A study by Léger Marketing revealed an alarming picture: most residents of the province don’t know who protects them when buying a home — or whether anyone protects them at all.
Two thirds of Quebecers don’t understand how a real estate transaction works
Buying and selling a home is one of the most important financial decisions in life. Nevertheless, about two thirds of Quebec residents admit that their knowledge is insufficient to fully understand a real estate transaction. These are the results of a study conducted by Léger Marketing on behalf of Quebec’s real estate self-regulatory organization (OACIQ).
The authors recorded persistent knowledge gaps in three key areas: who represents the buyer’s and seller’s interests and how, what a brokerage contract is, and what the concept of “fair dealing” actually means.
“A better understanding of these gaps allows us to strengthen our work on informing and protecting consumers,” said Nadine Lindsay, President and CEO of the OACIQ.
Myth #1: the law protects you in any case
Many Quebecers believe that the Real Estate Brokerage Act protects them regardless of whether they use a broker’s services. That is not the case. OACIQ protection, the compensation fund, and professional liability insurance apply only to transactions carried out through a licensed professional.
“What you give up when you refuse a broker is protection if problems arise,” explained Louis Beauchamp, an official spokesperson for the OACIQ. According to him, mistakes in real estate transactions happen fairly often: the promise to purchase, the inspection, questions about inclusions and exclusions — all of these are potential points of conflict. The law also protects against fraud and bad-faith manipulation. Without that protection, the only route is court.
Myth #2: the buyer pays the broker out of pocket
Most Quebecers don’t know that a broker’s services generally cost the buyer nothing directly. In Quebec, the commission is paid by the seller — it is included in the final transaction price and shared with the buyer’s broker. The exception is when the seller acts without a broker: then a buyer who wants professional representation may have to cover part of the cost themselves. Separate line items are the costs of the inspection and the notary — they are not related to the broker’s services.
Myth #3: one broker can work for both sides
So-called “dual representation” — when one broker simultaneously represents both the seller and the buyer — has been prohibited in Quebec since June 2022 precisely to avoid conflicts of interest. The seller’s broker must follow the principle of “fair dealing” — but that does not mean they protect the buyer’s interests.
“A broker representing the seller cannot share strategic information with the buyer. They are required to disclose only factual information,” Beauchamp clarified. This includes the year of construction, square footage, known defects, information on taxes, servitudes, and zoning. Everything else is outside their obligations.
Housing market: the numbers speak for themselves
Against the backdrop of these information gaps, Quebec’s real estate market continues to operate actively. According to Centris, in the first quarter of 2026 the province recorded 23,312 residential transactions — 15,069 of them involving single-family homes and 6,105 condominiums. The total transaction volume exceeded $12.8 billion.
The provincial median price for a single-family home was $512,000, and for a condo $400,000. However, the regional spread remains enormous. On the Island of Montreal, the median home price reaches $815,000; in the Quebec City agglomeration, $493,300; in Lanaudière, $523,000; in Estrie, $470,000; in Centre-du-Québec, $385,000; and on the Côte-Nord, $243,750.
In other words, these are transactions where the cost of a mistake is hundreds of thousands of dollars. And that is precisely why not knowing your rights is so expensive.
