Basara

Resources

Buying a Home in Waterloo Region: Guides

Buying a home comes down to three questions: how much you can borrow, how much cash you need, and whether the house is what it looks like. If it's your first purchase, start with the first-time home buyer guide. It walks through every program and cost in order and links to the full guide for each step.

Most buyers in Waterloo Region need a down payment of 5% to 10% of the price, plus 1.5% to 4% more for closing costs, before they think about monthly payments. The guides below cover where that money can come from (the FHSA and the RRSP Home Buyers' Plan), what you'll pay on closing day, and how the mortgage stress test sets the most you can borrow.

Here's what the minimum down payment looks like on the typical townhouse and condo in each city:

CityFreehold townhouseCondo townhouseCondo apartment
Kitchener$628,000
$37,800 minimum down		$425,000
$21,300 minimum down		$336,000
$16,800 minimum down
Waterloo$665,000
$41,500 minimum down		$470,000
$23,500 minimum down		$400,000
$20,000 minimum down
Cambridge$615,000
$36,500 minimum down		$550,000
$30,000 minimum down		$370,000
$18,500 minimum down
Woolwich$621,000
$37,100 minimum down		Too few salesToo few sales
WilmotToo few salesToo few salesToo few sales
WellesleyToo few salesToo few salesToo few sales
North DumfriesToo few salesToo few salesToo few sales

Median sold price of townhouses and condo apartments by city, and the minimum down payment on it. Medians cover the 90 days of sales ending October 26, 2026; fewer than 10 sales and we don't show a figure. How we calculate this.

What can you afford in Waterloo Region?Run your budget against real listings with the stress test, CMHC premium, land transfer tax and closing costs built in.Try the affordability tool →

Getting started

Costs

Checking the house

Condos and new builds

The market