Amid B.C.’s coldest housing market in years, where it now takes weeks for the average home to sell, the province has brought in a cooling-off period for home buyers.Housing sales in B.C. in 2022 were down 50 per cent compared to a year earlier, according to the BC Real Estate Association.
Nevertheless, the new legislation is meant to protect buyers from being pressured into high-risk sales, according to the province. The homebuyer protection period includes a rescission fee of 0.25 per cent of the purchase price, or $250 for every $100,000, for those who choose to back out of a deal. For example, if the purchaser exercises the right of rescission on a $1-million home, they would be required to pay $2,500 to the seller.
The homebuyer protection period is informed by the results of consultations completed last year with a wide range of real estate industry stakeholders, including home inspectors, appraisers, realtors and academics, as well as representatives from the legal and financial services sectors, according to the province.