Calgary Closing Costs — What Buyers Actually Pay in 2026

I'm Ryan Van Spengen. This video is for Calgary home buyers who want to know exactly what closing costs they're looking at. I'm going to go through every line item. First, the big picture. Total buyer-side closing costs in Calgary in 2026 typically run between 1.5% and 3% of the purchase price. On an $800,000 home, that's $12,000 to $24,000. These costs are paid at the lawyer's table on closing day, in addition to your down payment. They come out of your own funds — you can't add them to your mortgage (though some people fund them from a HELOC). Let me go through the main items. Legal fees. Your real estate lawyer handles the title transfer, mortgage registration, and all the conveyancing work. Legal fees in Calgary for a purchase transaction run $1,200 to $2,000 for a standard residential purchase. Law firm disbursements add another $400 to $600. Budget $1,800 to $2,600 all-in. Title insurance. Alberta land title transfers are registered in the provincial system, and title insurance protects against future title claims, survey errors, and certain fraud scenarios. Premiums for a residential purchase run $250 to $400 depending on the home's value. Alberta Land Title Transfer Fee. This is the provincial fee for registering the title change. Alberta uses a graduated scale: $50 on the first $10,000 of value, then $2 per $1,000 after that. On an $800,000 home, the title transfer fee is approximately $1,650. Mortgage registration fee. If you're getting a mortgage, the mortgage must also be registered against title. Same graduated fee scale. On a $600,000 mortgage, the registration fee is approximately $1,250. Home inspection. Budget $500 to $700 for a standard single-family home inspection. Condos are typically $350 to $500. You pay this when the inspection happens, during your condition period — not at closing. But it's a closing-related cost you need to account for. Property tax adjustment. At closing, property tax is adjusted between buyer and seller based on the possession date. If the seller has paid property taxes to December 31 and you're taking possession on July 1, the seller gets a credit for the second half of the year's taxes. Or you pay the seller for taxes they've prepaid. The direction depends on when in the tax year you close and whether the seller has paid ahead. Condo document review (condo purchases only). If you're buying a condo, you have a right to review the condo documents — financials, minutes, reserve fund study, bylaws. Some buyers hire a condo document review service to assess them. This typically costs $300 to $500 and is money well spent. Moving costs. Not a closing cost in the traditional sense, but a real expense that arrives at the same time. Professional movers in Calgary in 2026 charge $1,200 to $3,500 for a local move depending on the size of the home and the distance. Things that are NOT buyer closing costs in Alberta: real estate commission is paid by the seller from sale proceeds. Alberta has no land transfer tax beyond the registration fee I mentioned. There's no provincial HST on resale homes (only on new builds, where it's typically included in the list price by the builder). What to bring to the lawyer's table: a bank draft or wire transfer for the closing costs and remaining balance after your mortgage. Your lawyer will give you the exact number a few days before closing. Full closing cost breakdown is in the FAQ at karakterrealty.com. I'm Ryan Van Spengen.