Guides for buyers and investors

Plain-language answers to the questions buyers ask most in Toronto and the GTA, kept up to date (last reviewed October 2026).

For buyers

• Closing costs when you buy a home in OntarioEvery cost you pay on top of the price when you buy a home in Ontario or Toronto: land transfer tax, legal fees, title insurance, adjustments and more, with typical amounts.
• Land transfer tax in Ontario and Toronto, explained2026 Ontario and Toronto land transfer tax rates, the new Toronto rates over $3 million, first-time buyer rebates and worked examples.
• First-time home buyer programs in OntarioFHSA, RRSP Home Buyers’ Plan, land transfer tax rebates, 30-year amortizations and new-home GST/HST rebates for first-time buyers in Ontario, in plain language.
• Down payment, mortgage insurance and the stress testHow much you need to put down on a home in Canada, what CMHC mortgage insurance costs, and how the mortgage stress test decides what you can borrow.
• Condo fees in Toronto and the GTA, explainedWhat condo fees pay for, what a normal fee is per square foot in Toronto and GTA cities right now, and how to check a building’s finances before you buy.

For investors and builders

• Garden suites and laneway suites in TorontoWhere Toronto allows garden and laneway suites, key zoning rules, fire access, trees, permits, development charge relief and renting them out (October 2026).
• Can I build a multiplex in Toronto?Where Toronto allows fourplexes and sixplexes as of right, what zoning still controls, development charge relief, permits and financing, as of October 2026.
• Toronto's sixplex wards explainedWhich nine Toronto wards allow five- and six-unit multiplexes as of right, how sixplex rules differ from fourplexes, and what to check before you buy a lot.

Calculators: mortgage payments and affordability · land transfer tax