Buying a Home
What actually happens, in what order, and where the money goes.
Get your financing straight first
Talk to a mortgage professional before you talk to a seller. A pre-approval tells you what you can actually spend and makes your offer credible when it counts.
Write the brief
Neighbourhood, commute, schools, the number of bedrooms you will still need in five years. The clearer the brief, the less time you waste.
See the market properly
We will show you what is listed, what is coming, and what quietly is not. Then we will tell you honestly which of them is worth your money.
Offer, condition, close
Price is one term of many. Conditions, closing date and deposit all move the deal — and we negotiate every one of them for you.
The money you are entitled to.
Canada gives first-time buyers real, claimable help. Most people leave some of it on the table because nobody explained it in plain language.
Land transfer tax rebate
First-time buyers in Ontario get up to $4,000 back on the provincial land transfer tax — and up to a further $4,475 inside the City of Toronto.
MoreRRSP Home Buyers’ Plan
You can withdraw from your RRSP toward a first home, tax-free, and repay it over time. It is one of the most under-used tools available to a first-time buyer.
MoreHST new housing rebate
Buying new construction? Part of the HST on the purchase can come back to you — but the rules differ for an owner-occupier and an investor. Get this one right.
MoreThe minimum down payment
5% on the first $500,000, 10% on the portion from $500,000 to $1.5M, and 20% above that — where mortgage insurance is no longer available.
MoreFixed, variable, and the stress test.
A fixed rate holds your payment steady for the term — usually the right call if you plan to stay more than five years and you would rather sleep at night. A variable rate moves with the market: cheaper more often than not, but your payment can rise.
Either way, you must qualify at the stress-test rate — the greater of your contract rate plus two percent, or 5.25%. Our affordability calculator applies it, so the number you see is the number a lender will use.
Ready to look?
Send us the brief and we will start working the market for you today.