Buying & selling, by the numbers
Estimate what it really costs to buy a home, or what you walk away with when you sell. Built for Québec, with welcome tax, CMHC insurance, sales tax and the costs people forget.
Two versions of the same purchase, side by side.
| What it costs | A | B | Difference |
|---|
| Term | Rate | Monthly | Interest over term | Balance at end |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1-yr fixed | n/a | n/a | n/a | |
| 2-yr fixed | n/a | n/a | n/a | |
| 3-yr fixed | n/a | n/a | n/a | |
| 5-yr fixed | n/a | n/a | n/a | |
| Variable | n/a | n/a | n/a |
Monthly payment, total interest paid during the term, and the balance still owing when the term ends, all on Scenario A. Rates start at the big banks’ advertised rates. Edit any of them.
| Down payment | Amount | CMHC premium | Total mortgage | Monthly |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5% | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| 10% | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| 15% | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| 20% | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
Based on Scenario A’s price and amortization, at the 5-year fixed rate above. A bigger down payment shrinks, then removes, the CMHC premium (gone at 20%). Rows below the minimum down payment for this price read n/a.
Estimate only, not a mortgage approval. Your lender or mortgage broker confirms qualifying amounts and rates. Maximum budget treats your whole down payment as going into the purchase; closing costs and the welcome tax come out of the same cash, so budget those under Cost of a home.
Estimate only. Final figures depend on your lender's payoff statement, adjustments at the notary, and your listing agreement. If you are not a resident of Canada for tax purposes, the notary also holds back part of the price until the tax authorities issue their certificates, which is not shown here.
Programs, costs & the fine print
Tap a topic to learn more. Verified for 2026. Confirm details before relying on them.
First-time buyer programs
Federal and Québec programs that can lower the cost of buying a first home. Amounts shown are maximums, eligibility rules apply.
FHSA
Save up to $8,000 per year, $40,000 lifetime. Contributions lower your taxable income, and withdrawals for a first home are tax-free and never repaid. A couple can combine $80,000. To come out tax-free, the withdrawal has to be made before you become the owner or within 30 days after, and the account must be closed by December 31 of the year after your first withdrawal.
Home Buyers' Plan (HBP)
Borrow up to $60,000 from your RRSP ($120,000 per couple) toward a first home, tax-free. Repay over 15 years. For a first withdrawal made from 2022 through 2028, repayments start the fifth year after the withdrawal: money taken out in 2026 has 2031 as its first repayment year. Stacks with the FHSA for the same purchase.
First-Time Buyers' GST RebateNew 2026
On a newly built home, recover 100% of the 5% federal GST, up to $50,000. Full rebate to $1M, phasing out to zero at $1.5M. New construction only (not resale); agreement signed on or after March 20, 2025. Québec has not matched it on the QST side. The standard QST new-housing rebate is partial and phases out below the price of most new builds in Montréal.
Home Buyers' Amount
A $10,000 federal claim, worth $1,400 at the 2026 federal rate and about $1,169 for a Québec resident once the Québec abatement applies. Québec has its own separate $10,000 first-home claim, worth up to $1,400 on your provincial return.
Maximums shown; eligibility rules apply. This isn't tax or financial advice. Confirm with your mortgage broker and accountant.
Renovation & energy rebates
Programs active for Montréal-area homes in 2026. Several can be combined.
CMHC Eco Improvement / Eco Plus
Recover 25% of your CMHC mortgage-insurance premium. Eco Improvement: an existing home where you spend at least $20,000 on energy-efficient renovations. Eco Plus: a new energy-efficient home. Needs a CMHC-insured mortgage (under 20% down), a registered NRCan Energy Advisor + EnerGuide report, and a claim within 24 months of closing.
Rénoclimat (Québec)
Up to $20,000 (single-family) / $40,000 (multi-unit) for insulation, air-sealing and ENERGY STAR windows & doors. A certified advisor must do an energy evaluation before AND after the work. Book it before you start. No longer covers heat pumps.
LogisVert (Hydro-Québec)
Up to $6,700 for a heat pump, plus rebates for insulation, smart thermostats, solar panels and a $600 EV-charger credit (Écorecharge). Apply online; combines with Rénoclimat.
Éconologis
Free energy-efficiency services and minor work for lower-income households, October to March.
Chauffez vert closed March 31, 2026. The Canada Greener Homes Grant and the interest-free Greener Homes Loan are both closed to new applicants.
Some Montréal boroughs run their own programs. Check montreal.ca. Confirm current amounts and rules on each program's official site; they change. Not financial advice.
The welcome tax, explained
Almost every buyer in Québec pays it. Here's what it is and when it lands.
What it is
A one-time land-transfer tax (droits de mutation) you pay to the municipality after taking ownership, standard across Québec apart from a short list of exemptions.
When you pay it
Not at the notary. Your city mails the bill weeks to months after closing, depending on the municipality, so set the money aside before you move in.
How it's calculated
A progressive rate on the higher of your purchase price or the municipal assessment. Québec's standard bands are 0.5% / 1.0% / 1.5%. Montréal adds bands of its own above $552,300, and the separate on-island cities (Westmount, Hampstead, Côte-Saint-Luc, Mont-Royal) charge up to 3% above a threshold of their own. Montréal's boroughs all use the city's rate.
Possible exemptions
Some transfers are exempt, for example between spouses or common-law partners, and certain transfers between close relatives. Your notary confirms what applies.
When the amount looks wrong
The tax is on the highest of your price and the municipal assessment multiplied by the city’s comparative factor, 1.00 in Montréal for 2026. The assessment can be contested with a request for review, before May 1 of the year a new roll takes effect or within 60 days of a notice of change. A bill that feels too high is not a ground.
First-time buyersNew 2026
Québec’s refundable tax credit for access to homeownership gives back up to $5,875 of the welcome tax on a home acquired since January 1, 2026. It shrinks above $750,000 and ends at $1,000,000. Claimed on your Québec tax return.
Set the exact brackets for your municipality under Rates & assumptions, in Advanced.
What to budget for closing
Beyond your down payment, plan for these one-time costs. On a resale home a common rule of thumb is 1.5 to 4% of the purchase price. A new build is different: GST and QST apply to the price on top of everything below.
Notary fees
In Québec the notary handles the deed and the title search. Usually about $2,500 to $3,000 on a purchase with a mortgage.
Home inspection
Before you buy, a professional inspection runs about $700 to $1,000 for a condo and $1,300 to $1,800 for a house.
Adjustments
You reimburse the seller for property and school taxes, and condo fees in a co-ownership, that they already paid past your closing date. If a bill for the year is still unpaid at closing, the adjustment runs the other way and you are credited instead.
QST on CMHC premium
If you put less than 20% down, the QST on your CMHC premium is due in cash at closing (the premium itself is added to the mortgage).
And a few more
Title insurance (optional), movers, immediate repairs, and your first home-insurance payment.
The buyer calculator totals these for you. Open “Cost of a home” and fill in the closing-cost fields.
Rates & assumptions
The two figures you are most likely to change come first. The rest sits under Advanced.
Advanced: rates set by law
Many municipalities (Laval, Longueuil…) keep the Québec standard brackets but add their own rate above $500,000, so the Québec standard option understates the tax for them. The tax is calculated on the higher of the purchase price or the municipal assessment multiplied by the city’s comparative factor, which can come out above the price you entered.
Ready to talk through your numbers?
Pascal W. Couillard · Real estate broker