Key Takeaway
Your equity is likely bigger than you think. The value you’ve built in your current home can fund your next move, whether through sale proceeds or by accessing equity before you list.
Whether to buy first or sell first, there’s no definitive answer. The decision depends on your financial position and how much runway you need.
Know your mortgage options before you move. Understanding porting, prepayment penalties, and bridge financing can save you from costly surprises at exactly the wrong moment.
The purchase price is just the starting point. Budget for land transfer taxes, legal fees, home inspection, moving costs, and other closing expenses, they add up faster than most people expect.
Last April, I hosted my first Reddit AMA with RBC. And honestly? It was humbling to see the turnout. The energy in the thread was incredible. There were a lot of Canadian home buyers curious about first-time qualifications, interest rate strategies and mortgage product decisions. But with only an hour on the clock, I didn’t get to every topic, particularly the questions from people who already own a home and are seriously planning their next move.
RBC’s Home Ownership Poll,released in June, found that 49 per cent of next-time homebuyers are thinking about buying sooner because of lower interest rates compared to just 23 per cent of all Canadians surveyed . That tracks with what I’m hearing from my clients, some are sitting on significant home equity but aren’t sure how to put it to work. If that sounds familiar, this article is for you.
I want to walk you through everything you need to know when you’re buying again, from how to make your equity work for you, options for your mortgage to bridge financing, because your next move should feel like progress, not a puzzle.
Let’s Start With the Good News: Your Equity Is Probably Working Harder Than You Think
Some Canadian homeowners I speak with are genuinely surprised when they see the value of their equity. While home price growth varies by region, many homeowners have built up more than they realize over the years.
What Is Home Equity (Really)?
Home equity is the part of your property that you truly own. Not a physical measurement – it’s a calculation: your home’s current market value minus your outstanding mortgage balance and any other loans secured against it.
Here’s a straightforward example.
Say your home is appraised at $700,000. You have $450,000 remaining on your primary mortgage and an outstanding balance of $20,000 on a Home Equity Line of Credit (HELOC).
Total Debt = $450,000 + $20,000 = $470,000
Home Equity = $700,000 – $470,000 = $230,000
You have $230,000 in total home equity.
How You Can Use Your Equity to Buy Your Next Home
There are two main ways you can use your equity to finance your next home purchase. The first approach is straightforward: you sell your current home, and the proceeds go toward the down payment on your new property. Clean, simple, and the path several people default to.
The second is less obvious and it’s one of the questions I get asked most often: “Can I use a Home Equity Line of Credit (HELOC) to take out cash and use it as a down payment on my next home?”
The short answer is yes, but it comes with a few important caveats worth understanding. When you draw on a HELOC, that balance becomes a debt obligation. Canadian lenders assess your borrowing capacity using two ratios: Gross Debt Service (GDS) and Total Debt Service (TDS). Your HELOC payments factor directly into your TDS calculation, which can reduce how much you’re eligible to borrow on your new mortgage. In other words, you may be using your own equity, but lenders still see it as debt on your application.
There’s also the question of tax. In Canada, HELOC interest generally isn’t tax deductible when the funds are used for personal purposes, including a down payment on a new primary residence. If the property you’re buying is an investment or rental property, however, there may be deductibility considerations worth exploring with a tax advisor.
The strategy I often walk clients through is using the HELOC as a short-term bridge: draw on it to fund the down payment on your new home, then pay it off in full once your current home sells. Used this way, the balance is temporary and the interest cost is relatively brief and it can be exactly what makes the timing of your move work.
That said, every situation is different. Whether a HELOC makes sense for your move comes down to your full financial picture, which is a conversation worth having before you start shopping.
Should You Buy or Sell Your Home First? Here’s How to Think It Through.
This is the question I hear most often from homeowners who are ready to make a move and it’s one that doesn’t have a single right answer. The best approach depends on your financial position, your risk tolerance, and the market you’re operating in. What I can do is walk you through the pros and cons of each path so you can make the call that’s right for you.
If You Buy Your Next Home First
Buying before selling gives you control over your timeline, but in today’s market, it’s important to go in with a clear understanding of what that means financially. In much of Canada right now, it’s faster to buy than it is to sell. That reality is exactly why the prevailing wisdom for most buyers at the moment is to sell first, then buy once you have a firm sale agreement in place.
If you do choose to buy first, the most significant risk is carrying two mortgages at the same time, something many homeowners understandably find stressful, especially with already stretched budgets. This isn’t a remote possibility; in a slower-moving market, it’s a real likelihood. You’d need both the financial cushion to manage two sets of payments and the ability to qualify for a second mortgage in the first place. Covering closing costs and moving expenses before your current home sells adds further pressure on cash flow.
That said, buying first does give you the opportunity to make small improvements or staging on your current property before you list, which can help maximize your sale price. This path tends to work best for homeowners with strong financial flexibility who have a realistic, well-researched view of how quickly their current home is likely to sell.
If there’s any uncertainty about your ability to sell quickly, waiting until you have a firm offer in hand before buying is likely the more prudent approach.
If You Sell Your Current Home First
Selling first gives you certainty. You know exactly what you’re working with, how much you netted, what your down payment looks like, and what price range makes sense for your next purchase. There’s a lot of peace of mind in that.
The pressure point is time. Once your home is sold and a closing date is set, the clock starts ticking on finding your next place. Some buyers use this window strategically, watching the market closely, waiting for conditions to shift in their favour before committing. It’s a legitimate approach, but it does require discipline, flexibility, and ideally a plan for temporary housing if the closing dates on your current and new home don’t line up neatly.
If you want to go deeper on this decision, RBC has put together a dedicated piece that walks through the buy-first vs. sell-first question in a lot more detail.
How Market Conditions Influence Your Decision
It’s worth understanding the market you’re moving in, because it can tip the scales either way.
In a seller’s market, demand outpaces supply. Buyers are competing, homes move quickly, and sellers hold the leverage. If you’re selling into that environment, you’ll likely do well. But remember: you’re also buying into it. The same conditions that help you on one side of the transaction will work against you on the other.
In a buyer’s market, the dynamic flips. There are more homes available than active buyers, which gives you more negotiating room on your purchase, but may mean a longer wait or a lower price on your sale.
Neither market is inherently better for a move-up buyer. What matters is having a plan that accounts for the conditions you’re operating in and stress-testing both scenarios before you commit to either path.
Your Existing Mortgage: Port It or Break It?
Porting or breaking a mortgage tends to be one of the most misunderstood parts of buying your next home. Let me clear up a few of the common misconceptions so you know exactly where you stand, before it costs you.
What Is Porting a Mortgage and How Does It Work?
Porting a mortgage means transferring your existing mortgage, its interest rate, terms, and conditions, from your current home to a new one. You’re essentially taking your loan with you, provided you’re purchasing a new property at the same time as you’re selling your existing one.
At RBC, porting requires selling your existing property and transferring the balance to either a newly purchased home or a property you already own free and clear. If you’ve locked in a strong rate, this can save you a meaningful amount in interest costs and charges. And depending on how much time is left on your term, those savings can be substantial.
When Breaking Your Mortgage Might Make Financial Sense
Breaking your mortgage means terminating your current contract before the term ends to renegotiate, refinance, or switch lenders. The most common reason to do it is to access a lower interest rate. It typically involves paying a prepayment penalty, usually calculated as the interest rate differential between your current rate and the rate on a newly issued mortgage.
Breaking often makes financial sense when current rates have dropped significantly below your locked-in rate, or when you need to borrow considerably more. In those cases, blending your rate or paying the penalty to exit early can save you money on interest over the long run.
Bridge Financing: The Tool That Buys You Breathing Room
Bridge financing is something many homeowners have never heard of, but it can be the difference between a stressful move and a smooth one.
What Is Bridge Financing?
As the name suggests, bridge financing is a short-term loan designed to cover the financial gap when you’re buying a new home before your current one has sold. Here’s how it typically works:
The Gap: You need to close on your new home on August 1st, but your current home won’t close until September 30th.
The Bridge: Your lender provides a short-term loan to cover the down payment on your new home at closing on August 1st.
The Payoff: On September 30th, when your current home sells, you use the proceeds to pay off the bridge loan in full.
When Does Bridge Financing Apply?
One important condition to understand: bridge financing requires a firm sale agreement on your current home. If your home isn’t sold yet, bridge financing won’t be available. Without a confirmed sale, lenders face the risk of carrying two mortgages simultaneously, which they won’t take on.
Getting Pre-Approved Again: Is It Different?
You’ve been down this road before and that’s a real advantage. But your financial situation has likely changed since your first purchase, and lenders need to see the full picture of where you stand today for your next mortgage’s pre-approval. At RBC, that typically means looking at your income, employment stability, existing mortgage and housing costs, your Gross Debt Service (GDS) and Total Debt Service (TDS) ratios, and your plan for your current property whether you intend to sell it or hold it as a rental.
That last point is one I get a lot of questions about. If you’re planning to keep your current home as a rental rather than sell it, the way lenders treat that rental income isn’t always straightforward. It doesn’t simply get added to your gross income. RBC typically conducts a market rent assessment and applies a percentage of the projected rental income when running the numbers. It’s a risk mitigation step, not a direct income addition.
From there, a mortgage specialist like myself often builds a business case around the numbers based on each client’s unique situation. Every circumstance is a little different, but the starting point is always the gross rental income derived from a market rent appraisal.
If you’d like more guidance on how your specific situation would be assessed, speaking with an RBC Mortgage Advisor is a great next step. And when you’re ready to move forward, you can get pre-approved online with RBC, it’s instant and easy.
The Real Cost of Buying Your Next Home (The Budget Line Most People Miss)
Even if you’ve been through this before, a few things can still catch you off guard and I’ve seen it happen to experienced homeowners too. Before you get to closing, especially if the new home is in a different city or a higher price range, make sure you’ve accounted for all of the following.
Land Transfer Tax and Why It Hits Differently
If your next home costs significantly more than your first, your Land Transfer Tax (LTT) bill likely will too. Toronto buyers face both a provincial and a municipal LTT, often called the “double tax.” And unlike first-time buyers, repeat buyers generally don’t qualify for rebates, so you’ll need to budget for the full amount.
LTT rules vary across different provinces. Alberta and Saskatchewan, for example, don’t have a traditional LTT. It’s worth researching the rules for your province ahead of time or simply asking your mortgage advisor.
Other Closing Costs to Budget For
Beyond Land Transfer Tax, there are additional costs to factor in. Typically, you should try to set aside approximately three per cent of your home’s purchase price to cover closing costs, not including your down payment or mortgage default insurance.
Legal fees: covers your lawyer’s professional time, contract work, and disbursements such as title searches and closing documentation
Title insurance: a one-time fee that protects you against property fraud, ownership disputes, and hidden title defects
Home inspection: costs vary depending on the size, age, and location of the property
Moving costs: an unavoidable line item, unless you have an exceptionally helpful network of friends with trucks
Closing adjustments: for example, reimbursing the seller if they’ve prepaid property taxes or condo fees covering the remainder of the year.
Ready to Make Your Move?
If you’ve been through the homebuying process before, that experience is a genuine advantage and everything I’ve covered here is meant to help you build on it. My goal is that you’re walking away feeling prepared and confident about what’s ahead.
If you still have questions or just want to talk through your specific situation, I’d love to help. Book some time with me or connect with an RBC Mortgage Advisor near you. Let’s plan your next move together.
This article is intended as general information only and is not to be relied upon as constituting legal, financial or other professional advice. A professional advisor should be consulted regarding your specific situation. Information presented is believed to be factual and up-to-date but we do not guarantee its accuracy and it should not be regarded as a complete analysis of the subjects discussed. All expressions of opinion reflect the judgment of the authors as of the date of publication and are subject to change. No endorsement of any third parties or their advice, opinions, information, products or services is expressly given or implied by Royal Bank of Canada or any of its affiliates.
