Steal My APS Checklist

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I’ve reviewed over 1,000 Agreements of Purchase and Sale by now.

And over time, you develop a rhythm—your eyes go straight to certain sections, almost without thinking.

Because these are the sections where, from experience, I know small oversights can turn into big problems.

Of course, they’re not the only things I review—but they’re always the first.

So, I’ve put together a checklist of the first things I look at whenever a new APS hits my desk.

If you’re drafting an offer, or reviewing one on behalf of your client, this list is a great way to make sure you haven’t missed something important.

Here’s my go-to APS checklist:

1. Purchase Price

• Is the price actually what your client intends to offer or accept?
• Confirm the number and written words match.
  (happens more than you'd think).

2. Deposit

• Check how it’s described: “upon acceptance,” “herewith,” or “as otherwise described.”
• “Upon acceptance” means it’s due within 24 hours of acceptance.
• Make sure the timeline works—account for weekends, holidays, and banking hours.

3. Completion Date

• Make sure it falls on a business day—not a weekend or statutory holiday.
• If it’s a Friday, be cautious—any delays are more costly.

4. Rental Items

• Check Clause 6—are any rental items listed?
• If it’s blank, the buyer assumes nothing, and the seller has to buy out any contracts.
• Don’t rely on the MLS Listing—rental items must be listed in the APS to form part of the deal.

5. HST

• This clause should usually say HST is “included in.”
• If the property is not a "used residential" property, get further tax advice.

6. Title Search Date

• The title search date should usually fall 7–14 days before closing.
• If the completion date changed during negotiations, make sure the title search date was updated too.

7. Schedule A

• Go straight to the conditions—are there any?
• Check when they’re due, and whether they’re precedent (must be fulfilled to proceed) or subsequent (deal stands unless terminated).
• If there are none, confirm the client understands the deal is firm.

These checks take less than five minutes—but they can save you hours of cleanup later.

What are your go-to checks when reviewing an offer? Anything you think I missed?

Hit reply—I’d love to hear your process.