Programs and options to explore
Options cover savings/tax, new homes, local assistance and financing. Active is not an eligibility decision or mortgage approval.
What counts as a first-time buyer
There is no single definition. Measures can use ownership, occupancy, spouse history, residency, disability, relationship breakdown or agreement dates differently; a person may qualify for one and fail another.
Check each administrator before an offer or registered-savings withdrawal. Tax programs and rebates have different timing; administrators or tax professionals confirm tax facts, while lender and insurer determine mortgage qualification.
- Check prior ownership, occupancy and spouse history.
- Keep agreement, closing, occupancy and property type with the source.
- Maximums are not entitlements; do not add them into one savings total.
Sources: Canada Revenue Agency; Canada Revenue Agency; Government of Ontario; Canada Revenue Agency
Savings and tax programs
First Home Savings Account (FHSA)
Active
An FHSA holds your money, not a government deposit. Room starts at $8,000, with a $40,000 lifetime limit—not instant room. After opening, up to $8,000 of unused participation room may carry forward.
Contributions are generally deductible and qualifying withdrawals tax-free. Two buyers have separate limits; an RRSP transfer uses room without another deduction. Read CRA overview and participation guidance.
Sources: Canada Revenue Agency; Canada Revenue Agency
Home Buyers' Plan (HBP)
Active
The HBP uses RRSP money, not a grant. Up to $60,000 can support a qualifying purchase and a qualifying FHSA withdrawal may also be used.
Repayment runs up to 15 years. Your repayment start date depends on the rules for your withdrawal year. Confirm your schedule with CRA or your tax professional. See CRA overview and repayment details. Shortfalls can be taxable; repayments are not another deduction.
Sources: Canada Revenue Agency; Canada Revenue Agency
Federal home buyers' amount
Active
The home buyers' amount is claimed on a tax return, not received for the deposit. For 2025, the claim can be $10,000; it is not a $10,000 payment. The result depends on tax payable.
Co-buyers share the maximum; disability-related purchases can have an exception. The available CRA line guidance is for 2025; confirm the applicable 2026 rules with CRA line 31270.
Sources: Canada Revenue Agency
Ontario first-time homebuyer land transfer tax refund
Active
Ontario's refund can provide up to $4,000 at registration or by application within 18 months. It does not make every purchase tax-free.
The purchaser must generally be at least 18; status, nine-month occupancy, lifetime ownership, spouse and mixed-eligibility rules apply. See Ontario refund rules and tax calculations.
Sources: Government of Ontario; Government of Ontario
Buying a new home
New-home relief differs from resale. Federal/Ontario amounts depend on agreement, home type, price and build/occupancy deadlines. First-time, ordinary, enhanced and affordability relief cannot be stacked; builder/lawyer confirm treatment.
Federal first-time home buyers' GST/HST rebate
Active
For qualifying new or substantially renovated housing—not resale—a builder house-and-land agreement is on or after March 20, 2025 and before 2031. The buyer is generally 18+ and a citizen or permanent resident; construction, transfer, primary-residence and first-time conditions apply. Federal relief recovers the 5% portion, up to $50,000, through $1,000,000; it decreases above that price and is zero at or above $1,500,000.
CRA accepts applications; a builder may credit or a buyer may apply, usually within two years of ownership or completion. Check amounts, eligibility and price treatment.
Sources: Canada Revenue Agency; Canada Revenue Agency; Canada Revenue Agency
Ontario first-time home buyers' new-home rebate
Active
Ontario's first-time rebate can provide up to $80,000 provincial HST relief when federal conditions are met; it is not resale cash.
Relief shares limits with other Ontario measures. Confirm agreement, construction, occupancy and price treatment in CRA's RC4028 guide.
Sources: Canada Revenue Agency; Canada Revenue Agency
Ordinary federal and Ontario new-housing rebates
Active
For eligible new primary-residence housing, ordinary federal relief is 36% of tax, up to $6,300. It phases out above $350,000 and is unavailable at or above $450,000. Ontario's maximum is $24,000.
Do not stack ordinary, first-time and enhanced relief. Resale is outside this discussion; see CRA's RC4028 guide.
Sources: Canada Revenue Agency; Canada Revenue Agency
Ontario enhanced new housing rebate
Time-limited
The temporary enhanced rebate covers builder agreements April 1, 2026–March 31, 2027. Construction must begin by December 31, 2028, finish by December 31, 2031 and have tax payable by December 31, 2032. It covers provincial HST through $1,000,000; relief is a flat $80,000 above that through $1,500,000, then partial below $1,850,000. At or above that threshold, the ordinary Ontario rebate may remain.
Not first-time-only or a promise of an HST-free home or tax-free quote. Provincial tax cannot be recovered twice. See CRA explanation and Notice 346.
Sources: Canada Revenue Agency; Canada Revenue Agency
Ontario New Home Affordability Payment
Active
ONHAP can provide up to $50,000 related to the federal portion for an eligible ENHR home, reduced by federal rebate entitlement. It is not additional $50,000 over full relief; CRA's process needs no separate provincial application.
Confirm agreement, builder price and rebate assignment with the lawyer. See Ontario HST relief; the team does not secure this payment.
Sources: Government of Ontario; Canada Revenue Agency
North Bay and area assistance
Local assistance is waitlisted, funding-dependent or project-specific. DNSSAB covers Nipissing; OAHS has a waitlist and schedule caveat; displayed Habitat opportunities were closed. Confirm funding, location, criteria and repayment directly.
DNSSAB Homeownership Program
Waitlist and funding-dependent
DNSSAB publishes 10% assistance through a 20-year loan for homes up to $459,589. Applicants must be 18+, own no home/property interest and have rented for at least one consecutive year. Gross-income ceilings are $104,100 single/lone-parent and $126,800 family; assets must not exceed $50,000.
Applicants join a waitlist before funding and an application package. Sale, lease or breach can trigger repayment and appreciation sharing; 10% of $425,000 illustrates $42,500, not an offer. Check DNSSAB's homeowner page; Nipissing rules do not extend automatically to every team community.
Sources: District of Nipissing Social Services Administration Board
OAHS OPHI Homeownership Program
Waitlist and funding-dependent
OAHS supports low-to-moderate-income off-reserve Indigenous renter or first-time-buyer households with up to 10% and conditional 20-year forgiveness. Its 2026 FAQ reports a current waitlist and annual funding.
Materials describe self-identifying First Nations, Métis or Inuk applicants buying a sole primary residence off-reserve and outside the GTA. Nipissing's linked market-value schedule shows $459,589, but the income schedule is labelled 2024 while the June 2026 application uses 2025 percentiles; do not use an income ceiling without confirmation. See OAHS's program, FAQ, application, market values and income schedule.
Sources: Ontario Aboriginal Housing Services; Ontario Aboriginal Housing Services; Ontario Aboriginal Housing Services; Ontario Aboriginal Housing Services; Ontario Aboriginal Housing Services
Habitat Gateway North homeownership opportunities
Project-dependent; displayed opportunities closed when checked
Habitat is a project-specific nonprofit pathway, not cash toward a North Bay listing. Applications appear only with active builds; there is no general waitlist, and an approved partnership involves 500 volunteer hours. The displayed Gravenhurst and Parry Sound opportunities were closed.
Check Gateway North's homeownership page for a future build and territory. The provider—not the team—decides availability and criteria.
Sources: Habitat Gateway North
What the numbers can look like
Example A: Minimum down payment and Ontario land transfer tax
Assumptions: Educational illustration only: an ordinary Ontario resale, one-unit owner-occupied home; purchase price equals taxable consideration; eligible financing; purchaser qualifies for the full provincial first-time-buyer refund; no other transfer tax or special circumstances included.
At $599,900, minimum down is $25,000 on the first $500,000 plus $9,990 on the remaining $99,900: $34,990 minimum down, not “5% down.”
The $4,000 refund assumes eligibility. Figures exclude insurance premiums and tax, legal costs, adjustments, inspections and other closing costs.
Sources: Financial Consumer Agency of Canada; Government of Ontario; Government of Ontario
Illustrative minimum down payment and Ontario land transfer tax| Item | $425,000 purchase | $599,900 purchase |
|---|
| Minimum down payment | $21,250 | $34,990 |
|---|
| Down payment at 20% | $85,000 | $119,980 |
|---|
| Ontario land transfer tax before refund | $4,975 | $8,473 |
|---|
| Assumed full eligible refund | $4,000 | $4,000 |
|---|
| Remaining Ontario land transfer tax | $975 | $4,473 |
|---|
Example B: Combining savings sources
Assumptions: Educational illustration only: the buyer already has the stated funds, has enough FHSA participation room for the withdrawal and meets the HBP and qualifying-purchase conditions. No expected tax refund is counted as closing-day cash.
The illustrative buyer has $16,000 available for a qualifying FHSA withdrawal, $15,000 available for an eligible HBP withdrawal and $6,000 in other savings. Together those sources total $37,000.
After $21,250 minimum down, $15,750 remains before closing costs and reserve. This is existing money, not $37,000 in grants; HBP repayment remains.
Sources: Canada Revenue Agency; Canada Revenue Agency; Canada Revenue Agency
Example C: An eligible new home with tax shown separately
Assumptions: Educational illustration only: an eligible first-time buyer purchases a standard new house and land from a builder for $650,000 before HST and before rebates; the agreement is entered into on or after March 20, 2025 and before 2031, and eligible construction completion, transfer, first occupancy and other federal and Ontario conditions are assumed. This is not an ordinary resale example, a qualification outcome or a promise that an advertised quote is tax-free.
At $650,000 before HST and rebates, 5% is $32,500 federal and 8% is $52,000 Ontario: $84,500 total.
The $84,500 is conditional relief against tax, not extra cash or a tax-free builder quote. Do not double count; full federal relief leaves no additional ONHAP here. The lawyer confirms HST pricing, assigned credits or a later claim.
Sources: Canada Revenue Agency; Canada Revenue Agency; Canada Revenue Agency; Canada Revenue Agency
Illustrative tax components before relief and eligible relief| Tax component | Amount before relief | Illustrative eligible relief |
|---|
| Federal portion at 5% | $32,500 | $32,500 |
|---|
| Ontario portion at 8% | $52,000 | $52,000 |
|---|
| Total | $84,500 | $84,500 |
|---|
Mortgage and down-payment options
For an eligible owner-occupied purchase below $1,500,000, minimum down is 5% through $500,000, then 10% above it; at or above $1,500,000, it is generally 20%. These are financing rules, not grants, and a lender may require more.
A 20% down payment uses more cash; 25- versus 30-year amortization changes payment and interest. Savings, TFSA funds, documented gifts, co-borrowers, purchase-plus-improvements and owner-occupied multi-unit options need lender and legal assessment; possible rent is not automatically qualifying income.
See FCAC down-payment guidance. For payments and closing costs, use the MCC Home Centre App; estimates and pre-qualification are not lender approval.
Sources: Financial Consumer Agency of Canada; Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation; Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation
CMHC Home Start
Active
Eligible first-time buyers or new-home purchasers may access up to 30 years for an owner-occupied purchase below $1,500,000; one- or two-unit homes can reach 95% LTV and three- or four-unit homes 90%. The 4.2% premium is for qualifying Home Start with a traditional down payment at 90.01%–95% LTV.
Approval depends on borrower, property, lender and insurer; longer amortization can increase interest. Review CMHC Home Start. This guide has no payment calculator.
Sources: Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation
CMHC Eco Products
Active
Eco Plus covers a qualifying newly built, never-occupied efficient home; Eco Improvement covers a recently purchased insured home with at least $20,000 of qualifying energy renovations. Both can refund 25% of the insurance premium, not the mortgage, price or renovation bill.
Evidence and deadlines vary. Read Eco Products, Eco Plus and Eco Improvement; criteria are not first-time-only or automatically shared by other insurers.
Sources: Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation; Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation; Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation
Buying your first home locally
Compare North Bay, Callander, East Ferris, Powassan, Mattawa, West Nipissing, Temagami and South River by total ownership cost: heating, property taxes, insurance, maintenance and immediate repairs—not just listing price.
For rural homes, check private water or septic records, inspections and costs. For waterfront or seasonal homes, ask about access, permitted use and lender/insurer requirements. Verify additional-unit status and rental-income treatment.
The municipality matters: do not infer that all eight communities qualify for DNSSAB. Establish the property and administrator coverage; program, legal, tax, inspection and insurance questions have different professionals. See service areas for context, not a grant claim.
Connect the search to local buyer representation or Ontario purchase financing. A pre-approval conversation organizes documents; it does not guarantee approval, a rate or eligibility.
Sources: District of Nipissing Social Services Administration Board; Financial Consumer Agency of Canada
How The Schofield Team can help
Residential mortgage services across Ontario
We help prepare purchase financing, organize lender documents and compare options through our brokerage while the administrator or tax professional confirms program eligibility.
Dylan Schofield is Mortgage Agent Level 2 and Todd Schofield is Mortgage Broker. The service is through The Mortgage Centre – Rock Capital Mortgage, Brokerage #10556, for residential financing across Ontario—not approval or a rate promise. Mortgage help is independent of buyer representation.
For newcomer mortgage preparation, self-employed documentation or military relocation, use the relevant service conversation rather than assuming a special grant. The mortgage purchase page explains the route.
Dylan Schofield, Mortgage Agent Level 2; Todd Schofield, Mortgage Broker. The Mortgage Centre – Rock Capital Mortgage, Brokerage #10556.Mortgage service with DylanStart a mortgage applicationResidential buyer representation in North Bay and surrounding communities
In North Bay or a surrounding community, Todd and Dylan provide home search, viewings and purchase help through Sutton–Choice Real Estate Inc., Brokerage. They are buyer representatives, not grant or tax administrators.
This service is independent of mortgage assistance. Start with local buyer representation, Dylan's profile or Todd's profile.
Todd Schofield, REALTOR®; Dylan Schofield, REALTOR®. Sutton–Choice Real Estate Inc., Brokerage.Meet ToddReal estate serviceTell us your timing, community and property type.
Use the approved secure process for sensitive documents.
Confirm terms with the administrator, lawyer or tax professional.
Budget closing costs beyond down payment. Talk about your first home or explore the app independently.
Explore payments and down payments in the MCC Home Centre App; estimates and pre-qualification are not lender approval.
Mortgage and real estate services are independent. You may request either service on its own.
Questions and answers
What first-time homebuyer programs can I explore in North Bay?
Start with FHSA, HBP, the home buyers' amount, Ontario's LTT refund and qualifying new-home rebates. DNSSAB, OAHS and Habitat have separate geography and funding rules; confirm municipality and availability.
Does every program use the same first-time-buyer definition?
No. Ownership, occupancy, spouse history, residency, disability, relationship breakdown and dates differ. Check each program; assistance does not establish mortgage approval.
Can I use an FHSA and the Home Buyers' Plan together?
Potentially, if each account, withdrawal, home and timing condition is met. FHSA withdrawals are not HBP-repaid; HBP repayment generally runs up to 15 years and depends on the withdrawal year. Confirm with CRA.
Is the down payment all the cash I need?
No. Budget for remaining land transfer tax, legal, inspection, adjustment, insurance, moving, mortgage-insurance and reserve costs. Example A shows why minimum down is not cash to close; the app explores payments.
Does a first-time buyer pay Ontario land transfer tax?
An eligible buyer may receive up to $4,000, but tax can remain. Age, status, occupancy, ownership and spouse rules apply; ask the lawyer to assess the refund.
Do new-home HST rebates apply to an ordinary resale home?
No. These rebates concern eligible new or substantially renovated homes and their agreement, construction, occupancy and purchaser conditions. A first ordinary resale purchase is not a new-home claim.
Can local down-payment assistance be repaid if I sell?
It can. DNSSAB's 20-year loan can require repayment and appreciation sharing after sale, lease or breach. OAHS and nonprofit projects differ; ask for the current agreement.
Can I choose a 30-year mortgage as a first-time buyer?
A qualifying first-time or new-home buyer may access up to 30 years through CMHC Home Start, subject to borrower, lender, insurer and property conditions. It may lower payments but increase interest; it is not a grant.
Is the old First-Time Home Buyer Incentive still open?
No. It closed to new applications on March 21, 2024. It differs from active FHSA, HBP and newer rebates; exclude it from current assumptions.
Can your team help with both the mortgage and the home search?
Yes, services can be coordinated or independent. Mortgage help is through The Mortgage Centre – Rock Capital Mortgage, Brokerage #10556; buyer representation is through Sutton–Choice Real Estate Inc. Neither awards grants or gives tax rulings.
Sources and next step
This is general educational information, not mortgage, tax, legal, accounting, real-estate or program-administrator advice. Amounts, status labels and examples reflect the source check shown on this page and can change. Confirm eligibility, dates, funding, repayment, builder treatment and tax results with the relevant administrator and your own qualified professionals. Mortgage assistance and buyer representation are separate services, and neither guarantees approval or a program benefit.
Program rules and funding can change. Before relying on an amount or deadline, revisit the linked administrator source and ask the relevant professional to confirm your transaction. Temporary Ontario new-home relief has agreement and construction windows; funding-dependent local programs should be checked again before an application or closing.
Spot a correction or need help finding the right official source? Contact The Schofield Team.
- First Home Savings Account (FHSA) — Canada Revenue Agency, checked 2026-09-15
- Contributing to your FHSA — Canada Revenue Agency, checked 2026-09-15
- Home Buyers' Plan — Canada Revenue Agency, checked 2026-09-15
- Repay funds withdrawn under the Home Buyers' Plan — Canada Revenue Agency, checked 2026-09-15
- Line 31270: Home buyers' amount — Canada Revenue Agency, checked 2026-09-15
- Land transfer tax refunds for first-time homebuyers — Government of Ontario, checked 2026-09-15
- Calculating land transfer tax — Government of Ontario, checked 2026-09-15
- First-time home buyers' GST/HST rebate: What is the rebate? — Canada Revenue Agency, checked 2026-09-15
- First-time home buyers' GST/HST rebate: Who can apply? — Canada Revenue Agency, checked 2026-09-15
- First-time buyers can save more on new homes — Canada Revenue Agency, checked 2026-09-15
- GST/HST New Housing Rebate guide RC4028 — Canada Revenue Agency, checked 2026-09-15
- Excise GST/HST News No. 122 — Canada Revenue Agency, checked 2026-09-15
- Ontario enhanced new housing rebate: What is the rebate? — Canada Revenue Agency, checked 2026-09-15
- Notice 346: Ontario enhanced new housing rebate — Canada Revenue Agency, checked 2026-09-15
- Ontario HST relief and affordability payment — Government of Ontario, checked 2026-09-15
- Homeowner programs — District of Nipissing Social Services Administration Board, checked 2026-09-15
- OPHI Homeownership Program — Ontario Aboriginal Housing Services, checked 2026-09-15
- Home Ownership Program FAQ 2026 — Ontario Aboriginal Housing Services, checked 2026-09-15
- Homeownership Application (updated June 2026) — Ontario Aboriginal Housing Services, checked 2026-09-15
- Schedule B: Average market value table — Ontario Aboriginal Housing Services, checked 2026-09-15
- Schedule C: Maximum household income level — Ontario Aboriginal Housing Services, checked 2026-09-15
- Homeownership program — Habitat Gateway North, checked 2026-09-15
- How much should you put down on a home? — Financial Consumer Agency of Canada, checked 2026-09-15
- CMHC Home Start — Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, checked 2026-09-15
- CMHC Eco Products — Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, checked 2026-09-15
- CMHC Eco Plus — Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, checked 2026-09-15
- CMHC Eco Improvement — Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, checked 2026-09-15
- First-Time Home Buyer Incentive — Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, checked 2026-09-15
First-Time Home Buyer Incentive
Closed
Older articles may mention the federal First-Time Home Buyer Incentive. CMHC closed new applications on March 21, 2024, so it remains a historical note outside the active comparison.
It differed from FHSA, HBP and new-home rebates. See CMHC's closed-program information only to clarify an older document; do not include it in a current cash plan.
Sources: Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation
