Mortgage strategy for residents, fellows, and attendings at one of BC's busiest acute care centres. Built around Metro Vancouver value and the BC Property Transfer Tax.
A physician program could add
$0
to the home you can buy.
Estimate at 4.49%, stress tested at 6.49%, with 10% down, below the $1.5M insured limit.
Surrey Memorial Hospital is in Surrey, British Columbia. Affiliation: Fraser Health / UBC. Other hospitals nearby: Vancouver General Hospital and St. Paul's Hospital.
Price: CREA MLS Home Price Index, Fraser Valley area, as published in the LSTAR July 2026 release. Tax: Government of British Columbia, property transfer tax; Government of British Columbia, first time home buyers program. Rates reviewed August 2026.
Physician mortgages in SurreyHighest purchase price, 10% down, no student debt, 4.49% stress tested at 6.49%, kept below the $1.5M insured limit. Resident pay: Resident Doctors of BC payroll page, in effect April 2026. Salary steps up each April for the term of the agreement. Program figures: Physician projected-income program factsheet, September 2023 edition.
Is Surrey cheaper than Vancouver for physicians?
Generally yes. Surrey is a more attainable Metro Vancouver entry point than the city of Vancouver, while offering major hospital employment through Surrey Memorial Hospital.
How much is the property transfer tax in Surrey?
Surrey follows the BC Property Transfer Tax: 1% on the first $200,000 and 2% to $2,000,000, roughly $20,000 on a $1.1M home, before first-time or newly-built exemptions.
Closing costs in SurreyHow much can a Surrey Memorial attending qualify for?
In your final year and first 36 months in practice, physician programs use a set figure by specialty: $300,000 for most specialties and $225,000 for family medicine. With 20% down and no other debt at 4.49%, that works out to about $1,710,000 and $1,280,000. After 36 months, Surrey Memorial staff qualify on actual income, and incorporated physicians do best with a lender that reads the corporation as well as personal pay.
How much a physician can qualify for
