Saint John sales change from a year earlier
Up 3.3%As of September 2026.Source
Apartment MLS HPI benchmark, New Brunswick (no Saint John figure published)
$293,100As of September 2026.Source
Townhouse and row MLS HPI benchmark, New Brunswick
$286,800 (up 16.8%)As of September 2026.Source
Province-wide sales
724 (down 12.6% from a year earlier)As of September 2026.Source
Population of the City of Saint John
69,895As of 2021 Census.Source
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Saint John is a smaller city than Moncton or Fredericton, and its market moved the other way in September. That quirk makes it worth looking at your own street rather than any average.

Saint John: one area where sales rose

New Brunswick’s board did not publish a Saint John price in the September 2026 report we read. It did publish provincial benchmarks: composite $341,700, single-family $342,800, townhouse and row $286,800 and apartment $293,100. Saint John sales were up 3.3% from September 2025, the only one of four areas to rise, while the province’s 724 sales were down 12.6%. Months of inventory across the province reached 5.6.

Saint John’s 2021 population was 69,895. With a smaller market and few published prices, a lender’s appraisal matters more than usual.

Apartments leave room, townhouses may not

Equity is value minus what you owe. The ceiling, as the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada states it, is 80% of the appraised value minus the mortgage balance. The apartment example above leaves $54,480 of room. The townhouse example, with equity of $46,800, leaves none, because the first mortgage already sits above the ceiling.

If you suspect you are in the second group, the calculator will say so before a lender does.

Property tax arrears and New Brunswick tax sales

Some Saint John owners come here because of unpaid property tax. Government of New Brunswick pages say tax sale properties are sold at auction in January, April, July and October, every sale carries a 30-day redemption period, and the buyer pays the taxes, penalties and fees. The same pages describe no notice schedule, so do not assume you will get a long warning.

Read the property tax arrears page first and speak to a lawyer if a sale date is near. A second mortgage can clear arrears, but it adds a new debt on the same home.

Where New Brunswick’s transfer tax stops

New Brunswick charges a 1% real property transfer tax on deeds, set on the higher of the price and the assessed value, and exempts a deed used only to secure a debt or loan. On a purchase at $293,100 the tax is $2,931. A loan against a home you keep falls on the exempt side, and lender, legal, appraisal and registration costs are what you actually pay. See the New Brunswick page for them.

What Saint John borrowers bring to the table

If credit is damaged, the bad credit page is plain about cost and risk. If a bank said no, the B lender page explains the next tier. If you must pay for a new home before the old one sells, the bridge loan page shows how short and costly that route is.

Neighbours are covered on the Fredericton, Moncton and Halifax pages.

A calmer market, with plenty of choice

The New Brunswick board’s chair described September 2026 as a quieter month for sales with plenty of choice for buyers. Province-wide, new listings were nearly unchanged at 1,291, active listings were 4,049, up 5.8% and 14.1% above the five-year average, and months of inventory were 5.6, compared with a long-run average of 5.3. Saint John’s 3.3% sales gain came within that wider picture, not against it.

Lenders read a market like this in two ways. More choice for buyers means a lender may build a larger safety margin into the appraisal. A rise in Saint John sales, even a small one, suggests homes there are still changing hands. Neither reading replaces a lender’s own appraisal, and neither tells you what your street will do. If you are weighing a sale instead of a loan, the same numbers say you should expect buyers to compare several homes before choosing.

Ask for a written offer showing the amount, every fee and the term. If tax arrears are the reason, also ask the lender whether they will pay the city or province directly from the proceeds, so the debt is cleared and you hold the receipt. Do not rely on a verbal promise about that.

Choosing who to talk to in Saint John

Before you share documents, check the licence of any New Brunswick mortgage professional you speak with. A licensed one can compare lenders on your Saint John file. If you want someone to go through the numbers, open the options check.

A Saint John-area apartment at the provincial benchmark, with a $30,000 loan

The $293,100 value is the New Brunswick apartment MLS HPI benchmark for September 2026, used as a stand-in because no Saint John benchmark was published. The $180,000 first mortgage and $30,000 loan are made up. The 80% ceiling is the one the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada gives for a second mortgage.

Home value used
$293,100
Equity before the new loan
$113,100

$293,100 minus $180,000

80% of the home value
$234,480

$293,100 x 0.80

Combined loan-to-value with a $30,000 loan
71.6%

$210,000 divided by $293,100

Room left after the new loan
$24,480

$234,480 minus $210,000

Room under an 80% ceiling before the loan
$54,480

With a mid-sized balance there is $54,480 of room, so a $30,000 loan fits with a buffer. The buffer matters if the lender's appraisal is below the benchmark.

Illustration only. The figures are made up to show the arithmetic. They are not a quote, a rate or an offer.

A Saint John-area townhouse with a high first mortgage

The $286,800 value is the New Brunswick townhouse and row MLS HPI benchmark for September 2026, used as a stand-in because no Saint John benchmark was published. The $240,000 first mortgage and $20,000 requested loan are made up.

Home value used
$286,800
Equity before the new loan
$46,800

$286,800 minus $240,000

80% of the home value
$229,440

$286,800 x 0.80

Combined loan-to-value with a $20,000 loan
90.7%

$260,000 divided by $286,800

First mortgage already over the 80% ceiling by
$10,560

This owner has $46,800 of equity and no room under the usual ceiling. Equity on paper is not the same as a loan a lender can offer, and the honest answer may be a different plan.

Illustration only. The figures are made up to show the arithmetic. They are not a quote, a rate or an offer.

Questions people ask

How did Saint John sales rise while the rest of New Brunswick fell?

The September 2026 report shows Saint John sales up 3.3% from a year earlier, while the province was down 12.6% and Greater Moncton down 26.1%. The board gives no reason, and one month of data is a weak basis for a trend.

How does a New Brunswick property tax sale work?

Government pages say tax sale properties are auctioned quarterly in January, April, July and October, with a 30-day redemption period after the sale. The buyer pays the unpaid taxes, penalties and fees. Speak to a lawyer at once if a sale is pending.

Tax arrears in Saint John: can a second mortgage clear them?

It can, if there is room under the lender's ceiling and the lender agrees, and it adds a new debt secured on the same home. Compare the cost with a payment arrangement with the city or province before borrowing.

Townhouse or apartment in Saint John: which borrows more easily?

Neither is automatically easier. The provincial benchmarks in September 2026 were $286,800 for townhouses and $293,100 for apartments, close in price, and a lender looks at the building, the unit and your first mortgage.

Moving within Saint John: do I need a bridge loan?

Only if you must pay for a new home before the old one sells. A bridge loan is short and costly, so read the bridge loan page and ask your lawyer whether a closing date change would cost less.

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Sources