My practice runs 100 percent remotely. Files open in Canada and close in Florida, and the buyer does not board a plane at any point. This article walks the mechanics stage by stage. It is information, not legal advice; the legal steps of a closing belong to the licensed closing professionals on the file.
Stage one: the search, on video instead of in person
Realtor partners on the ground in Florida walk properties on live video, room by room, and follow up with recorded walkthroughs, neighbourhood context and honest commentary on what the listing photos are hiding. Remote buyers see more properties this way, not fewer, because a Tuesday evening in Montreal can cover three condos in Fort Lauderdale. The realtor also becomes the physical presence for everything that follows: access for the inspector, the appraiser, and the final walkthrough on closing week, streamed to your phone.
Stage two: the offer, e-signed from a Canadian kitchen table
Florida purchase contracts are routinely executed electronically. The offer, counteroffers and addenda move by e-signature platform, and the deposit is wired to the escrow agent rather than handed over as a cheque. Nothing in this stage requires presence; what it requires is speed of coordination, because Florida contract timelines for inspection periods and financing contingencies run on calendar days that do not pause for anyone's travel plans.
Stage three: inspection and appraisal, delivered as documents
The home inspector attends the property in person and delivers a digital report, typically dozens of pages with photographs of every issue found. Many inspectors will walk the findings with a remote buyer on video. The appraisal works the same way: the appraiser visits the property because the lender requires it, and the buyer's involvement is reading the PDF. Specialist inspections where relevant, such as roof, termite or four-point reports for insurance, follow the identical pattern. The buyer's job at this stage is review and decision, and both travel by email.
Stage four: the financing file, digital from day one
A cross-border mortgage file is built from documents a Canadian already has at home: passport, Canadian credit bureau consent, bank statements showing the down payment and reserves, and income documentation. Everything is uploaded to a secure portal and signed electronically, including the loan disclosures. US lenders working foreign national and DSCR programs are structurally set up for borrowers who are not in the country; the underwriting never assumed you were local. The appraisal, title work and loan approval all proceed while the buyer stays in Canada.
Stage five: the closing, from a Canadian living room
Florida has authorized remote online notarization since January 1, 2020, under Part II of Chapter 117 of the Florida Statutes. A registered Florida online notary verifies the signer's identity over a recorded audio-video session, and the closing package is signed and notarized electronically, with the buyer appearing from Canada. Where a lender or title underwriter prefers other handling on a specific file, two established alternatives exist: a mailaway package signed on paper and couriered back, or a narrowly drafted power of attorney allowing a representative to sign at the closing table. Funds move by international wire into the title company's escrow account, with instructions verified by phone before sending. The mechanics of each route are covered in detail in the remote closing deep-dive.
Where remote buyers hit friction, and what removes it
None of the stages above is exotic. What goes wrong in remote files is almost always coordination: the moment a purchase involves a Canadian advisor on one side, a separately licensed US originator on the other, and a title company neither of them manages closely, the remote buyer becomes the messenger between them, across time zones, repeating documents into two separate files.
My structure removes that seam. I personally hold the Quebec brokerage licence (AMF 3001986744, Groupe Hypothécaire Orbis) and the individual US Mortgage Loan Originator licence (NMLS 2613311, through Orbis Mortgage, NMLS 2583431). One broker, two licences, no handover: the same person who reads your Canadian documents places the US loan and coordinates the realtor, legal and title partners around a single file. For a buyer who will never be in the room, having one person who is accountable for the whole room matters more than anything else in this article.
Buying from Canada and staying in Canada?
Send the scenario, not sensitive documents: the target market, the budget, the income picture, the timeline. Straight answer within a business day on how the remote file would run.
Send David the ScenarioRelated: The remote closing, explained · The remote buying team · Complete guide for Canadians buying US property · Two kinds of cross-border mortgage help