Sarnia · Lambton County
Mortgages in Sarnia, compared across lenders
We compare banks, credit unions and monoline lenders for your Sarnia purchase, renewal or refinance, and explain the trade-offs in plain English.
We help Sarnia households buy, renew and refinance by comparing banks, credit unions, trust companies and monoline lenders. In September 2026 the average sale in Sarnia-Lambton was $480,080, across 128 sales (CREA, checked October 2026). Every mortgage is subject to lender approval; we arrange mortgages for properties in Ontario only.
Sarnia in numbers
These are the latest published figures we could check for Sarnia, each with its source and date. They describe the market, not your mortgage.
Home sales, September 2026
- Average sale price
- $480,080
- Sales
- 128
- Months of inventory
- 5.6
Months of inventory is how long the homes listed for sale would take to sell at the recent pace of sales.
Residential property tax rate, 2026
- Total rate, transit area
- 1.797234%
Made up of City general 1.028902% + transit area 0.071012% + County of Lambton 0.544320% + education 0.153000%. The rate applies to the assessed value set by MPAC (the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation), not to the price you pay.
Renting, October 2025
- Average two-bedroom rent
- $1,524 a month
- Vacancy rate
- 4.7%
A year earlier the rent was $1,488 and vacancy 4.8%. The survey covers purpose-built rental apartments in private buildings of three or more units.
Households, 2021 Census
- Households that own
- 68.2%
- Median household income (2020)
- $77,500
City of Sarnia (census subdivision 3538030): 32,190 households, population 72,047. Income is for 2020, the year before the census.
What's different about borrowing in Sarnia
- Sarnia is outside the City of Toronto, so a purchase pays Ontario's land transfer tax only. Our land transfer tax calculator shows the amount.
- Sarnia's 2026 residential property tax rate is 1.797234% of the home's assessed value in the transit area, counting the City, transit area, County of Lambton and education parts (City of Sarnia, Final Tax Rates 2026, checked October 2026). MPAC sets the assessed value, and it is not the price you pay, so ask for the seller's current tax bill. Lenders count property tax in the housing costs they qualify you on (CMHC debt-service rules, checked October 2026).
- A two-bedroom apartment in the Sarnia census agglomeration (CA), which includes Sarnia, rented for $1,524 a month on average in October 2025, up from $1,488 a year earlier (CMHC, checked October 2026). Vacancy was 4.7%. If you rent now, set that rent against a mortgage payment plus property tax, heat and upkeep.
- In the 2021 Census, 68.2% of households in the City of Sarnia owned their home, and the median household income in 2020 was $77,500 (Statistics Canada, checked October 2026).
Outside Toronto you pay Ontario's land transfer tax only — work it out with the land transfer tax calculator. Also useful: Ontario closing costs · down payment rules.
Who we help in Sarnia
We help Sarnia households buy a first home, move up, renew or refinance. We compare banks, credit unions and monoline lenders (lenders that only do mortgages and work through brokers) first.
If you are self-employed, lenders generally look at two years of tax returns, and some look at the business more broadly. Alternative lenders are the next step when a bank's rules don't fit, at a higher cost. Private money is a short bridge only, and we explain its cost first.
Questions from Sarnia borrowers
Do I pay Toronto's land transfer tax in Sarnia?
No. Sarnia is outside the City of Toronto, so only Ontario's land transfer tax applies.
I'm self-employed. Can I still get a bank mortgage?
Often, yes. Lenders generally look at two years of tax returns and notices of assessment, and some look at the business more broadly. We show you which lenders read your income which way, subject to lender approval.
Is there down-payment help in Sarnia?
Not right now. The County of Lambton says funding for its Homeownership Down Payment Assistance program has been fully depleted and is not available at this time (County of Lambton, checked October 2026).
When funded, it lends 10% of the price as a 20-year forgivable loan, for renters buying a home priced up to $325,000.
The federal and Ontario first-time buyer measures still apply: the FHSA, the RRSP Home Buyers' Plan and the land transfer tax refund.
Can I work with you if I live in Sarnia?
Yes. We work with borrowers across Ontario by phone and online; our office is in Richmond Hill.
Nearby: London · Chatham-Kent · Windsor
General information for Ontario borrowers, not advice. Stonefield Mortgage is a trade name of Stonefield Capital Inc., FSRA mortgage brokerage licence #13722.
Sources
- CREA, statistics page for the Sarnia-Lambton Association of REALTORS, September 2026, checked October 2026.
- City of Sarnia, Final Tax Rates 2026, 2026 tax year, checked October 2026.
- CMHC Rental Market Survey, Ontario tables 1.1.1 and 1.1.2, published 11 December 2025, October 2025, checked October 2026.
- Statistics Canada, 2021 Census of Population, Census Profile, City of Sarnia (census subdivision 3538030), 2021 Census, checked October 2026.
- County of Lambton, Homeownership Down Payment Assistance, page as read in October 2026, checked October 2026.
- Ontario, Calculating land transfer tax, page updated 22 April 2026, checked October 2026.
- Ontario, Land transfer tax refunds for first-time homebuyers, page updated 10 February 2026, checked October 2026.
- CMHC, Calculating GDS and TDS, debt-service rules for insured mortgages, checked October 2026.
No cost to talk
Talk to a broker about your Sarnia mortgage
Tell us what you're planning for a home in Ontario and a good number to reach you. We call back within one business day, usually sooner. We ask for documents only once we know which ones your mortgage needs.
You can also call us at (416) 371-2077.