Every property we list, we own outright — so when you finance with us, you're dealing directly with the landowner, not a call centre. 10% down, 10% PA fixed, zero prepayment penalty, ever.
Firmground is the landowner and the lender. You buy directly from us on the same fixed terms as every other property we sell — no bank, no credit check, and no approval committee standing between you and a signed agreement. Read on for the full picture, or jump straight to whatever matters most to you above.
Expanded below to the full journey — not just the first three moves, but what reserves an actual lot, and what the years after closing actually look like.
Browse our live listings and submit a Land Purchase Order for the one you want — it opens your file with us and states your offer.
Lots go first-come, first-served — nothing is held informally. The moment your deposit is in, the parcel is pulled from the market for you.
We prepare your formal Land Purchase Agreement, complete with a full title search, for your (or your lawyer's) review and signature.
The moment your agreement is signed, the property is yours to use — camping, building, or simply enjoying it — with no waiting period.
Fixed 10% PA on your schedule, $0 prepayment penalty ever. At payoff, we discharge our interest or transfer title — see Paying Off Your Land.
Interest is calculated on the unpaid balance and payable every 6 months. An invoice is sent one month prior to your interest date, and your payment schedule begins on the 1st day of the month following acceptance of your order. Account balances may be paid out at any time with no penalty.
Owner financing, fully explained: what it actually is, how it stacks up against a bank, and what the payments look like on a real property — before you talk to anyone.
A traditional mortgage puts a stranger in the room with you and the seller — a bank that wants pay stubs, tax returns, and a credit score before it decides whether you're "worth the risk." Owner financing removes that stranger entirely. We own every property we list, outright. So when you buy from us, you're financing directly with the actual landowner — no underwriter, no committee, no algorithm deciding your fate from a call centre three provinces away. We set fair terms, you make payments straight to us, and the land is yours to use from day one. Same destination as a mortgage. Considerably fewer forms.
Banks remain well suited to conventional mortgage lending, with the infrastructure and oversight that process requires. For a straightforward land purchase without a full financial underwriting process, dealing directly with the landowner is often the more practical path — and with Firmground, that's exactly who you're dealing with. See our full bank comparison for every category, side by side.
Based on a recent 3-acre Cape Breton listing at $31,500 CAD, financed over 36 months. Your own numbers will vary by property and term — run yours in the calculator further down.
The same $28,350 balance at a few different terms — a shorter term means a higher payment and less total interest; a longer one spreads it thinner. Try your own price and term in the calculator below.
We built Own Your Land™ to eliminate the red tape of traditional lending — a fixed rate that never moves, no credit checks, and zero prepayment penalties, ever. Whether you follow the standard term or pay it off in half the time, you stay in complete control from the first payment to the last.
Every province and territory below is clickable. The three shown in red carry live inventory right now — and wherever you buy, it closes on the exact same Own Your Land™ terms you've been reading about: 10% down, 10% PA fixed, zero prepayment penalty, ever.
Financing doesn't change from province to province — only the land does. A quick look at where Own Your Land™ is active today:
4 lots currently listed, from coastal acreage to inland forest — the same 10% down, 10% PA terms as everywhere else on this page. View Land In Nova Scotia
Nothing listed at the moment, but the day it is, it'll carry the exact same terms. See the New Brunswick page
Nothing listed at the moment, but the day it is, it'll carry the exact same terms. See the Ontario page
Not in one of these three yet? Register your interest and we'll reach out the moment that changes — on the same terms, wherever you are.
See estimated payments under our standard financing terms — no property required, just run your own numbers.
* Estimates based on 10% PA calculated on the unpaid balance, plus applicable GST/HST for the selected province (an estimate only — confirm exact tax treatment with our team). Actual payments may vary. Contact our team for a personalised quote.
Want to compare multiple rates or see a full month-by-month amortization schedule? Try our standalone Owner Financing Calculator.
"The land is yours from day one" can mean two different legal things. Here's both, in plain English — your purchase agreement will say exactly which one applies to your property.
Title transfers to you right away at closing, exactly like a bank deal. We then register a mortgage (or "charge," depending on the province's land registry system) against that title as our security — the same tool a bank would use, just held by us instead.
You legally own the land from day one, subject to our registered claim until the balance is paid off.
Sometimes called a "contract for deed." Here we keep legal title until the full balance is paid, while you get possession, use, and an equitable interest in the property — recorded against title to protect you, using whichever instrument the province's land registry provides.
We sometimes prefer this structure, since holding title gives us extra security if a buyer defaults.
Want the legal detail behind both structures, plus how our process runs step by step? Read The Owner Financing Guide.
Canada's federal Interest Act (R.S.C. 1985, c. I-15) has applied to mortgage interest on real property since before most provinces existed in their current form. Section 6 is the one that matters to you as a buyer — and it's the actual reason our statements look the way they do.
Section 6 requires that interest on a mortgage secured against real property be expressed and calculated yearly or half-yearly, not in advance — not compounded monthly or blended in a way that obscures the real rate you're paying.
Your Own Your Land™ agreement charges a fixed 10% per annum on the unpaid balance, invoiced every six months — deliberately structured to sit inside the half-yearly rule, not around it, so what you owe is never a surprise.
If a financing agreement doesn't comply with Section 6, courts have stripped away the lender's right to charge any interest at all — principal only. That's the kind of protection worth checking for in any owner-financing agreement you're asked to sign, not just ours.
Not every owner-financing arrangement in Canada is run this carefully. Here's what to check for — with any seller, not just us.
No obligation to improve your property. Keep the land in its natural state for as long as you wish.
Rural land like ours is typically outside Canada's foreign buyer restrictions, and we welcome international investors from around the world — every parcel is different, so we confirm the specific status of any listing before you sign anything. See our Non-Resident Buyer's Guide.
Every sale includes a full title search, and our purchase agreement warrants clear title — free from prior debts, liens, or mortgages — with your interest recorded against the property's title as part of closing.
All relevant deeds and title documentation are maintained and available for your professional inspection at any time.
We offer comprehensive assistance with building permits to help streamline your construction process.
Payments accepted in CAD, USD, and EUR — see every accepted method just below.
We offer several convenient payment options, in CAD, USD, or EUR.
Two sets of rules matter for a non-resident buyer: a federal one about who can buy "residential property," and a provincial one about a tax on certain purchases. Neither was written with a rural acreage listing in mind.
Canada's Prohibition on the Purchase of Residential Property by Non-Canadians Act only restricts "residential property," and by regulation that excludes property outside a Census Metropolitan Area or Census Agglomeration — regardless of zoning. Rural acreage like ours typically sits outside those boundaries.
A 10% tax applies only to property "deemed residential." Undeveloped rural acreage with no residential assessment generally falls outside it, but classification is decided property-by-property — we'll confirm before you commit.
Because we're the lender, your nationality, residency, and credit history never enter the picture. We accept CAD, USD, and EUR by wire, e-transfer, credit card, or certified cheque.
For the full breakdown — what you'll need, what you won't, and taxes to know before you eventually sell — read The Non-Resident Buyer's Guide.
A bank's advertised rate assumes you clear their underwriting: a credit check, income verification, an appraisal, and weeks of waiting — with no guarantee of a yes. Our 10% PA is a flat, fixed rate with none of that: no credit check, no income proof, no approval risk, and it never changes over your term. You're not just paying for money, you're paying for directness and certainty. For a lot of buyers — especially first-time land buyers, non-residents, or anyone the banks have made things difficult for — that trade is worth it.
Call us before the due date, not after — a heads-up changes everything. Every payment carries a 15-day grace period from the due date, with no fee and no mark against you if it lands inside that window. If a payment is still outstanding after day 15 and we haven't heard from you, a flat $35 late fee applies — the same amount every time, never compounding. A single late payment isn't treated as a crisis; it's treated as a phone call.
You'd get written notice and a real opportunity to fix it before anything happens to your land — there's no silent repossession. If an account goes 90 days without a payment and without any contact from you, we send formal written notice of default by mail and email. That opens a 30-day cure period: pay what's owed, plus the standard $35 late fee, and your agreement continues exactly as it was. Only if the account is still unresolved after that cure period do we move to enforce the agreement, and how that's handled — including anything already paid toward your balance — follows the legal structure that applies to your property, as set out in your purchase agreement. In practice, the overwhelming majority of these situations get resolved with a phone call long before day 90.
Pay off any time — there is a $0 prepayment penalty on every property, always. Selling before payoff is possible too; reach out to our team early in that process so we can walk you through how your outstanding balance is settled as part of the sale. See our Paying Off Your Land guide for the full process.
Yes. Every sale includes a full title search, and our purchase agreement warrants clear title — free of prior debts, liens, or encumbrances — with your interest recorded against the property's title as part of closing. All deed and title documentation is available for your own lawyer or notary to inspect before you sign anything, and we strongly encourage it — it's the single best thing you can do to protect yourself.
We close out your file the same way it started — directly, with no bank in the middle. Under a Vendor Take-Back mortgage, we register a discharge of our mortgage against the title, confirming our security interest is fully satisfied and removed. Under an Agreement for Sale, we execute and register the transfer of legal title into your name. Either way, your final position is the same: land you hold outright, with a clean, unencumbered title. See our Paying Off Your Land guide for the full step-by-step process.
One of two ways, and your purchase agreement will say exactly which one applies to your property: a Vendor Take-Back mortgage, where you receive registered title immediately, subject to our security interest; or an Agreement for Sale, where you get immediate use while we hold title until your balance is paid off. Both are common, legitimate structures for owner-financed land in Canada — see our full Owner Financing Guide for the legal detail behind each.
Yes. Rural land like ours typically falls outside Canada's federal restrictions on non-resident buyers, and no Canadian credit history or residency is required to finance with us — every parcel is different, so we'll confirm the specific status of any listing before you sign anything. We accept payments in CAD, USD, and EUR specifically because a meaningful share of our buyers are financing from outside Canada. See our Non-Resident Buyer's Guide for the full picture.
No agent — you deal with us directly, which is the entire point of the model. A lawyer or notary is a different matter: we strongly encourage independent legal review of your purchase agreement before you sign, and we'll give your lawyer full access to the title search, deed, and agreement to look over. It isn't required by us, but it's the single best thing you can do to protect yourself.
Have a question that's not here? The full FAQ library is on our Common Questions page, or just ask our team directly.
Pulled straight from our full FAQ — the questions buyers ask once they're already picturing life on the land, not just the financing.
Yes. If you're interested in purchasing multiple properties, we're happy to work with you to create a financing plan that fits your goals — whether you're buying for investment, family use, or future development. Speak with our team to explore your options and structure a plan that works for you.
Yes, we can customize a payment schedule tailored to your budget and financial situation. You choose your own term — from 12 months out to 96 months or more — and we work with you to keep the monthly number realistic. Contact our team to discuss your goals and financial preferences, or try our full Owner Financing Calculator — complete with a month-by-month amortization schedule — to see the numbers for yourself.
In most cases, yes — once your purchase agreement is signed, the land is yours to use, subject to whatever municipal zoning and building permit rules apply to that specific parcel. Some rural zoning allows a seasonal camp, RV, or mobile home outright; others require a permit first. We'll tell you upfront what applies to your property, and we offer permit assistance if you need help navigating the process.
Yes — like any landowner, you're responsible for ongoing municipal property tax on your parcel, regardless of which financing structure applies to your purchase. This is a standard contractual term, not something unique to owner financing.
Yes, we consider trade-ins on a case-by-case basis. If you have a property, vehicle, equipment, or other assets of value, we're open to exploring trade opportunities as part of your land purchase. Every trade is assessed individually based on market value, condition, and relevance. If you're interested in this option, reach out to our team with details about what you'd like to offer, and we'll be happy to discuss the possibilities.
Yes — we can set up recurring automatic payments by pre-authorized bank transfer at no additional cost. It's the simplest way to make sure a payment is never late by accident, and you can switch back to manual payments at any time by letting our team know.
That's a sample, not the whole list — the full FAQ covers everything else too, from listing photos and virtual tours to immigration status and non-resident specifics.
The four full guides below cover everything on this page in depth. Beneath them, the complete library — 30 quick-read articles on soil, zoning, pricing, legal basics, and more. Search to jump straight to what you need.
How owner financing actually works under Canadian law, the Interest Act rule that protects you as a buyer, what real buyer protection looks like, and exactly how our Own Your Land™ process runs from browsing to payoff.
Read The Full GuideThe federal foreign buyer rules, Nova Scotia's non-resident deed transfer tax, what you'll actually need (and won't), and how financing works from anywhere in the world — no visit required.
Read The Full GuideWhat actually happens at the finish line — the discharge or title transfer, the step-by-step payoff process, what you should get in writing, and an estimator for what an early payoff would save you.
Read The Full GuideThe complete side-by-side comparison — credit checks, paperwork, closing costs, prepayment penalties, and an honest answer on which path actually fits you.
Read The Full Guide30 Articles
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No credit check, no bank approval, no waiting weeks for an answer. Browse what's available or talk it through with our team first — either way, there's no obligation.