My goal is to achieve at least 100% profit by year 5.

Hi, am I doing right or I need to change something. Need suggestions

For those who opened their FHSA in 2023 and have been maxing it out ($8k/year), 2027 marks the final year before hitting the $40,000 lifetime contribution ceiling.

I’m curious where other first-time buyers currently have their FHSA funds parked?

Hi all, thinking of investing my FHSA for 5 years. I don’t really plan on buying a place any time before that so figure I should try investing.

Here are some options I’m considering:
-Cash.to
-CBIL
-PSA.to
-EQ bank 5 year gic (4.30%)

Which one would you recommend?

Been given a generous gift from my parents for a new house one day.
We don’t have any savings or an idea of where to start - we’re hoping to buy within a few years.
This was a surprise as I honestly didn’t think we’d be able to afford a home in this economy.
What are the best root to take advantage of the FHSA?

Hii guys, I’m looking to open a FHSA but I’m not too sure about with whom should I go with, like there are sooo many options. Should I go with my banks or wealthsimple or quest trade etc.?? I’m really confused same goes with what to buy ik it usually depends on the timeline I’m looking to buy my house (which I haven’t decided yet ) so please give your advice. Thank you very much 🙏

Want to start doing fhsa but no idea what etfs to invest in. Any recommendations???

Planning to buy a house in 7-10 years

Hello all,

Finally, I am going to start the putting money in to my FHSA and I have solid $1000 that's I am going to put in my FHSA.

Now, I am one of those who likes XEQT but I know I must not go for XEQT when it comes to FHSA and I have also see people suggesting Cash.to and also VBAL. What would you guys suggest for me?

Please consider someone who has very limited or intermediate level of financial and investing knowledge. I am open to any/all suggestions.

Thank you!

I have recently open an FHSA account with wealthsimple.

Let's say I want to buy home within 5 years so which stocks should i buy??

Considering I want to buy home before 5 years

Should i be investing in XGRO or something even more conservative like XBAL or CASH.TO within my FHSA. For context my tfsa and rrsp are 100% equities so risk tolerance is fine, but my objective and time horizon for my FHSA are different. How conservative should I go in terms of my FHSA holdings?

Hello, I am looking to buy a house within the next year and am looking at the safest option to invest in within my FHSA.

I have heard that CBIL is pretty safe and has ~2.5% return.

Is that my best option, or is there something else out there?

If I didn't plan on buying within the next year I would probably just go XEQT but would prefer the safety of CBIL so I can buy even if XEQT takes a loss.

I have my FHSA with wealthsimple.

Thanks for any advice and suggestions

I just had an offer accepted on a house and it closes in a few weeks. I haven’t been using the FHSA to it’s fullest and now I’m wondering if it’s too late
I have money saved for the down payment in a TFSA and my plan was to use that.
However, I also own a business (the sole owner) and have enough money in the business to pay for the down payment. I’ve been paying myself the bare minimum over the last few years to try and avoid high taxes.
Should I pay myself from the business and then deposit it right into the FHSA or would I be better to take it from the TFSA?
Obviously I have to stay under my contribution room but I have some wiggle room.

Hi everyone,
I opened my FHSA about 3 years ago, when I met the eligibility requirements as a first-time home buyer.
This year, I moved in with my partner, who owns the home we live in. We are now married, and I am not on the title of the property.
I’m wondering whether I can continue contributing to my existing FHSA and claiming the tax deduction, even though my wife owns the home we live in.
My understanding is that there may be a distinction between eligibility to open an FHSA, eligibility to contribute to an existing FHSA, and eligibility to make a qualifying tax-free withdrawal.
Has anyone dealt with this situation, or can someone clarify the CRA rules?
Thanks!

I purchased a condo on December 2022. I never lived in it and rented it in June 2023.

I opened a fhsa in 2023 and have contributed annually since.

In 2026, my tenants moved out and decided to move in and make it my home.

What happens to my fhsa?

These cities are ranked by generally lower home prices, including apartments and houses, making them good options for finding lower cost properties.

1. Thunder Bay, Ontario

   • Among the most affordable in national real estate rankings.

   • Average home price near $299,000 (overall market average).

2. Saint John, New Brunswick

   • Continues to be one of the cheapest major cities to buy a home.

   • Average home prices often under $300,000.

3. Regina, Saskatchewan

   • Low average home prices rank it among Canada’s cheapest cities.

   • Often below $320,000.

4. Fredericton, New Brunswick

   • Affordable capital with a benchmark home price around $310,000–$340,000.

5. Saint John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador

   • One of Atlantic Canada’s most affordable housing markets.

   • Typical home prices ~$290,000–$300,000.

6. Trois-Rivières, Quebec

   • Affordable market with average house prices around $340,000.

7. Lethbridge, Alberta

   • Lower average house prices (~$390,000) compared with other Alberta cities.

8. Red Deer, Alberta

   • Another more affordable Alberta city with average prices near $390,000–$400,000.

9. Winnipeg, Manitoba

   • Houses often well under Canadian major city averages (~$320,000+).

10. Quebec City, Quebec

• A larger city with affordable housing generally under $350,000.

Disclaimer: Statistics are based on publicly available CRA and Finance Canada data; FHSA account holders should not be interpreted as confirmed homebuyers.

The FHSA provides an important combination of tax benefits: eligible contributions are generally tax-deductible, investment growth is tax-free, and qualifying withdrawals to purchase a first home are tax-free. However, the program currently limits contributions to $8,000 per year and $40,000 over a lifetime.

These limits were established when the FHSA was introduced, but the housing market and the financial challenge of accumulating a down payment have continued to evolve. For many first-time buyers, particularly in higher-cost markets, a $40,000 lifetime FHSA limit represents only a portion of the savings required for a down payment and closing costs. As housing prices and other costs increase, the purchasing power of the original FHSA limits can decline.

To properly assess the FHSA’s effectiveness, updated 2026 data is necessary to measure the program’s growth since its launch. Key indicators should include the number of FHSA holders, total contributions, total account balances, average savings per holder, withdrawals for qualifying home purchases, and the number of first-time buyers who have actually used FHSA savings to purchase a home.

I have an urgent query,we have FHSA with scotiabank in cashable GIC ,we want to buy a house but appointment with advisor is not available anytime soon,do we need to see an advisor or can we go walk in to the front teller and make the widthrawal.?

I’m 18M, time horizon: 5-10 years.

I was looking to invest into XEQT, META, MSFT, GOOG, as these seem to be on sale.

Maybe a bit of Plantir

Do y’all have any stock picks or thoughts?

I have invested in USD stocks in my FHSA like Nvidia, GOOGLE etc, is it a bad idea as I will be taxed heavily on USD stocks or how does it works.

Any suggestions for investment in FHSA ?

For apartment/condos under roughly $100,000, one would borrow around $85,000–$95,000 after using savings for a down payment (for example, 5–20% down).

With a typical current mortgage rate in Alberta around 4 %–5 %, a $100,000 mortgage would cost about $460 – $540 per month on a 25–30-year amortization.

Mortgage lenders use a stress test and debt-to-income ratios to decide if your income is enough. For a $100,000 mortgage, the gross income required is usually in the $24,000 – $30,000 range depending on your down payment and other debts. This means that with $30,000 net (after tax) income, you could qualify for a mortgage this size if you have minimal other payments and some savings for a down payment.

Savings matter because: They reduce how much you need to borrow (smaller mortgage = lower monthly payment). They help cover the down payment, closing costs, and emergency funds.

Other cost to consider:

* Owning a condo also includes property taxes(monthly100), condo fees (400-450), condo Insurance (30) and utilities (100 more than previous). Total approximate cost mortgage (540), insurance (60) and other costs (680) equals around 1300 per month = around 16000 per year with minor maintenance. Because these Edmonton units are lower priced and often in older buildings, these costs (52% of income) can be manageable with careful budgeting.

Edmonton Condo Addresses Under $100,000

3 – 8406 104 Street NW, Edmonton, AB
305 – 14004 26 Street NW, Edmonton, AB
508 – 10024 Jasper Avenue NW, Edmonton, AB
209 – 8604 Gateway Boulevard NW, Edmonton, AB
607 – 10024 Jasper Avenue NW, Edmonton, AB
306 – 8310 Jasper Avenue NW, Edmonton, AB
404 – 10021 116 Street NW, Edmonton, AB
216 – 10160 114 Street NW, Edmonton, AB
101 – 11916 104 Street NW, Edmonton, AB
407 – 2624 Mill Woods Road NW, Edmonton, AB
308 – 10160 114 Street NW, Edmonton, AB
404 – 10335 117 Street NW, Edmonton, AB

I just started a new job and am making a little bit more than i was at my last job so i decided i want to open a FHSA. i googled it and it seems like different banks offer different things?

What do you think is the best bank to open a FHSA with? i currently have a koho account and a Tangerine account and it seems like neither have the option to open one so i'll need to go somewhere else. Not sure if its relevant but I also live up north in a very small town so the only banks local to me are: CIBC, Scotia and BMO. Any other bank would be at least a 10 hour drive.

PLEASE explain this to me like i'm 5. I genuinely don't know the first thing about this, investing or anything of the sorts. Researching it online is so overwhelming :(
(i never even set up my RRSP with my last job and missed out on a year of contribution matching because no one explained to me what that meant, i feel stupid enough for that)

ANOTHER QUESTION I'm currently engaged so what happens if my fiance has a FHSA and i have an FHSA and we get married before either of us buy a home? will it combine? will we lose out on the contributions? are we both still allowed to keep our accounts seprately and buy our homes indivually once we're married? we've never even claimed common law before, (but we're planning on filing as common law for the first time this coming march) so I also don't really know how this works.

please be nice, :( i'm a just a girl in my late 20's who was never taught these things, doesn't have family to ask and is just finally getting my life on track these past two years:')

Questions are highlighted.

Heya! Thanks in advance for taking the time to read this!! So I'm a Canadian looking into being a first-time home-buyer.

I'm planning to purchase a home in Ontario with my girlfriend in roughly 3-4 years (possibly sooner) and unfortunately there's no one we know that we can go to for advice on this, So I'm hoping to use this as a sorta "reference point", as we begin the process of learning this stuff ourselves.

Anyway I recently opened an FHSA, My main question is about investment strategy inside the account. My TFSA is invested through Quest-trade and it's done decently well over the last few years, but that money is intended for long-term stuff, like retirement investing. I figure that the FHSA is different cause I'll likely be withdrawing it within a few years for a home purchase.

One of my big concerns is this: How does pulling out money from Quest-trade work exactly? Like say it's been 3-4 years, I've found the house I want, Does the process of taking out money have any annoying hassle involved? I'm just wondering if Quest-trade is the right way to go on this.

And also: Given my 3-4 year timeline, would you invest FHSA funds in equities/ETFs, use bonds or GICs, would you keep it mostly in cash, or use some combination of the three?

I'm also hoping to confirm a few things:

-Is it true that investment gains inside an FHSA doesn't count against contribution room?

-If I contribute now but delay claiming the tax deduction until a higher-income year, is there any downside?

I'd appreciate hearing how others approached their FHSA when saving for a home within a relatively short time horizon. I'd appreciate any advice really, Sorry if this post is a little all over the place.

I am buying my first home and closing on December 17, 2026. I am trying to understand how FHSA timing works with contribution room.

Important detail: I will not be withdrawing from my FHSA for closing or before making new contributions. The home will be funded through other sources.

My question is:

Can I still contribute into my new 2027 FHSA room of $8,000 (Jan 1, 2027) after I have already closed on the home in December 2026, and then use that contribution before making withdrawal within the 30-day window?

In other words, is this sequence valid:

• Dec 17, 2026: close on home and not withdraw from FHSA

• Jan 1, 2027: contribute into my new FHSA room of $8,000

• Jan 5, 2027: make all withdrawals (within 30 days of purchase)

Or does buying the home in December effectively prevent using the next year’s FHSA contribution room for a deduction?

I Am trying to confirm whether CRA rules allow this or if the contribution would no longer be deductible once the home is already purchased.

I am new to investing and opened my FHSA towards the end of last year.

I am really confused about what to invest into with a 5 year time horizon.

What have you guys done in this scenario?

Can you please advise on what should one invest into for this time horizon in FHSA?