Hants County · Annapolis Valley
Mortgage broker serving Falmouth, Nova Scotia
Falmouth is across the Avon River from Windsor, on Highway 101, in West Hants Regional Municipality. Many households here work in Halifax and buy in Falmouth for a newer house at a lower price. The catch is the program line: West Hants does not get the $570,000 cap that Halifax and East Hants do.
Annapolis Valley
What does it cost to buy a home in Falmouth?
Falmouth is in Hants County, in the Annapolis Valley housing region. On the August 2026 Annapolis Valley average of $394,019: minimum down payment $19,701, West Hants Regional Municipality deed transfer tax $5,910 at 1.5%, and roughly $27,111 cash to close with legal costs. The $389,291 mortgage, premium included, needs household income near $86,099 at the stress-test floor.
Looking for a mortgage broker, mortgage agent or mortgage advisor in Falmouth? In Nova Scotia that is one licensed role, and the licence covers the whole province.
The tax in Falmouth
West Hants Regional Municipality charges 1.5% deed transfer tax, paid at closing. It follows the property: Halifax Regional Municipality 1.5%, Municipality of the District of East Hants 1.5%, Municipality of the County of Kings 1.5%. Every municipality’s rate →
- Minimum down payment $19,701
- West Hants Regional Municipality deed transfer tax $5,910
- Legal, recording and title $1,500
Assumptions: 5%/10% minimum down payment, CMHC premium financed into the mortgage, 25-year amortization, qualifying at the 5.25% stress-test floor (or the contract rate plus 2% if higher), property tax about 1% of price, heat $150/month, GDS 39%. Legal $1,000, recording $200 and title insurance $300 are typical Nova Scotia figures, not quotes.
Which program fits here
The First-time Homebuyers Program (2–4% down, credit unions only) caps at $500,000 here; the Down Payment Assistance Program at $375,000. The $394,019 average sits above the DPAP cap, so most Falmouth buyers fit only the first. Above $200,000 income or below 630 credit, neither fits; a standard insured mortgage with 5% down does.
Refinancing or renewing a mortgage in Falmouth
Already own in Falmouth? Mortgage refinancing can go to 80% of the home’s appraised value: $315,215 on the Annapolis Valley average of $394,019. No deed transfer tax applies when the owner stays the same. At renewal, send the lender’s offer before you sign it and I will check it against other lenders.
Go deeper
The detail, if you want it
The arithmetic on the Annapolis Valley average
| Purchase price | $394,019 |
| Minimum down payment | $19,701 |
| CMHC premium (4%, financed) | $14,973 |
| Mortgage amount | $389,291 |
| West Hants Regional Municipality deed transfer tax (1.5%) | $5,910 |
| Legal, recording and title (typical) | $1,500 |
| Cash to close | $27,111 |
| Monthly payment at 4.45% (chartered-bank prime rate, Bank of Canada, 2026-09-30), 25 years | $2,144 |
| Each quarter-point of rate on this mortgage | $54 a month |
| Monthly payment at the 5.25% qualifying rate (what you must qualify at, not what you pay) | $2,320 |
| Income needed to qualify | $86,099 |
Run it on a specific price → · Payment at your own rate →
Worked start to finish: Annapolis Valley build: lot equity as the down payment · Outside Kentville: a drilled well, septic and an oil tank (illustrative examples on this region’s figures).
What lenders ask about Falmouth homes
- Falmouth has newer subdivisions as well as older farmhouses. Newer homes appraise cleanly against sales here and in Windsor.
- Servicing varies by street: some are on municipal water or sewer and others on well and septic. The listing will say, and where there is a well the lender asks for a water test.
- Some land along the Avon River is low-lying. Ask the insurer about overland flood coverage on the specific address before you waive conditions.
Income and closing in Falmouth
- Many buyers commute to Halifax, Bedford or Burnside on Highway 101. Salaried income qualifies normally; a second vehicle loan reduces borrowing room more than the commute does.
- Local employment in Windsor includes the hospital, the schools and the municipality, and qualifies on a letter of employment.
- Farm, vineyard and trades income is self-employed income, read from two years of returns.
- Falmouth is in West Hants Regional Municipality: 1.5% deed transfer tax, the same as Halifax Regional Municipality and East Hants.
- The Down Payment Assistance Program cap for West Hants is $375,000, against $570,000 in Halifax and East Hants. The First-time Homebuyers Program cap is $500,000.
- Application, documents and signing are remote, or meet at the Bedford office. You choose your own Windsor lawyer.
Comparing mortgage brokers in Falmouth
Nova Scotia licenses brokers for the whole province and ranks none of them, so check the licence, the number of lenders and any fee in writing. The four checks → · Broker, agent, advisor or specialist? →
Why a broker
Licensed, independent, paid by the lender
- Licensed in Nova Scotia Associate broker 3001134, verifiable on the provincial register
- $0 broker fee On a standard residential mortgage the lender pays, not you
- Banks, credit unions, monolines One application, one credit check, placed with the lender that reads your file best
- Every part of the province Bedford office, remote process: Yarmouth to Sydney, the same four steps
Questions people ask
What is the deed transfer tax in Falmouth?
Falmouth is in West Hants Regional Municipality, which charges 1.5% of the purchase price. On a $420,000 purchase that is $6,300, the same as it would be in Halifax.
Do the Halifax first-time buyer caps apply in Falmouth?
No. The $570,000 cap covers Halifax Regional Municipality and East Hants only. In West Hants the Down Payment Assistance Program caps at $375,000 and the 2%-down First-time Homebuyers Program at $500,000.
Does commuting to Halifax affect what I qualify for?
Not directly. Lenders do not count the commute, but they do count a second vehicle loan, and that reduces the mortgage you qualify for. Bring the loan statements so the numbers are right the first time.
Do I need to come to Bedford to get a mortgage in Falmouth?
No. Nothing in the file needs you there: application, uploads and signing are remote, an appraiser covering Hants County does the appraisal, and you choose your own Falmouth lawyer.
Still unsure? Ask me directly.
If your question isn't here, your situation is probably specific. Fifteen minutes on the phone beats reading another page, and nothing is pulled on your credit.
(902) 298-0218 · Monday to Friday, 8:00 am to 10:00 pm Atlantic
Buying, building or renewing in Falmouth?
Send the listing or your renewal statement. You get back the Falmouth tax, the cash to close, which program you fit and what the file needs — within a business day, at no fee.
(902) 298-0218 · Monday to Friday, 8:00 am to 10:00 pm Atlantic