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Mortgage Squad Advisors
First-time buyer

Your first home. Without the first-time-buyer stress.

Get in with just 5% down. Stack tax-free FHSA savings, your RRSP Home Buyers' Plan, and the Ontario + Toronto land transfer tax rebates. One advisor, start to finish.

5% down paymentTax-free FHSA savingsRRSP Home Buyers' PlanLand transfer tax rebateCMHC-insuredFederal stress test
5-star rated| FSRA #13737| 5-min pre-qualification
Today’s best 5-yr fixed
4.19%
across 50+ lenders
Live math · First-time buyer
$3,218/mo
Property value$750,000
Down payment$150,000
Get pre-approved Full math
Maya · AI · 24/7
Tell me about first-time buyer mortgages
5-star rated| FSRA #13737| 50+ langs

The hardest part of buying your first home isn’t finding it — it’s the maze: stress test, FHSA, HBP, land transfer rebates, CMHC premiums, qualifying rate vs contract rate. Most banks walk you through one of those. We walk you through all of them, stack the rebates, and make sure you never overpay on a programme you didn’t know existed.

From your first conversation to closing day, we layer every Canadian first-time buyer programme you qualify for: FHSA, RRSP Home Buyers’ Plan, Ontario + Toronto FTHB land transfer rebates, CMHC-insured pricing at 5% down. Same advisor end-to-end. We’ll model the math at the stress-test rate before you ever make an offer — so the only surprise on closing day is how fast it happened.

What you get

Why Canadians choose Mortgage Squad Advisors.

Pre-approval in as little as 24 hours, no bureau pull to begin
120-day rate hold — lock today, find the home later
Down payment from 5% on insured purchases (CMHC, Sagen, Canada Guaranty)
FHSA + RRSP HBP stacked — up to $100K tax-advantaged down payment per spouse
Ontario + Toronto FTHB land transfer tax rebates handled (up to $8,475 combined)
First-Time Home Buyer Incentive paperwork done for you (where eligible)
Stress test simulation before you offer — qualify at contract rate +2% or 5.25%
50+ lender network — the lender most lenient on YOUR income story
Multilingual advisors: English, Punjabi, Mandarin, Cantonese, Arabic, French + more
Maya AI available 24/7 between human touchpoints
Maya · 24/7 AI advisor

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How it works

Three steps. No jargon. No pressure.

1

Get pre-approved

5-minute intake, soft credit only. We confirm your stress-tested maximum, lock today’s rate, map your down-payment stack (FHSA, HBP, gifted funds, savings).

2

House hunt with confidence

Search inside your real budget, not the inflated bank one. Your advisor is on speed-dial when an offer goes in and conditions need to clear in 48 hours.

3

Close — and start tracking

Lawyer-ready package, condition coordination, lender follow-through. After funding, the in-app tracker shows your equity grow and pings you 120 days before renewal.

Run the math first

“We were turned away by two banks and honestly thought homeownership wasn't going to happen for us. Mortgage Squad Advisors found us a lender, locked in a great rate, and we got our keys three weeks later. I still can't believe how fast it happened.”

— Simran & Harjot P., First-time buyers, Brampton ON
FAQ

Common questions, answered.

Don’t see yours? Ask Maya — instant answer, any time.

How much down payment do I need as a first-time buyer in Canada?
Minimums: 5% on the first $500,000 of purchase price, 10% on the portion from $500,000 to $1.5M, and 20% above $1.5M. Below 20% means a CMHC, Sagen, or Canada Guaranty premium financed into the mortgage. We model both insured and uninsured paths for every file — sometimes the insured option saves more in lifetime interest than 20% would.
What is the FHSA and should I use it?
The First Home Savings Account is the most powerful first-time-buyer programme Canada has introduced in a generation. Contribute up to $8,000/year (max $40,000 lifetime), get a tax deduction like an RRSP, and withdraw tax-free for a qualifying first home like a TFSA. For most first-time buyers in their working years it’s the single best down-payment vehicle.
Can I combine the FHSA with the RRSP Home Buyers' Plan?
Yes — they stack. The HBP allows you to withdraw up to $60,000 from your RRSP for a first home, repaid over 15 years tax-free. Two spouses can each use both, so the household can pull up to $200,000 of tax-advantaged down payment. We’ll model the optimal sequence (which account to deplete first) for your tax situation.
What is the Canadian stress test?
Every federally regulated lender qualifies you at the greater of your contract rate + 2% or 5.25%. So a 4.39% offered rate qualifies you at 6.39%. We model your file at the qualifying rate before you commit. Some credit unions and provincial lenders qualify at contract rate — we shop both paths.
How long does a pre-approval and rate hold last?
Most lenders hold rates for 90 to 120 days. If rates drop while you're house-hunting we re-shop and capture the lower rate. If rates rise, your hold protects you. Pre-approvals can be re-issued if you go beyond the window.
Will pre-approval hurt my credit?
Pre-qualification with us is a soft inquiry — no credit hit. A formal pre-approval is one hard pull and stays on your bureau for six months but only impacts your score by ~5 points. Multiple mortgage hard pulls within 14 days are bundled by the bureaus, so you can shop without penalty.
Pre-qualified vs. pre-approved — what's the difference?
Pre-qualified = an estimate based on what you tell us — useful to know your range. Pre-approved = a lender has reviewed your file (credit + documents) and committed in writing (subject to property). Real-estate agents and sellers take pre-approvals seriously; pre-qualifications less so.
What if I'm self-employed or new to Canada?
We have specialized lenders and programs for both. Self-employed files use BFS programs, T1-general averaging, or stated-income paths. Newcomers can use major-bank Newcomer programs that accept international employment letters and require no Canadian credit history. See /self-employed-mortgage and /new-to-canada-mortgage.
What's the difference between insured, insurable, and conventional mortgages?
Insured = under 20% down, premium paid by you, financed into the loan; typically lowest rates. Insurable = 20%+ down but the lender insures themselves to lower their cost of capital — they pass some savings to you. Conventional = 20%+ down with no insurance; lender absorbs all credit risk; rates may be slightly higher than insurable. Your advisor checks all three.
How much can I afford on my income?
Run our affordability calculator for an instant Canadian-correct estimate. Quick rule of thumb: 4-5× household income for insured purchases at current rates. But the real answer is GDS ≤ 39% and TDS ≤ 44% at the qualifying rate. Stress test calculator at /mortgage-stress-test-calculator gives the binding number.

Related products

New to CanadaGifted down paymentMaternity / parental leaveSelf-employedAffordability calculatorCMHC premium calculatorLand transfer tax calculatorStress test calculator

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