Mortgage broker in Saint John, New Brunswick
Saint John has Atlantic Canada’s largest port by volume and the oldest housing of New Brunswick’s three cities. The board puts it at $355,400 for September 2026, and the City cut its tax rate for 2026.
Who is a mortgage broker for Saint John?
Indi, The Independent Mortgage Company Ltd. is licensed as a mortgage brokerage in New Brunswick, and Oickle Mortgages is its practice in Bedford, Nova Scotia. Riley Oickle, Associate Mortgage Broker (Nova Scotia), is your point of contact for a Saint John mortgage: 33 lenders, no fee on a standard residential mortgage, and $17,770 minimum down on the September 2026 Saint John benchmark price of $355,400.
What buying costs in Saint John
Worked on the September 2026 benchmark price the board publishes for Saint John. Your own price, assessment and lawyer change the figures; the lawyer’s statement of adjustments is the final word.
| Saint John benchmark price | $355,400 | Saint John, September 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum down payment | $17,770 | Insured: 5% of the first $500,000 and 10% of the remainder (1–2 units) |
| Real property transfer tax | $3,554 | 1% of the greater of the price and the assessed value (Real Property Transfer Tax Act) |
| Land Titles registration | $170 | $85 for the deed and $85 for the mortgage ($84 + $1 assurance each), before HST |
| Legal, appraisal and inspection, est. | $3,554 | Riley’s rule of thumb, 1% of the price; your lawyer quotes the real figure |
| Cash to buy | $25,048 | The CMHC premium (4%) is added to the mortgage, not paid at closing |
| Property tax, first year, est. | $5,455 | The City’s 2026 residential rate of $1.535 per $100, on an assessment equal to the price. Down from $1.550 in 2025. A home you live in pays $0 provincial rate through the Residential Property Tax Credit; a rental or second home adds the provincial $0.5617. |
Buying in Saint John
Seven homes in ten in Saint John — 69.7% — were built in 1980 or earlier, against under half in Moncton and Fredericton. On an older house, budget for an inspection that covers the heating system, the electrical panel and any oil tank: those decide insurability.
Owners hold 54.2% of households and 40.1% live in a single-detached house (2021 Census). Owners valued their homes at a median of $174,000 that year, below Moncton’s $200,000 and Fredericton’s $250,000.
The City’s 2026 rate is $1.535 per $100 of assessment, down from $1.550 in 2025. On a home you live in, the provincial portion is credited to $0, so that is the full rate.
Go deeper
The detail, if you want it
Income and qualifying in Saint John
The median household income in Saint John was $62,800 in 2020. Quispamsis, 22 kilometres northeast, reported $113,000 and Rothesay $100,000, so the same price reads very differently against income depending on which side of the commute you start from.
Envision Saint John lists the head offices of Irving Oil, J.D. Irving, Cooke, Moosehead and Crosby’s, and the Tucker Park health cluster around the Saint John Regional Hospital. Shift premiums and overtime count toward income when two years of T4s show them.
How a Saint John file closes
The City’s Accessory Dwelling Unit grant pays $15,000 for a secondary suite or $25,000 for a garden suite, on completion, for work finished before 1 May 2027; permits filed before the end of 2026 go first. Rent from a legal suite can count toward qualifying on a two-unit home.
At closing, a New Brunswick lawyer registers the deed and the mortgage in Land Titles ($85 each, before HST). The transfer tax on the benchmark is $3,554, paid before the deed is registered.
Around Saint John: Quispamsis and Rothesay
Quispamsis
Quispamsis (18,768 in 2021) is New Brunswick’s sixth-largest municipality, 22 kilometres northeast of the city. It is overwhelmingly owner-occupied houses — 91.4% of households owned and 83.0% lived in a single-detached home — on a 2026 rate of $1.2599 per $100.
Rothesay
Rothesay was formed on 1 January 1998 from five communities, among them Fairvale, Renforth and Wells, and had 11,977 people in 2021. Its 2026 rate, $1.1700 per $100, is well below Saint John’s, and 80.7% of households owned their home.
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 across Atlantic Canada Indi Mortgage brokerage licences in NS, NB and NL (PEI has no licensing regime); Riley Oickle, Associate Mortgage Broker, NS 3001134
- $0 broker fee On a standard residential mortgage the lender pays, not you
- 33 lenders, one application Banks, credit unions, monolines; one credit check
Questions people ask
Is Oickle Mortgages licensed in New Brunswick?
Yes, through Indi Mortgage, which holds a New Brunswick mortgage brokerage licence: Indi, The Independent Mortgage Company Ltd., Mortgage Brokerage, licensed in New Brunswick; your file is completed by Indi’s New Brunswick-licensed mortgage broker; Riley Oickle, Associate Mortgage Broker (Nova Scotia), is your point of contact. The Trust page sets out each province’s licence and how a file is completed outside Nova Scotia.
What is the property tax rate in Saint John?
$1.535 per $100 of assessment for 2026, down from $1.550. Quispamsis ($1.2599) and Rothesay ($1.1700) charge less; on a home you live in, the provincial portion is $0 in all three.
What does a house cost in Saint John?
The MLS® HPI benchmark was $355,400 in September 2026. The insured minimum down payment on that is $17,770; the transfer tax and registration add $3,724.
Is there a grant for a basement or garden suite in Saint John?
Yes, for now: the City’s Accessory Dwelling Unit grant pays $15,000 for a secondary suite or $25,000 for a garden suite, on completion, for work finished before 1 May 2027.
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 · 8:00 am to 10:00 pm Atlantic, every day
Buying, renewing or refinancing in Saint John?
Send the listing or your renewal statement. You get back the cash to close, what the file needs and which lenders fit it, within a business day, at no fee.
(902) 298-0218 · 8:00 am to 10:00 pm Atlantic, every day