Being a first-time home buyer in Toronto can be a challenge with detached homes going for close to $1 million. To get in the market at that level, your household income needs to top six figures and you’ll need a sizable chunk for a down payment and your closing costs.

If you’re just entering the real estate market for the first time those costs can seem impossible but there are ways to get a piece of the rock as a first timer. For starters, why not consider a condo? This more economical choice gets you into the market and lets you build equity while your property value increases as you pay down the mortgage. As your income also increases over time you will be in a position to trade up and move into, say, a semi-detached home.

As for how to calculate how much you can afford, the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) suggests that your monthly housing costs not exceed more than 32 per cent of your gross monthly income. The CMHC deems housing costs as your mortgage payment, interest, property taxes and heating costs, also known by the acronym PITH. So if you and your spouse make $120,000 per year, your total monthly housing costs (PITH) should not exceed $3,200 per month.

The CMHC’s other rule is that your entire monthly debt load should not exceed more than 40 per cent of your gross monthly income. So if with other loans and credit card debt plus your housing costs, your debt load exceeds, in this scenario, more than $4,000 each month lending institutions may look upon your file unfavourably.

Know that help is available. If you are looking to buy in Toronto, there are four first-time home buyer programs available thanks to federal, provincial and municipal governments:

1. The federal Home Buyers’ Plan is a program that lets you withdraw up to $25,000 per year in RRSPs to buy or build a home. With your partner, that could be as much as $50,000.
2. The federal First-Time Home Buyers’ Tax Credit is a rebate of approximately $750 to help first-time home purchasers with costs such as legal fees and land transfer taxes.
3. The Ontario land transfer tax rebate is a new program instituted by the province to assist first-time buyers with a refund on all or part of the tax.
4. The Toronto Municipal Land Transfer Tax Rebate is a reimbursement program of up to $3,725 that applies to first-time purchasers of both new and existing homes.

Before you begin visiting open houses you probably should get pre-approved for a mortgage. The reason this is important is that it will help guide you when house hunting. There is nothing worse than thinking you can afford a certain price and then finding out that that is not the case. Based on monthly income, your down payment and the mortgage interest rate, you can figure out what you can afford thanks to mortgage affordability calculators, which are available online. Also, don’t forget to account for the other costs associated with buying a home. These include property insurance, condo fees, home inspections, appraisal fees, legal fees and moving expenses.

Finally, if you don’t have a second income to rely on or if your total household income isn’t enough and you still really want to purchase a home consider doing so with a friend or another family. While this would clearly pose numerous challenges and you’d need a real estate lawyer to manage all the scenarios (how are home maintenance expenses divided and what if one side decides to sell?), this set-up is one way to get your foot in the door. Remember it doesn’t have to be forever and it may be your first step toward financial independence.