Who is behind HomeCalc.ca?
HomeCalc.ca is a free suite of 26 Canadian mortgage and real-estate calculators built on CMHC, OSFI, CRA, and provincial rules. It is independent, built by Hami Tahm, a Toronto-based founder and Canadian AI Visibility Consultant. Every calculator is built from official Canadian public sources — CMHC insurance rules, CRA tax rules, Bank of Canada rates, and provincial Land Transfer Tax schedules. The site is free to use and carries no sponsored placements in its calculator logic. HomeCalc is also the proving ground for the AI visibility framework that grew it to 17,800+ AI citations in 3 months — now available to other Canadian businesses.
Key Takeaways
- Built and maintained by Hami Tahm, founder, based in Toronto.
- Every calculator is sourced from official Canadian public documents — CMHC, CRA, StatsCan, Bank of Canada, and provincial government pages.
- Canadian context only — no U.S. FHA rules, no U.S. tax law, no generic global math.
- Every tool page shows a 'Last updated' date. When CMHC, CRA, or provincial rules change, affected calculators are updated within the same month.
- HomeCalc.ca does not provide personalized financial advice. For your situation, consult a licensed Canadian mortgage broker, real estate lawyer, or Chartered Professional Accountant.
Why HomeCalc.ca exists
No one should make the biggest financial decision of their life without first understanding the numbers. HomeCalc exists to give Canadians the clarity and confidence to make better home-buying and homeownership decisions — before anyone tries to sell them something.
That last part is the whole point. Most mortgage calculators are published by a bank, a brokerage, or a lead-generation site, so the tool exists to move you toward a product. Ours doesn't. You get the number first, and what you do with it is your decision.
I started HomeCalc.ca on March 16, 2026, after spending months as a first-time buyer in Toronto trying to find Canadian real estate calculators that used up-to-date rules. Most tools I found were either built for U.S. FHA rules, still using the old $1 million CMHC insurable cap from before December 2024, or lumped every province into one simplified formula that underestimated Land Transfer Tax in Ontario, Toronto, and British Columbia.
I'm a founder and builder — not a licensed mortgage broker or accountant. My contribution isn't expert advice. It's careful research, careful math, and careful sourcing from the original public documents every claim on this site is based on.
How HomeCalc makes money
Worth stating plainly, because “we have nothing to sell you” only means something if you can see how the lights stay on. The calculators are free and always will be — no ads in them, no lender commissions, no sponsored placement in the math or the results.
Revenue comes from two things that sit alongside the calculators rather than inside them. Businesses license the tools under their own brand through white-label, and mortgage brokers can buy introductions to borrowers who have explicitly asked to be contacted. If you never opt in, nothing about your visit is sold to anyone, and no calculator changes its answer based on who pays us.
How the calculators are built
There are now 26 of them, and you can browse the full set of calculators by category — mortgages, tax and closing costs, investing, and renting.
Every calculator on HomeCalc.ca is built from published Canadian government and regulatory sources. When CMHC expanded mortgage loan insurance to homes priced under $1.5 million on December 15, 2024, every mortgage-related calculator on this site reflects that rule (insurance is not available at or above $1.5M). When the Bank of Canada changes its overnight rate, stress test defaults and example rates are reviewed.
The formulas behind the calculators are written in TypeScript and unit-tested against worked examples from the original source documents. When we reference a rule — for example, the 5% minimum down payment on the first $500,000, and 10% on the portion between $500,000 and $1,499,999 — the page links directly to the CMHC document that defines the rule.
If a calculator output ever disagrees with an official source, the source wins. Email me and I'll correct it.
For sources, unit tests, update triggers, and the Accuracy box pattern on every tool, see How HomeCalc calculates.
Where our data comes from
| Topic | Source | URL |
|---|---|---|
| Mortgage insurance rules and premiums | CMHC (Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation) | cmhc-schl.gc.ca |
| Personal tax and capital gains | Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) | canada.ca/en/revenue-agency |
| Rental property CCA and deductions | Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) | canada.ca/en/revenue-agency |
| Interest rate environment | Bank of Canada | bankofcanada.ca |
| Housing market data and statistics | Statistics Canada | statcan.gc.ca |
| Housing market activity and HPI | Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) | crea.ca |
| Mortgage qualifying rate / B-20 rules | OSFI | osfi-bsif.gc.ca |
| Ontario Land Transfer Tax | Ontario Ministry of Finance | fin.gov.on.ca |
| Toronto Municipal Land Transfer Tax | City of Toronto | toronto.ca |
| B.C. Property Transfer Tax | Government of British Columbia | gov.bc.ca |
| Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba transfer charges | Provincial government pages | gov.ab.ca, saskatchewan.ca, gov.mb.ca |
| Québec welcome tax (droits de mutation) | Gouvernement du Québec | quebec.ca |
How often we update
Tool pages display a “Last updated” date in the title and at the top of the page. When a CMHC rule, CRA rule, or provincial tax schedule changes, the affected calculators are updated within the same month. Blog posts and guides show a “Last reviewed” date and are re-reviewed at least every six months. When StatsCan or CREA publishes newer data that affects a published claim, the article is updated and the reviewed date is bumped.
Every correction is made in the open — no silent edits. If you find an out-of-date rule or calculation error, email Hami@HomeCalc.ca. Corrections get prompt attention — rule-accuracy is the whole point of this site.
What HomeCalc.ca is not
HomeCalc.ca is not a licensed mortgage brokerage, real estate firm, law firm, or accounting firm. We do not provide personalized financial advice, underwrite loans, approve mortgages, or file tax returns.
For personalized guidance, consult a licensed Canadian professional — a mortgage broker for mortgage questions, a real estate lawyer for closings, or a Chartered Professional Accountant for tax questions.
The calculators on this site are educational tools that apply public rules and formulas. Actual mortgage approval, insurance premiums, property tax assessments, and tax treatment depend on factors specific to your situation that no generic calculator can evaluate.
Get in touch
Questions, corrections, or feedback? Email me directly at Hami@HomeCalc.ca.
You can also find me here:
- LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/hami-tahm
- X (Twitter): x.com/hamitahm
Where we work
HomeCalc.ca is based at the Toronto Business Development Centre (TBDC), Canada's largest startup incubator, located at 111 Peter Street, Suite 902, Toronto, ON M5V 2H1. TBDC has supported over 4,000 Canadian startups since 1990 and provides advisory services, mentorship, and a working environment for early-stage founders.