First-Time Home Buyer Mortgage Broker in the GTA
Your first mortgage should set you up for the next 30 years — not trap you in the wrong product.
Buying your first home in the GTA is no small task. Between down payment rules, stress-test qualification, first-time buyer incentives, and lender-specific income rules, there are a dozen places where a first-time buyer gets squeezed into a mortgage that doesn’t actually fit their life.
I’m Kevin Singh Dhaliwal, a Mississauga-based mortgage broker with 12+ years of experience helping first-time buyers across Toronto, Mississauga, Brampton, and the GTA. I’ll walk you through the numbers in plain English, show you every rebate and program you qualify for, and get you the sharpest rate my lender network will offer.
First-Time Buyer Programs You Should Know About
- First Home Savings Account (FHSA) — up to $40,000 tax-free for your down payment
- RRSP Home Buyers’ Plan — withdraw up to $60,000 from your RRSP tax-free
- Land Transfer Tax rebate — up to $4,000 Ontario + $4,475 Toronto
- First-Time Home Buyer Tax Credit — $1,500 federal credit
- CMHC insured mortgages — buy with as little as 5% down on homes under $500K
I’ll map out exactly which of these apply to you and how to stack them so you’re not leaving money on the table.
How Much You Actually Need to Buy
- Down payment: 5% on the first $500K, 10% on anything above (up to $1.5M)
- Closing costs: 1.5%–4% of purchase price (land transfer tax, legal, inspection, title)
- Stress test: You must qualify at your contract rate + 2%, or 5.25%, whichever is higher
- Credit score: 680+ gets you the best rates; lower scores still have options
- Debt ratios: GDS under 39%, TDS under 44% for most A lenders
I’ll run your exact numbers on our first call so you know what you can buy — before a realtor starts showing you houses you can’t actually afford.
Why Work With Me
- 12+ years as an active GTA mortgage broker
- Pre-approval in 48 hours with all major banks, credit unions, and monoline lenders
- Honest advice on fixed vs variable, term length, and prepayment flexibility — not a sales pitch
- Patience for first-time buyer questions (there are no dumb ones)
- Backup private options if your file doesn’t fit a bank’s box (self-employed, new-to-Canada, commission income)
- Plain-English explanations of every clause before you sign
My Process
- Discovery call — 20 minutes, no cost. Tell me where you are: just starting to look, offer pending, or somewhere in between.
- Pre-approval — I pull your credit, run the numbers, and get you a real pre-approval (not just a rate hold) so you can make offers with confidence.
- Rate and product match — I shop your file across my lender network for the best rate and terms.
- Approval and close — I stay with you through offer, conditions, appraisal, and funding.