20% is the barrier of entry in Canada.Rarely do I see short term scenarios where a bank will fund a project with less, and the one I have seen was a very special circumstance.Relationships with private lenders will give you your downpayment if you find a property in your target market that justifies their investment.The new Federal Government incentive doesn't help much but may be an option to consider.

Dan  Na you need government oversight.

Assisted Living using government aide may be an option.

I have lots of construction background and business experience in government but no actual RE experience other than the purchase, rehab, and sell of our current home.

Canadians may not pay that much more (taxes) than Americans — and, on occasion, as a nation, they have even paid less — but they do get a lot more from their government in terms of social services.

The reason behind that is because you're technically giving the government a tax free loan for 1 year from April to April and that it's better to get more from each paycheck and just pay at the end of the year.

I have lots of construction background and business experience in government but no actual RE experience other than the purchase, rehab, and sell of our current home.

@Roderick Gunn, for local government liens (such as grass cutting, demolition, sewer assessment, fire dues and library dues are the most common) the local government lien trumps the tax sale.

This process also doesn't happen over night (its the government you're working with) but I can give you a break down of how everything went.The home owner contacted the fire dept. over a month in advance to before we ever stepped foot on the property.The house had been gutted of every single appliance in it (water heater, stove, dishwasher etc.) prior to the fire dept arriving,the Fire dept does not pay for the clean up for the property after the burn (at least our county doesn't)This is for a very specific situation but there are perks for the home owner for the demolition of the property.

@Daniel B. dude I recommend working with a CPA, not so much for the detailed answers they can give to your questions but so you can proactively strategize how to legally give the government as little of your money as possible.