Pictou, Antigonish and Guysborough counties · Nova Scotia
Mortgage broker serving the Highland region
The Highland region has Nova Scotia’s lowest deed transfer tax rates, its second-strongest price growth at 14.1% to August 2026, and five Pictou County towns within ten minutes of each other. It also holds one of only three 1.25% municipalities, and is where a stale pre-approval most likely stopped working.
Antigonish, Highland Region
What does it cost to buy a home in the Highland region?
Highland Region covers Pictou, Antigonish and Guysborough counties. Across it, the August 2026 average sale price was $367,859, +14.1% year over year: minimum down payment $18,393, deed transfer tax $3,679 to $5,518 by municipality, cash to close near $23,572, and a household income around $80,689 to qualify at the stress-test floor.
What is different about the Highland region
- The cheapest tax in the province. Every Pictou County municipality — New Glasgow, Stellarton, Westville, Trenton, Pictou and the county — charges 1.0%, as do Antigonish County and the District of Guysborough: $3,679 on a $367,859 property against $5,518 in HRM.
- One 1.25% outlier and one 1.5%. The District of St. Mary’s charges 1.25%, one of only three in the province; the Town of Antigonish charges 1.5% against the county’s 1.0%, so the town boundary is worth about $1,839 on an average purchase.
- The 14.1% problem. Prices rose 14.1% to August 2026, so a spring pre-approval may no longer reach today’s price, and down payment, premium and stress test all move with it.
- Former mining ground. Stellarton and Westville sit on old coal workings; appraisers flag affected parcels and some lenders reduce loan-to-value, so check before waiving conditions.
- A university town at Antigonish. St. Francis Xavier drives a student-rental market; up to four units is residential lending with leases, five and up is commercial.
- Retirement in-migration. Ontario and Alberta retirees qualify on pension, CPP/OAS and investment income, often with bridge financing between a sale there and a purchase here.
The tax across Highland Region
Deed transfer tax follows the property. Inside Highland Region it runs from 1% to 1.5% — about $1,839 on the regional average — decided by which side of a boundary the house sits. Every municipality’s rate →
- Minimum down payment $18,393
- Deed transfer tax at 1% $3,679
- 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 caps at $500,000 here and the Down Payment Assistance Program at $300,000. The $367,859 average sits above the DPAP cap, so DPAP fits only the lower end. Check which programs you fit →
Towns with their own page
Go deeper
The detail, if you want it
Deed transfer tax by municipality in Highland Region
| Municipality | Rate | On $367,859 |
|---|---|---|
| Town of New Glasgow | 1% | $3,679 |
| Town of Stellarton | 1% | $3,679 |
| Town of Westville | 1% | $3,679 |
| Town of Trenton | 1% | $3,679 |
| Town of Pictou | 1% | $3,679 |
| Municipality of the County of Pictou | 1% | $3,679 |
| Town of Antigonish | 1.5% | $5,518 |
| Municipality of the County of Antigonish | 1% | $3,679 |
| Municipality of the District of Guysborough | 1% | $3,679 |
| Municipality of the District of St. Mary's | 1.25% | $4,598 |
The arithmetic on the Highland Region average
| Purchase price | $367,859 |
| Minimum down payment | $18,393 |
| CMHC premium (4%, financed) | $13,979 |
| Mortgage amount | $363,445 |
| Deed transfer tax at 1% | $3,679 |
| Legal, recording and title (typical) | $1,500 |
| Cash to close | $23,572 |
| Income needed to qualify | $80,689 |
Run it on a specific price → · Work backwards from your income →
Every other community in Highland Region
Same rules, same process. The deed transfer tax follows the municipality the property sits in, so it is listed for each — this is the figure most people are actually looking for.
| Community | Municipality | Deed transfer tax |
|---|---|---|
| Guysborough | Municipality of the District of Guysborough | 1% |
| Sherbrooke | Municipality of the District of St. Mary's | 1.25% |
| Canso | Municipality of the District of Guysborough | 1% |
| Mulgrave | Town of Mulgrave | 1.5% |
| River John | Municipality of the County of Pictou | 1% |
How it works
From first call to keys, in four steps
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A 15-minute call
You say what you’re trying to do and roughly what you earn.
Riley tell you the price a lender will support, the cash you need to close, and what to fix first.
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Documents and pre-approval
You send the short list through a secure upload link.
Riley package the file and come back with a pre-approval letter and a rate held 90 to 120 days.
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Lenders, side by side
You read the comparison and pick.
Riley place one application with banks, credit unions and monolines, and show you every answer.
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Approval, lawyer, keys
You sign with your own local lawyer.
Riley hold the lender, appraiser and lawyer to the closing date.
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
Why is the deed transfer tax so much lower in Pictou County?
Each Nova Scotia municipality sets its own rate between 0% and 1.5%. Every Pictou County municipality has set 1.0%, as have Antigonish County and the District of Guysborough. On a $367,859 purchase that saves $1,839 against the 1.5% charged in HRM, Truro and Cape Breton.
Does the Town of Antigonish charge the same rate as the county?
No. The Municipality of the County of Antigonish charges 1.0% and the Town of Antigonish 1.5% — about $1,839 apart on a $367,859 property, decided by which side of the town boundary the house sits.
Prices in the Highland region rose 14.1%. Is my pre-approval still good?
A pre-approval fixes a maximum mortgage and holds a rate, typically 90 to 120 days; it does not move with the market. If the region’s 14.1% rise pushed your target above the approved amount it must be redone, because down payment, premium and stress test all recalculate.
Which communities in Highland Region do you cover?
All of them: New Glasgow, Stellarton, Westville, Trenton, Pictou, Antigonish, Guysborough, Sherbrooke and the smaller places around them — on the same remote process, with a local appraiser and your own lawyer.
Which first-time buyer price caps apply in Highland Region?
The First-time Homebuyers Program caps at $500,000 here (household income under $200,000, credit 630+, participating credit unions only); the Down Payment Assistance Program tier for Yarmouth County, Northern and Eastern regions is $300,000 (income under $145,000, credit 650+).
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 the Highland region?
Send the listing or your renewal statement. You get back the municipality's tax rate, 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