First-Time Buyers in Scarborough & Pickering: A 2026 Guide

Buying your first home in 2026 is a different exercise than it was even three years ago. Rates have come down meaningfully from their 2023-2024 highs, but qualifying rules have tightened, federal and provincial programs have changed, and the Scarborough and Pickering markets each carry their own quirks. Daniel and Heather Krzewski work both sides of the city / Durham boundary every day - here is the first-time buyer guide we genuinely give our own clients.

How much do you actually need for a down payment?

In Canada the minimum down payment is set federally. As of 2026:

• 5% on the first $500,000 of purchase price
• 10% on the portion between $500,000 and $1,500,000
• 20% on purchases above $1,500,000

So on an $850,000 Pickering townhouse, the minimum down payment is 5% x $500,000 + 10% x $350,000 = $25,000 + $35,000 = $60,000. That is the minimum required to be approved for a high-ratio (insured) mortgage. Below 20% your mortgage must be insured by CMHC, Sagen or Canada Guaranty, with the premium added to the loan amount.

Practically, most first-time buyers we work with put down somewhere between 5% and 15% of purchase price, depending on savings, FHSA balance and family help. The exact number is something we model on the mortgage calculator before any showing happens.

The First Home Savings Account (FHSA)

The FHSA is the single best first-time buyer tool the federal government has introduced in a generation. It combines features of the RRSP (tax-deductible contributions) and the TFSA (tax-free growth and withdrawal). You can contribute up to $8,000 per year, with a $40,000 lifetime cap. Spouses can each open their own account, so a couple can shelter up to $80,000.

If you have not opened an FHSA yet and you have any first-home purchase intention, talk to your bank or a mortgage broker about opening one this calendar year. Even a single year of contribution and growth meaningfully reduces what you need from other savings.

Land transfer tax: Scarborough vs Pickering

This is the biggest practical difference between buying in Scarborough and buying in Pickering, and most first-time buyers do not realise it until late in the process.

Scarborough is in the City of Toronto. That means you pay both:

1. The provincial Ontario Land Transfer Tax (marginal: 0.5% / 1.0% / 1.5% / 2.0%, with higher tiers above $2M)
2. The additional Toronto Municipal Land Transfer Tax (same marginal structure plus higher luxury tiers)

Pickering is in Durham Region, so you only pay the Ontario LTT.

On a $900,000 purchase, that difference is roughly $13,500 - real money on closing day. On a $1.2M purchase the gap is roughly $17,500. Our mortgage calculator models both scenarios with one click.

First-time buyer rebates

The good news: as a first-time buyer in Ontario you can claim up to $4,000 against the provincial Ontario LTT. If you are buying in Scarborough (Toronto), you can also claim up to $4,475 against the Toronto Municipal LTT. So if your tax-due in Scarborough would have been $20,000, your actual tax due as a first-time buyer is roughly $11,525.

To qualify you must:

• Be 18 or older
• Be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident (proof required)
• Have never owned a home (anywhere in the world)
• Occupy the home as your principal residence within 9 months

Spouses count: if your spouse has owned a home (anywhere), you generally are not eligible for the full rebate.

Which neighbourhoods to start in?

For first-time buyers in our markets, the most attainable detached and semi-detached options are typically in:

Scarborough

• Malvern - large planned community, attainable detached and townhouse
• Morningside - mid-century streets, ravine access, attainable price
• West Hill - east end value, U of T Scarborough nearby
• Bendale - character bungalows on real lots, central location

Pickering

• Liverpool - widest range of housing types, including townhouse and condo
• Bay Ridges - condo townhouses near the GO, waterfront lifestyle
• Brock Ridge - 1980s-2000s townhouses, central, near Town Centre

For condo apartments, the Pickering City Centre and the new corridor around Scarborough Town Centre are the highest-volume first-buyer markets in our area.

Process: what actually happens

Here is what working with The Krzewski Group as a first-time buyer typically looks like:

1. Initial consultation. A relaxed conversation about goals, budget, timing, must-haves. No pressure to sign anything.
2. Mortgage pre-approval. We connect you with a trusted mortgage broker who genuinely shops the market on your behalf. You get a realistic buying budget and a lock on rates.
3. Buyer representation agreement. Under the new TRESA framework in Ontario, all buyers sign a representation agreement before showings. We walk you through every clause in plain English.
4. Curated showings. We tour properties that actually fit your brief - not every listing in the MLS.
5. Offer night. Whether it is a quiet negotiation or a multiple-offer night, we prepare a clean offer with appropriate conditions and a strategy you actually understand.
6. Conditional period. Inspection, financing, lawyer review, status certificate if a condo. We coordinate everything.
7. Closing. Lawyer hand-off, final walk-through, key day. We stay involved.

A note on patience

The single best piece of advice we give first-time buyers is this: do not rush. The right home will come. The wrong home, bought in a hurry because rates ticked or your lease is up, will cost you for a decade. Most of our first-time buyer clients tour 8-15 homes before writing an offer. That is normal and healthy.

Ready to talk?

If you are thinking about a first home in Scarborough or Pickering in 2026, give Daniel or Heather a call or send us a message. The first conversation is free and there is zero pressure to sign anything. Most of our first-time buyer clients become repeat clients ten years later. We work for the relationship, not the transaction.