Canadian brokerage and real estate marketplace Casalova is working with Dream Maker Developments to be the first in Canada to offer a digital purchase option for pre-construction condos.

Traditionally, when potential buyers are interested in purchasing a condo unit before it is built, they must visit a sales centre and wait in line, sometimes for hours, only to find that units have sold out or that the floor plan they wanted is no longer available. The brokerage is removing this step by making the purchase process completely digital.

Ray Taaeb, CEO and co-founder of Casalova, says condos are the perfect place to test-market a “buy now” option, although he notes that buying a resale condominium might require on-site visits, but pre-construction plans and demonstrative technologies make online touring equally as effective as in-person for condos that are yet unbuilt.

Potential buyers will be able to review the details of each available unit online, including the square footage, floor plans and condo features. To make a purchase, buyers can complete and submit all paperwork online and make a deposit using their credit card. As with in-person purchases, buyers will have a 10-day cooling-off period after the transaction has been finalized.

“This digital approach appeals to a huge market of potential buyers and also saves resources that would otherwise be invested in model suites and sales centres,” said Isaac Olowolafe, CEO of Dream Maker Developments, in a press release. “Developers are always looking for new ways to reach more homebuyers and this offering modernizes how people purchase a pre-construction condo.”

Casalova’s end-to-end real estate marketplace allows tenants and buyers to search for properties, schedule viewings, make offers online and process payments directly through the platform. Unit sales for the pre-construction development Yonge & King Urban Towns in Richmond Hill opens online on April 3, 2017.