ask: what’s included, what isn’t, and what stays on my shoulders.
A seller who knows all three options decides better than a seller who knows two.
What a buyer thinks when they see your sign
Here’s an angle people forget: what your situation changes on the buyer’s side.
A buyer working with a broker shops in the listing system. If your property isn’t there, it’s not in front of them — they have to find you another way, on their own.
A buyer shopping on their own, however, will see you. And they’ll often have an idea in mind: since there’s no remuneration to pay, the price should be lower.
I’m not saying that idea is founded or not. I’m saying it exists, and it comes up in the conversation. A seller who has anticipated it answers calmly. A surprised seller answers differently.
What I suggest: decide your position on this in advance, before the first showing. Not in your living room, in front of someone.
If you change your mind along the way
Let’s talk about what happens if you start on your own and change your mind. It’s a common situation, and it’s managed very well.
As long as you’re not bound by any brokerage contract, you’re free. You can sell on your own for two months, then give the mandate to a broker. Nothing stops you.
One thing to know. If buyers have already visited while you were selling on your own, tell the broker before signing. It’s discussed in advance and written into the contract, to avoid the discussion later.
And the reverse is true too. A broker has no right to solicit a seller already bound by an exclusive contract with another broker. If you’re bound, wait for the expiry or speak to your current broker first.
What I most want you to remember. Trying on your own isn’t a door that closes.
Let’s sum up. Selling on your own is legal, and when the buyer is already there, it’s often the right choice. The remuneration doesn’t disappear when you sell on your own: what it covers changes hands. The asking price of the houses on your street is public, the sold price is not. The time required comes during the day, not in the evening. And the choice isn’t binary — in-between options exist.
What the work actually requires — the documents to gather, the distribution, the showings, the offer to purchase and the buyer’s financing — is covered in a separate video on my channel.
Now, the step before. Whether you sell on your own or not, the first question is the same: the value of your property.
I produce a value report. The comparable sales in your area, the features that matter, and an opinion of value. An opinion of value is an act of brokerage, and it’s exactly what my licence allows me to do. The report comes with a conversation, not with a promise, and it commits you to nothing. The link is below the video.
And if you are already bound by a brokerage contract with another broker, this invitation is not addressed to you.
One last clarification. Nothing I have just said is legal advice. For the scope of a document, there’s a notary. For a question about brokerage, there’s Info OACIQ.
Ernso Cléus, residential and commercial real estate broker, RE/MAX Crystal. Your broker who knows buildings.
Read also: selling your house with a broker · all the tips for sellers · contact me
Ernso Cléus, residential and commercial real estate broker — RE/MAX Crystal. Your broker who knows buildings.
