For buyers
The quick answers are on the home page. These go deeper, into the real numbers and the situations that catch people off guard.
- The FHSA – the $40K account most first-time buyers underuseYou deduct what you put in and pay no tax coming out. There's also a clock most people don't know is running.
- The RRSP Home Buyers' Plan after the $60K bumpYou can pull $60,000 per buyer from your RRSP. Whether you should is a different question.
- Ontario and Toronto land transfer tax rebates – how to actually claim themUp to $8,475 back on closing, as long as you qualify and your lawyer files it right.
- The 2026 GST rebate on new builds – who it does (and doesn't) helpUp to $50,000 off a new build for first-time buyers. It's law now, and it has some catches.
- How much you actually need down (and the 5/10/15/20 jumps)Mortgage insurance is priced in cliffs, not a slope. The jump from 19% to 20% down is the big one.
- Offer conditions – which to keep and which to dropFinancing, inspection, status certificate. What each one protects, and what dropping it really costs.
- When to walk away – even after offer nightThe exits worth taking, written down before you fall in love with the place.
- The anatomy of a GTA bidding warList low, hold offers, count how many register. That's offer night from the inside.
If there's a buyer question you want answered in plain English, tell me. What people ask for is how I decide what to write next.