Licensed people and brokerages
The mortgage and real estate team Todd Schofield, Dylan Schofield, and Ashley Schofield
Mortgage services: Rock Capital Mortgage, Brokerage — FSRA licence #10556
Real estate services: Sutton-Choice Real Estate Inc., Real Estate Brokerage
- Todd Schofield — Mortgage Broker and Real Estate Agent.
- Dylan Schofield — Mortgage Agent Level 2 and Real Estate Agent.
- Ashley Schofield — Mortgage Agent Level 1; Mortgage services only; not a real estate representative..
Buyers
Buy a Home in North Bay and Area with REALTOR® Guidance
Plan a North Bay-area home purchase with clear representation choices, property questions, offer conditions and connected mortgage planning.
Buying a home is both a property decision and a financial commitment. A buyer conversation should begin with your priorities, budget, timing and representation choices before a listing creates pressure. The mortgage and real estate team Todd Schofield, Dylan Schofield, and Ashley Schofield serves North Bay and nearby communities; Todd and Dylan provide a REALTOR® pathway that can be requested separately from Ashley’s mortgage service.
RECO’s consumer Information Guide is an important Ontario reference for understanding representation and the relationship choices available when working with a real estate brokerage. This page adds an independent planning checklist. It does not promise a particular property, offer result, search inventory, negotiation outcome, marketing package or mortgage approval.
Start with representation and agency choices
Before choosing a real estate service, ask what relationship is being discussed, whose interests the brokerage may represent, what services are included, how conflicts are handled and how the relationship can end. RECO’s Information Guide is designed to help Ontario consumers understand the choices and responsibilities involved. Read the guide and any proposed agreement before signing, and ask questions in plain language.
Sources: Real Estate Council of Ontario
| Topic | Ask | Keep clear |
|---|---|---|
| Representation choice | Would this be brokerage representation, designated representation or a self-represented-party arrangement? | The duties, advice, information and consent questions depend on the actual choice |
| Agreement | What are the term, scope, geography, termination, payment and expiry provisions? | Read the actual document and confirm any change in writing |
| Conflicts | Could the brokerage or a related registrant be involved for another party? | Ask how a conflict or multiple representation would be handled |
| Compensation | How may the brokerage be paid and what happens if circumstances change? | Do not rely on a general assumption about who pays |
| Choice | What questions can I ask before deciding whether to proceed? | You can request information without treating this page as legal advice |
Sources: Real Estate Council of Ontario
The current RECO guide distinguishes brokerage representation, designated representation and a self-represented party. If a brokerage or registrant may represent more than one client in the same transaction, ask about multiple representation, disclosure and consent before relying on advice or sharing information. The proposed agreement and the facts of the transaction control; this page does not choose the relationship for you.
Sources: Real Estate Council of Ontario
The relationship should fit your needs and be understood by everyone signing. A buyer can request mortgage guidance without requesting buyer representation, and a buyer-representation conversation does not require a mortgage application through the same team. These are separately requestable services.
Sources: Real Estate Council of Ontario
Independently compiled buyer checklist
Prepare your questions
- Write down location, commute, property type, occupancy, timing, essential features and deal-breakers.
- Set a comfortable price and payment range that includes taxes, heat, insurance, maintenance and other debt.
- Separate the down payment from closing, moving, repair and emergency cash.
- Ask the mortgage professional what has been reviewed and what still depends on the actual property.
- Read the RECO Information Guide and any representation agreement before signing.
- Confirm who the brokerage represents, the scope of service, term, termination and compensation provisions.
- Ask about conflicts, multiple representation and what information can be shared.
- Request available property information and identify questions for an inspector, lawyer, insurer or municipality.
- Keep financing, inspection, insurance, legal and other conditions meaningful until the right professional confirms them.
- Review the complete offer, deposit, dates, inclusions, exclusions and adjustments before signing.
Sources: Real Estate Council of Ontario; Financial Consumer Agency of Canada; Financial Consumer Agency of Canada
Do not treat a listing description or a showing as a technical inspection, title search, insurance confirmation or municipal approval. Ask the professional responsible for each question and keep a written record of the answer and its limits.
Sources: Real Estate Council of Ontario; Financial Consumer Agency of Canada
Search with the full property in view
A focused search is more useful than a promise to show every possible home. Clarify the household’s priorities and compare properties against the same questions. FCAC notes that a REALTOR® is optional and may help search, negotiate, complete paperwork and more; RECO’s guide helps explain the relationship and service choices in Ontario.
Sources: Financial Consumer Agency of Canada; Real Estate Council of Ontario
Property questions to route to the right professional
- Condition, structure, roof, heating, water, septic, electrical and other physical questions: qualified inspector or tradesperson.
- Title, easements, boundaries, inclusions, conditions and closing documents: real estate lawyer.
- Insurance availability and exclusions: insurer.
- Zoning, permits, taxes, services and municipal records: municipality or the appropriate professional.
- Financing, value, lender conditions and property eligibility: lender or mortgage professional.
- Neighbourhood, commute, services and future plans: your own research and local sources.
Sources: Financial Consumer Agency of Canada; Financial Consumer Agency of Canada
North Bay, Callander, Sturgeon Falls, Mattawa, Powassan and surrounding communities can contain different housing types, services and travel patterns. Local familiarity can make questions easier to identify, but it does not replace the property-specific investigation or a professional conclusion.
If you are comparing an in-town home with a rural or waterfront property, use the same disciplined process for both while adding questions that fit the property. Ask about access, services, heating, water, septic, shoreline or outbuilding issues only through the appropriate sources. A familiar community name does not answer a legal, insurance, environmental, building or financing question.
Sources: Financial Consumer Agency of Canada; Financial Consumer Agency of Canada
Also plan for the practical move: work location, school or care routines, utility setup, storage, seasonal maintenance and the time between possession and occupancy. These are household decisions rather than promises a REALTOR® or mortgage professional can make for you, but identifying them early can improve the questions you bring to the transaction.
A buyer service can help organize searches and communications, but you remain the decision-maker. Set a rhythm for reviewing new information, record what is confirmed versus still being investigated, and pause when a deadline makes an unresolved issue feel smaller than it is.
Sources: Real Estate Council of Ontario
When more than one person will own or occupy the home, discuss priorities and decision authority before the search becomes urgent. Ownership, financing, family contributions and legal interests should be reviewed with the lawyer and lender rather than assumed from the showing conversation.
Sources: Financial Consumer Agency of Canada; Real Estate Council of Ontario
Build an offer around evidence and conditions
An offer is more than its price. Consider deposit, closing and possession dates, inclusions, exclusions, conditions, financing, inspection, insurance, legal review and any property-specific issue. The right conditions depend on the transaction and should be discussed with the professionals responsible for the risk. Do not waive a condition because a general checklist says it is safe.
Sources: Financial Consumer Agency of Canada; Real Estate Council of Ontario
| Component | Why it matters | Confirm with |
|---|---|---|
| Price and deposit | Sets the financial commitment and amount delivered under the agreement | REALTOR® and lawyer |
| Financing condition | Allows the mortgage review to address the actual property and terms | Mortgage professional and lawyer |
| Inspection or other due diligence | Creates time to investigate condition or a stated risk | Inspector, trades and lawyer |
| Dates and possession | Coordinates sale, move, lender, lawyer and utility timing | REALTOR®, lender and lawyer |
| Inclusions and exclusions | Defines what remains with the property | REALTOR® and lawyer |
| Adjustments and closing | Allocates taxes, utilities, fees and other amounts | Lawyer and relevant providers |
Sources: Financial Consumer Agency of Canada; Real Estate Council of Ontario
FCAC identifies closing costs such as inspection, legal fees, property-tax adjustments and title insurance as costs beyond the mortgage. Keep a separate closing-cash plan; a pre-approval amount and a purchase price do not tell you the final amount required to close.
Sources: Financial Consumer Agency of Canada; Financial Consumer Agency of Canada
Connect the home search to financing without combining every service
Mortgage planning can help a buyer understand a payment range, down payment, closing cash and documents before an offer. FCAC cautions that a pre-approval does not guarantee final approval and that the property and final information still matter. Keep the mortgage review connected to the search while treating mortgage advice and buyer representation as separate service choices.
Sources: Financial Consumer Agency of Canada; Financial Consumer Agency of Canada
Before the offer deadline
- Confirm the borrower documents and source of down payment.
- Ask the lender about the property type, appraisal and remaining conditions.
- Keep cash for closing, moving, maintenance and an emergency reserve.
- Review the offer terms and conditions with the appropriate professionals.
- Report changes in income, debt, funds, property or closing date before approval.
Sources: Financial Consumer Agency of Canada; Financial Consumer Agency of Canada
The MCC Home Centre App can support general planning, but it cannot select a property, interpret an agreement or approve a mortgage. Ask for the actual lender and representation terms in writing.
A buyer conversation that starts with your choices
Begin with the kind of move you are considering, the communities that fit, the budget and the questions you want answered. Request buyer representation information separately if that is the service you need. Read the Information Guide and any agreement, then involve the lender, lawyer, inspector, insurer and municipality for their parts of the transaction.
Sources: Real Estate Council of Ontario; Financial Consumer Agency of Canada
Questions people ask before deciding
What is the RECO Information Guide?
It is an Ontario consumer guide that explains brokerage representation, designated representation, self-represented parties, agreements, conflicts and related responsibilities. Read it before signing an agreement, ask which relationship is being proposed and ask the registrant to explain anything you do not understand.
Sources: Real Estate Council of Ontario
Do I have to use a REALTOR® to buy a home?
FCAC says using a REALTOR® is optional. If you choose to work with a brokerage, understand who is represented, what services apply, the agreement terms, compensation and conflict or multiple-representation questions before signing.
Can buyer representation and mortgage advice be requested separately?
Yes. Buyer representation and mortgage service are different decisions. You can request information about one without committing to the other. If a team offers more than one regulated service, ask for the applicable agreement, duties and compensation terms separately.
Sources: Real Estate Council of Ontario
Does a pre-approval guarantee my offer or mortgage?
No. FCAC says a pre-approval does not guarantee final mortgage approval, and the property, down payment, documents and lender conditions still matter. An accepted offer is also affected by price, terms, timing and the seller’s decision.
Sources: Financial Consumer Agency of Canada
What should I investigate before making an offer?
Review the property’s condition, legal and title questions, insurance, services, taxes, zoning and financing requirements with the appropriate professionals. Keep meaningful conditions where needed and do not treat a listing, showing or general buyer advice as a technical conclusion.
What cash do I need besides my down payment?
Plan separately for closing and moving costs and for ongoing ownership. FCAC lists examples such as inspection, legal fees, property-tax adjustments and title insurance. Your lender, lawyer and other providers can confirm the actual amounts for the transaction.
Can anyone guarantee that I will find or buy a particular home?
No. Property availability, competition, price, conditions, financing, inspection, seller decisions and timing can change. A buyer service can provide a process and professional guidance without promising a particular home or outcome.