HomebuyingKey 10 questions to ask when getting a mortgage in Canada in 2026
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| Insured ? | 80% LTV ? The rates in this column apply to mortgage amounts between 65.01% and 80% of the property value. The home must be owner-occupied and have an amortization of 25 years or less. You must have purchased it for less than $1 million. These rates are not available on refinances. Refinances require "Uninsured" rates. | 65% LTV ? The rates in this column apply to mortgage amounts that are 65% of the property value or less. The home must be owner-occupied and have an amortization of 25 years or less. You must have purchased it for less than $1 million. These rates are not available on refinances. Refinances require "Uninsured" rates. | Uninsured ? | Bank Rate ? | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Insured 4.64% | 80% LTV 4.19% | 65% LTV 4.19% | Uninsured 4.99% | 4.99% | ||
Insured 3.99% | 80% LTV 3.89% | 65% LTV 3.89% | Uninsured 4.44% | 4.53% | ||
Insured 3.69% | 80% LTV 3.79% | 65% LTV 3.79% | Uninsured 3.9% | 4.39% | ||
Insured 3.84% | 80% LTV 3.99% | 65% LTV 3.99% | Uninsured 4.39% | 4.44% | ||
Insured 3.69% | 80% LTV 3.55% | 65% LTV 3.55% | Uninsured 3.69% | 4.19% | ||
Insured 4.19% | 80% LTV 4.24% | 65% LTV 4.24% | Uninsured 4.89% | 5% | ||
Insured 5.04% | 80% LTV 4.34% | 65% LTV 4.34% | Uninsured 5.24% | 6.09% | ||
Insured 3.9% | 80% LTV 3.95% | 65% LTV 3.9% | Uninsured 3.9% | 5.95% | ||
Insured 3.45% | 80% LTV 3.45% | 65% LTV 3.45% | Uninsured 3.5% | 4.24% | ||
Insured N/A | 80% LTV N/A | 65% LTV N/A | Uninsured N/A | N/A | ||
Insured 5.45% | 80% LTV 5.45% | 65% LTV 5.45% | Uninsured 5.5% | N/A |
There are three main drivers behind mortgage rates in Sarnia and Canada at large:
The Bank of Canada influences mortgage rates through its policy rate. The Bank’s objective is to keep inflation in the target range of 1% to 3% and preserve the value of the Canadian dollar. It achieves this by setting the target overnight rate, also known as the policy rate.
As of today, the policy rate is 2.25%. The central bank uses the target rate to influence how the banks set their own rates and acts as a barometer for the rate at which banks borrow and lend among themselves.
The higher the inflation, particularly if it’s above 3%, the higher the likelihood of a rate hike. Though inflation does not directly affect mortgage rates, the Bank tends to raise rates to cool down economic activity and force homebuyers to retreat from the market. It’s worth noting that government bond yields, which influence fixed rates, are affected by inflation as well, in addition to factors like oil prices, geopolitical tensions and broader economic conditions (which currently remain uncertain).
Banks, credit unions, monoline lenders and other financial institutions compete to attract borrowers across Sarnia and beyond. During competitive market conditions, lenders may offer better rates. Shopping around and comparing multiple lenders — including local Ontario credit unions like Meridian Credit Union — can often result in a better mortgage rate.
In Canada, the desire to own a home is real. But the government has imposed limits on how you can make that happen. Here are the key factors that can affect bank or broker mortgage rates in Sarnia.
1. Down payment
The government of Canadahas a sliding scale of rules regarding down payments:
2. Debt service ratios
There are other factors that go into calculating if you qualify for a mortgage for that Sarnia dream home. Debt service ratio is one of them. Essentially, lenders assess your ability to pay the mortgage off, based on your other expenses.
4. Credit score
Your credit score is also something that matters when it comes to getting a mortgage. Lenders want to see that you have met your financial obligations, made the payments that were necessary to credit cards, and weren’t maxing out your cards all time. Typically, they want to see that you’re borrowing less than 20 to 30% of your available credit limit. Bottom line: a bad credit score can pose problems when you’re shopping for mortgages.
5. Employment and income
And of course, there is employment status. It makes sense that if you can’t show a steady stream of income, then a lender is going to worry that you won’t be able to pay back the money they lend you. Things like salary, if the work is full time, part time, or seasonal, along with length of employment, all matter. If you have an investment property, the income generated from that counts. Someone who is self-employed has to provide additional documentation to prove their income.
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How do these mortgage types differ? Conventional (low-ratio) mortgage requires a down payment of 20% or more, with no mandatory insurance, while a high-ratio mortgage requires a down payment of below 20%, plus mandatory insurance.
Which mortgage type offers cheaper rates? As of September 2026, the average conventional 5-year fixed rate is 4.49%. That’s 40 bps above the average high-ratio 5-year fixed rate, which stands at 4.09%.
| Date | Average Conventional Rate | Average High Ratio Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 09/25 | 4.50% | 4.42% |
| 10/25 | 4.46% | 4.36% |
| 11/25 | 4.35% | 4.31% |
| 12/25 | 4.44% | 4.32% |
| 01/26 | 4.49% | 4.49% |
| 02/26 | 4.47% | 4.43% |
| 03/26 | 4.27% | 4.20% |
| 04/26 | 4.24% | 4.23% |
| 05/26 | 4.38% | 4.22% |
| 06/26 | 4.48% | 4.24% |
| 07/26 | 4.47% | 4.14% |
| 08/26 | 4.49% | 4.09% |
Last Updated: September 1, 2026
How do these mortgage rates differ? A fixed rate mortgage is a rate fixed over a period of time. Interest rates and the mortgage payments remain the same (and consistent) over that mortgage term. A variable rate mortgage is different. While the mortgage payment remains constant, the interest rate payments fluctuate with the prime interest rate.
Which rate is cheaper? As of September, the 5-year fixed rate is 4.30%. That’s 41 bps abow the 5-year variable rate, which stands at 3.89%.
| Month | Fixed | Variable |
|---|---|---|
| 09/25 | 4.60% | 4.64% |
| 10/25 | 4.62% | 4.51% |
| 11/25 | 4.64% | 4.40% |
| 12/25 | 4.64% | 4.41% |
| 01/26 | 4.71% | 4.44% |
| 02/26 | 4.64% | 4.43% |
| 03/26 | 4.33% | 4.38% |
| 04/26 | 4.38% | 4.06% |
| 05/26 | 4.41% | 4.05% |
| 06/26 | 4.45% | 4.01% |
| 07/26 | 4.34% | 3.93% |
| 08/26 | 4.30% | 3.89% |
Last Updated: September 1, 2026
New mortgage loan values have been trending upward throughout 2025, reaching the average of $441,394 in Ontario and $360,597 in Canada by the end of Q4 2025. This is still well below the peaks experienced in Q2 2022, when average values reached $375,987 in Ontario and $371,063 in Canada.
Here are all the average new mortgages loan values in Ontario from 2022 to 2025:
| Q1 – 2022 | Q2 – 2022 | Q3 – 2022 | Q4 – 2022 | Q1 – 2023 | Q2 – 2023 | Q3 – 2023 | Q4 – 2023 | Q1 – 2024 | Q2 – 2024 | Q3 – 2024 | Q4 – 2024 | Q1 – 2025 | Q2 – 2025 | Q3 – 2025 | Q4 – 2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canada | $368,936 | $371,063 | $363,654 | $325,612 | $320,298 | $314,540 | $338,522 | $327,899 | $323,537 | $332,825 | $349,364 | $343,271 | $356,831 | $350,281 | $360,986 | $360,597 |
| Ontario | $466,931 | $475,987 | $462,701 | $418,808 | $406,427 | $405,753 | $434,005 | $426,021 | $421,795 | $427,078 | $440,052 | $432,237 | $441,074 | $438,188 | $445,693 | $441,394 |
Scheduled monthly payments have been trending downward throughout 2025, reaching the average of $2,402 in Ontario by the end of Q4 2025. This is well below the peaks experienced in Q4 2023, when average scheduled monthly payments reached $2,770 in Ontario.
| Q1 – 2022 | Q2 – 2022 | Q3 – 2022 | Q4 – 2022 | Q1 – 2023 | Q2 – 2023 | Q3 – 2023 | Q4 – 2023 | Q1 – 2024 | Q2 – 2024 | Q3 – 2024 | Q4 – 2024 | Q1 – 2025 | Q2 – 2025 | Q3 – 2025 | Q4 – 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $1,966 | $2,153 | $2,392 | $2,449 | $2,494 | $2,444 | $2,634 | $2,770 | $2,751 | $2,646 | $2,664 | $2,524 | $2,526 | $2,452 | $2,472 | $2,402 |
Closing costs are the one-time fees buyers pay upon purchasing property in Sarnia. Generally, closing costs include:
Land transfer tax calculations for a $500,000 property in Sarnia without a rebate are:
A mortgage term is the number of years in which you will be paying a specified interest rate, whether it’s fixed or variable. Another way of describing this would be the duration of your contract with the lender. You agree to pay a certain amount of annual interest for a certain number of years — those years amount to the mortgage term — and the lender agrees to honour those terms. The amortization period is the total amount of time that it would take you to pay off the entire mortgage amount. In Canada, it’s most common to secure a five-year mortgage term, over a 25 year amortization period.
This is important to understand, especially if you want the option to fast track payments on your mortgage. An open mortgage is one that gives you the flexibility to pay more of your mortgage off, either through larger monthly payments than originally agreed upon, or with lump sums.
Closed mortgages, on the other hand, don’t give you that flexibility at all. In fact, you could face financial penalties if you try to pay your loan off more quickly. That’s because paying a mortgage off more quickly means that the lender is making less than they had originally calculated in terms of interest payments.
Getting the lowest mortgage rate in Sarnia is one, albeit important, factor to consider when deciding on the mortgage rate that is best for you. Sarnia has wooed you, but make sure to assess things like pre-payment privileges, which allow you to pay part or all of your loan ahead of schedule. Some mortgages will charge penalties to do that, because the lender is not going to be making as much money on interest if the loan takes less time to pay off. This kind of flexibility is important to keep in mind because plans change or we outgrow dream homes quicker than we thought and may need to sell a property and end a mortgage contract.
This is also where something called portability comes into play. Portability is the ability to transfer your existing mortgage and all the terms associated with it to a new property, without incurring any penalties. Not all lenders allow for that. It’s worth asking about, especially if you don’t know exactly what the near future may hold for you.
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Yes, it’s safe — you no longer need to visit a bank branch or mortgage broker’s office in person to apply for a mortgage. It’s becoming increasingly common for Canadians to apply for mortgages online. LowestRates.ca only works with reputable, trustworthy financial institutions. Your credit score won’t be affected and your information is secure. We don’t share your information with anyone unless you want to connect with a mortgage broker. We take care of the heavy lifting by comparing the market for you and can connect you with the best mortgage lenders in the country.
We have a strong selection of lenders on LowestRates.ca including the big banks and many independent providers and we’re adding more lenders all the time. This ensures we’re always delivering you a competitive rate. Even if you’re not ready to commit to anything, you can use our site as a starting point for research (it’s totally free, and you’re under no obligation).
The better informed you are, the more likely you'll negotiate a better deal for yourself. And, really, that’s what we care about the most.

Taras Trofimov
About the Author
Taras is the Content Manager for LowestRates.ca. He has produced thought leadership content for organizations like Constellation Software, Facebook and Yellow Pages as well as outlets like The Globe and Mail, Autoblog and MSN Autos.
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