Buying Real Estate with a Canadian Seller

[Matt Scholten]

Hello all, 

I am looking for some advice. I am currently under contract to purchase a duplex and the seller is a Canadian citizen. Does anyone have experience doing deals with a seller that is not a US citizen? I am working with Chicago Title for the title work on the property and they seem to be dragging their feet and not really sure how to do this. Due to the seller living several hours away in Canada closing in the same location is not really feasible. The title company said we the seller would have to close a Chicago title branch in the US or at a US consulate in Canada. Additionally there are also tax complications from my research it looks like the seller will have to have 15% of the sale price withheld on ensure capital gains are covered if the seller fails to file a US tax return. If anyone has experience in this that would be helpful also. Thanks!