Buying in the Fraser Valley
What can I afford?A mortgage & affordability calculator for BC
Two honest numbers before you fall for a listing: what a mortgage actually costs each month, and the ceiling a lender is likely to give you. BC figures, including Property Transfer Tax.
Your estimated payment
$0/ month
Mortgage principal$0
Default insurance premium (CMHC)$0
Total mortgage$0
Interest over the 5-year term$0
Balance at the end of the term$0
Total interest over the amortization$0
Total cost of the home$0
Cash to close
- Down payment
- $0
- Property Transfer Tax
- $0
- Legal or notary
- $0
- Total cash needed
- $0
The down payment is the part you already know. Property Transfer Tax, the lawyer’s account and the total you actually need on completion are the part most buyers find out late. One step to see them, and you can download a PDF of the whole calculation to keep.
A one-page copy of these inputs and figures, dated, to keep on your device.
Next steps, whichever number you landed on.
The guide covers deposits, subjects, pre-approval and closing costs in plain terms; the school search turns a budget into streets. And any question is welcome, with no obligation attached.
The First-Time Buyer GuideFind homes by schoolAsk me a question
Maximum purchase price
$0
Monthly payment at the qualifying rate$0
Qualifying (stress-test) rate0%
Mortgage amount, including insurance$0
Default insurance premium (CMHC)$0
Minimum down payment at this price$0
Where your cash goes
- Property Transfer Tax
- $0
- Legal or notary
- $0
- Down payment
- $0
GDS limit 39%0%
TDS limit 44%0%
A one-page copy of these inputs and figures, dated, to keep on your device.
How to read these numbers
- GDS — Gross Debt Service
- Your housing costs as a share of gross monthly income. Housing means the mortgage payment, property tax, heating and half the strata fee. Lenders cap it at 39%.
- TDS — Total Debt Service
- The same, plus every other monthly debt payment: car loan, credit cards, student loans, lines of credit. Capped at 44%. Whichever ratio fills up first is the one that sets your ceiling.
- Qualifying (stress-test) rate
- The higher of your rate plus 2% or 5.25%. You are qualified as if you were paying this, which is why the payment shown here is higher than the one on the payment tab. A lower contract rate barely moves the ceiling, because the floor still applies.
- Reading the meters
- Each bar is how much of that limit your numbers use. Room to the right means slack; a bar at the mark means that ratio is what set the price; a bar in clay means the inputs went over, and the calculator has held the price back.
- Cash after closing costs
- Property Transfer Tax and legal fees are paid on completion, so they come off your cash before it becomes a down payment. That is the figure the minimum-down rule is checked against.
- What actually moves the number
- More income or fewer monthly debts raises the ratio ceiling. More cash raises the minimum-down ceiling. When the two disagree, the lower one wins, and the note under the results says which.
Next steps, whichever number you landed on.
The guide covers deposits, subjects, pre-approval and closing costs in plain terms; the school search turns a budget into streets. And any question is welcome, with no obligation attached.
The First-Time Buyer GuideFind homes by schoolAsk me a question
This calculator is an educational tool, not advice. It is provided by Caroline Jeklin, a licensed REALTOR® with Royal LePage Wolstencroft Realty, for general information and planning only. Caroline is not a mortgage broker, lender or financial adviser, and nothing on this page is mortgage, legal, tax or investment advice, a pre-approval, a rate offer, a quote, or an arrangement of credit. It does not value any property.
Results depend entirely on the figures you enter and on assumptions that change: Canadian semi-annual compounding, CMHC default-insurance premiums, the federal stress test, and BC Property Transfer Tax brackets and exemptions as published for 2026, checked September 2026. Property tax, heating and strata fees are your estimates. Accuracy is not guaranteed and figures are rounded; your lender’s numbers will differ. Do not rely on this tool to make a financial decision. Before you write an offer, confirm every figure with a licensed mortgage broker or lender and with your lawyer or notary, who will confirm which tax exemptions actually apply to you.
Your Fraser Valley REALTOR®
A calculator tells you the ceiling. It doesn’t tell you what you’d actually be happy paying.
If we met for the first time, I would want to know the goal before the budget: what you want your life to look like, and then the number that fits it. I am here to guide you and answer your questions, and if I do not have the answer, I will find out for you.
No pressure and no deadline. A conversation about what you are weighing is genuinely useful on its own. How I work with buyers
What actually moved, once a month.
What sold in Cloverdale, Langley and South Surrey, what it went for, and what that means if a move is somewhere on your list. Short enough to read on the way to school pickup.
First name and email, nothing else. Unsubscribe whenever you like.
The data relating to real estate on this website comes in part from the MLS® Reciprocity program of either the Greater Vancouver REALTORS® (GVR), the Fraser Valley Real Estate Board (FVREB) or the Chilliwack and District Real Estate Board (CADREB). Real estate listings held by participating real estate firms are marked with the MLS® logo and detailed information about the listing includes the name of the listing agent. This representation is based in whole or part on data generated by either the GVR, the FVREB or the CADREB which assumes no responsibility for its accuracy. The materials contained on this page may not be reproduced without the express written consent of either the GVR, the FVREB or the CADREB.