Pictou County · Highland Region
Mortgage broker serving Stellarton, Nova Scotia
Stellarton sits beside New Glasgow on the East River and is home to the head office of Sobeys, so more of its buyers hold salaried office jobs than a town this size usually has. It charges 1.0% deed transfer tax, the lowest tier in Nova Scotia. The town was built on coal, and that is the one thing to check about the lot before you offer.
New Glasgow
What does it cost to buy a home in Stellarton?
Stellarton is in Pictou County, in the Highland Region housing region. On the August 2026 Highland Region average of $367,859: minimum down payment $18,393, Town of Stellarton deed transfer tax $3,679 at 1%, and roughly $23,572 cash to close with legal costs. The $363,445 mortgage, premium included, needs household income near $80,689 at the stress-test floor.
Looking for a mortgage broker, mortgage agent or mortgage advisor in Stellarton? In Nova Scotia that is one licensed role, and the licence covers the whole province.
The tax in Stellarton
Town of Stellarton charges 1% deed transfer tax, paid at closing. It follows the property: Town of New Glasgow 1%, Town of Westville 1%, Municipality of the County of Pictou 1%. Every municipality’s rate →
- Minimum down payment $18,393
- Town of Stellarton deed transfer tax $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 (2–4% down, credit unions only) caps at $500,000 here; the Down Payment Assistance Program at $300,000. The $367,859 average sits above the DPAP cap, so most Stellarton 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 Stellarton
Already own in Stellarton? Mortgage refinancing can go to 80% of the home’s appraised value: $294,287 on the Highland Region average of $367,859. 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 Highland Region average
| Purchase price | $367,859 |
| Minimum down payment | $18,393 |
| CMHC premium (4%, financed) | $13,979 |
| Mortgage amount | $363,445 |
| Town of Stellarton deed transfer tax (1%) | $3,679 |
| Legal, recording and title (typical) | $1,500 |
| Cash to close | $23,572 |
| Monthly payment at 4.45% (chartered-bank prime rate, Bank of Canada, 2026-09-30), 25 years | $2,001 |
| Each quarter-point of rate on this mortgage | $51 a month |
| Monthly payment at the 5.25% qualifying rate (what you must qualify at, not what you pay) | $2,166 |
| Income needed to qualify | $80,689 |
Run it on a specific price → · Payment at your own rate →
Worked start to finish: New Glasgow: declined after a consumer proposal, B-lender (illustrative examples on this region’s figures).
What lenders ask about Stellarton homes
- Stellarton was called Albion Mines until 1889, and parts of the town sit over old coal workings. Where subsidence risk applies the appraiser notes it and a few lenders reduce the loan or decline, so send the civic address before you waive conditions.
- Much of the housing is older wood-frame, often oil-heated. The insurer sets its own limit on oil tank age and asks about wiring, and the lender needs the insurance binder before it funds.
- Newer homes on the edges of town and in the county beyond appraise easily. Outside the town’s serviced streets, homes are on well and septic, and lenders ask for a water test and septic evidence.
Income and closing in Stellarton
- Sobeys’ corporate offices and its related businesses supply salaried income that qualifies on a letter of employment and two pay stubs. Bonus income counts once two years of T4s show it.
- Michelin at Granton, the Aberdeen Hospital in New Glasgow and the NSCC Pictou Campus in Stellarton supply shift and salaried income; overtime and shift premiums are averaged over two years.
- Trades and contractors who invoice through a company qualify on two years of personal and corporate returns, with a bank-statement program at an alternative lender as the fallback.
- The Town of Stellarton charges 1.0% deed transfer tax: $3,679 on the Highland region average. New Glasgow, Westville and the County of Pictou charge the same, so the town line changes nothing on tax.
- The Down Payment Assistance Program cap here is $300,000 and the 2%-down First-time Homebuyers Program cap is $500,000, through participating credit unions.
- Application, documents and signing are remote, appraisers cover Pictou County, and you choose your own lawyer in Stellarton or New Glasgow.
Comparing mortgage brokers in Stellarton
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 Stellarton?
The Town of Stellarton charges 1.0% of the purchase price, paid on closing through your lawyer. On a $280,000 purchase that is $2,800. Every municipality in Pictou County charges the same 1.0%.
Does old coal mining under Stellarton affect a mortgage?
It can. Appraisers note subsidence risk where it applies, and a few lenders lower the loan-to-value or decline on affected lots. Most purchases go through without trouble. Send the address before the offer so the file goes to a lender that is comfortable with it.
Which first-time buyer program fits in Stellarton?
Up to $300,000, either can. The Down Payment Assistance Program lends 5% interest-free to households under $145,000 with credit of 650 or better. Above $300,000 and up to $500,000, the 2%-down First-time Homebuyers Program through a participating credit union is the one that applies.
Do I need to come to Bedford to get a mortgage in Stellarton?
No. Nothing in the file needs you there: application, uploads and signing are remote, an appraiser covering Pictou County does the appraisal, and you choose your own Stellarton 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 Stellarton?
Send the listing or your renewal statement. You get back the Stellarton 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