Canada real estate guides

Understand the numbers before you buy

Original, plain-language guides for affordability, mortgage qualification, down payments and closing-cost planning.

Real-estate professional holding house keys and a clipboard

Affordability guide

How Much House Can I Afford in Canada?

Understand how income, debts, down payment, mortgage rates and property costs combine to shape a Canadian home-affordability estimate.

Photo: Aleksandra Sapozhnikova / Unsplash

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Mortgage ratios

GDS and TDS Ratios in Canada, Explained

Learn what gross debt service and total debt service mean, what costs they include, and how monthly debt can reduce estimated buying power.

Photo: Vitaly Gariev / Unsplash

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Qualifying rate

Canada Mortgage Stress Test: A Simple Guide

See how the mortgage qualifying rate can differ from the contract rate and why it can reduce a home-affordability estimate.

Photo: Md Ishak Rahman / Unsplash

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Hand holding the keys to a new home in an open doorway

Down payment guide

Minimum Down Payment and Mortgage Insurance in Canada

Calculate the standard minimum down payment by purchase-price tier, estimate how the mortgage-insurance premium is determined and separate financed costs from cash due at closing.

Photo: Jakub Żerdzicki / Unsplash

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Buyer cost guide

Canada Home-Buying Closing Costs Checklist

Plan beyond the down payment with a cash-at-closing checklist for legal fees, inspections, taxes, title insurance, adjustments, FHSA funds and Home Buyers’ Plan withdrawals.

Photo: Vitaly Gariev / Unsplash

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Planning information only: lending criteria, programs, rates and local costs can change. Confirm your situation with current official sources and qualified professionals before making a purchase commitment.