Transcript of Video Blog:
It’s Rowan Smith from the Mortgage Centre. I want to address a very common myth that I hear about, that clients will come to me and say, “Well, I’m a first-time home-buyer, so don’t I get a better rate on my mortgage?”
The answer is absolutely not. Everybody is going to get the same rate based on their credit score and their income and whatnot. Where you get the benefits as a first-time home-buyer is being A, being able to take money out of your RRSP, tax-free, up to $25,000 per person on your first purchase of your home.
And you’re allowed to avoid the Property Transfer Tax, up to a purchase price of 425. Anything over 425 but up to 450, there’s a sliding scale. If you’re buying something over $450,000, it doesn’t matter if you’re a first-time home-buyer or not, you’re going to pay the full Transfer Tax.
The government, I guess, looks at it and says if you can afford a home that that’s expensive, that you shouldn’t be getting the tax break to being with.
So again, just as a recap, RRSPs can be used tax-free for your down payment, and Property Transfer Tax. Those are the only benefits, the only things you get to avoid as part of being a first-time home-buyer. There is no special incentive on rate, I’m sorry. For the Mortgage Centre, I’m Rowan Smith.
