Mortgage strategy for VGH residents, fellows, and attending staff, built around UBC training timelines and the realities of buying in Metro Vancouver.
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.
Vancouver General Hospital is in Vancouver, British Columbia. Affiliation: University of British Columbia. Other hospitals nearby: St. Paul's Hospital, BC Children's and UBC Hospital.
Price: CREA MLS Home Price Index, Greater Vancouver 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 VancouverHighest 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.
How much is the Property Transfer Tax for a VGH physician purchase?
British Columbia charges 1% on the first $200,000, 2% to $2,000,000, and 3% above, plus a further 2% on residential value over $3,000,000. On a $1.5M home that is roughly $28,000 before any first-time buyer or newly-built home exemption.
Closing costs in VancouverCan a VGH resident afford to buy in Vancouver?
More often than the stipend alone suggests. A physician program qualifies VGH residents on projected attending income, and condos or townhomes are the realistic entry point. The PLOC can fund the down payment and transfer tax.
See the projected income scheduleCan VGH fellows qualify before starting an attending role?
Yes. A signed attending or staff offer is accepted as qualifying income by physician-program lenders, so a VGH fellow can close using attending income before the first T4 at that rate.
Buying on a signed staff offerWhich lenders work best for VGH physicians?
The major banks all run physician programs, and several monoline lenders handle incorporated files. The right fit depends on stage, incorporation status, and down payment source.
Compare physician programs
