Greater Moncton Real Estate Blog

There is a question that comes up on almost every call I get from out-of-province buyers considering a cottage near Shediac or a rental property in Moncton.

"Are the property taxes really that bad?"

The answer is: it depends entirely on whether that property is your principal residence. And most people asking the question don't know those two situations are taxed differently in New Brunswick. Very differently.

New Brunswick is the only province in Canada with this structure. Worth understanding before you run the numbers on a beach house.

THE SHORT VERSION

If the property is your principal residence, the provincial residential property tax is offset by the Residential Property Tax Credit. Most owner-occupied homeowners in Greater Moncton effectively pay only their municipal rate.

If the property is not your principal residence (a rental, a cottage, a second home, an investment property), you pay the municipal rate AND the provincial rate on top. That provincial rate is $0.5617 per $100 of assessed value, set under the Real Property Tax Act and confirmed by the Government of New Brunswick.

That is the double tax people talk about. It is not a myth, and it is not small.

WHAT IT ACTUALLY COSTS

The math is simple. Take the assessed value of the property, divide by 100, multiply by $0.5617. That is the extra provincial charge per year, on top of whatever the municipal rate is.

• On a $350,000 assessed property: roughly $1,966 per year extra.

• On a $400,000 assessed property: roughly $2,247 per year extra.

• On a $500,000 assessed property: roughly $2,809 per year extra.

Note the word "assessed." For the 2026 taxation year, New Brunswick froze the value for taxation at 2025 levels for many eligible properties. There are exceptions, including property transfers, new construction, major improvements, and changes in use. Confirm the assessed value applicable to your purchase with Service New Brunswick.

The municipal rate varies by area: Moncton, Shediac, Dieppe, and rural communities all have different rates. The provincial piece above is the constant. If you want to see what properties in each area are currently selling for before you run your numbers, the monthly market update breaks it down by community. Budget for all of it before you make an offer.

WHO THIS APPLIES TO

If any of these describe the property you are buying, you pay both the municipal rate and the provincial rate:

• A rental property (single unit, duplex, or otherwise)

• A vacation or seasonal property

• A second home you do not live in as your principal residence

• A property you own but rent out while living elsewhere

• A property sitting vacant

The simple test: is this where you actually live, full-time, as your principal address? If yes, you qualify for the Residential Property Tax Credit. If no, you pay both.

WHO THIS DOES NOT APPLY TO

If you are relocating to New Brunswick (leaving Ontario or Alberta behind and making this your actual home), the double tax does not apply to you. Qualifying principal residences receive the Residential Property Tax Credit. Your lawyer handles the paperwork at closing, but confirm your tax status with Service New Brunswick after possession.

This is the part that trips up relocators who hear "NB has a double property tax" and assume it applies to them. It does not, as long as the property they are buying is where they plan to actually live.

If you are moving here and still own property back in Ontario, that Ontario property continues under Ontario's rules. The NB property you move into becomes your principal residence and gets the credit here.

HOW THIS IS DIFFERENT FROM THE LAND TRANSFER TAX

These are two separate things and people confuse them constantly.

The land transfer tax in New Brunswick is 1% of the purchase price or the assessed value, whichever is higher. It is paid once, at closing, by the buyer. It applies regardless of whether the property is owner-occupied or not.

The non-owner-occupied provincial property tax is annual. It shows up on your property tax bill every year as long as the property is not your principal residence.

On a $400,000 purchase: the land transfer tax is roughly $4,000, paid once. The non-owner-occupied provincial tax is roughly $2,247 per year, every year. At a ten-year hold, that is $22,470 in additional provincial tax over the life of the investment, not counting any assessment increases.

Run both numbers before you decide this investment makes sense.

WHAT THIS MEANS FOR THE SHEDIAC BEACH HOUSE

The Shediac short-term rental conversation comes up constantly right now, because Parlee Beach is real and the Airbnb income projections look good on paper. Here is where the double tax matters most.

If you are buying a cottage in Shediac as a short-term rental (meaning it is not your principal residence), you are paying both rates on that property every year. Add that to your carrying costs before you model the income. The people who get burned on cottage investments are almost always the ones who projected revenue without projecting every line of cost.

The double tax is one of several things that make a Shediac investment more complicated than the listing photos suggest. Zoning, coastal setbacks, and the actual permit picture for short-term rentals are the others. A separate post for another week.

THE QUESTIONS I GET ASKED MOST

Do I pay the higher rate if I move from Ontario to New Brunswick?

No. If the New Brunswick property becomes your principal residence, you generally qualify for the Residential Property Tax Credit. The higher provincial rate applies to properties that are not your principal residence.

Does buying a rental property here mean my taxes double?

Not exactly. You pay your municipal rate plus the provincial residential property tax that owner-occupied homes do not pay, which works out to roughly $0.5617 per $100 of assessed value. On a typical rental property in Greater Moncton that is a meaningful additional annual cost.

Can I change from non-owner-occupied to owner-occupied?

Yes. If you move into the property as your principal residence, your status can change once Service New Brunswick has the updated information. Your lawyer will normally handle this at closing if it applies to you.

CONFIRM YOUR OWN SITUATION

The rate confirmed here ($0.5617 per $100) is the provincial rate as set under the Real Property Tax Act, effective January 2023, and in effect for 2026. Municipal rates change annually, so your total bill depends on which area you are buying in.

To confirm your specific property's assessed value and estimated tax: Service New Brunswick property assessment.

For questions about how the credit applies to your situation, Service NB at 1-888-762-8600 is the right call. Confirming your tax status with a New Brunswick real estate lawyer before you close is also worth the ten minutes.

Thinking about buying a cottage, rental, or second home in New Brunswick? Send me the address. I'll estimate the carrying costs with you before you make an offer, including the property tax implications.

Call or text 506-852-6477. No pressure, just straight answers.

Strong Roots - Smart Moves

Shane MacPherson | REALTOR® | eXp Realty 506-852-6477

One region. Four markets. Thirteen sub-markets. And the leaderboard just flipped.

On paper, the July 2026 CREA numbers describe a region that is boringly balanced. Zoom in one level and it is anything but. Dieppe, which spent June behaving like it was 2021, finally calmed down. Riverview quietly became the hottest urban market and forgot to tell anyone. And the coast pulled off the neatest trick in the report: Shediac town froze solid while Cap-Pelé had its best month in a year, two places a short drive apart doing the exact opposite.

Here is the whole thing, minus the fluff and minus the spin.

How the ratings work. Every area below gets a rating based on inventory, days on market, and how close sellers are getting to asking price:

• HOT: sellers in control, come prepared

• WARM: still favours sellers, but buyers can breathe

• BALANCED: fair fight

• COOLING: buyers gaining leverage

• COLD: buyers hold the cards, and they know it

• TOO SMALL TO RATE: fewer than 10 sales this month, and I won't pretend a handful of transactions is a trend

GREATER MONCTON AT A GLANCE: BALANCED

316 sales (down 5.1%) | Average $383,611 (down 0.5%) | Median $362,000 (up 2.0%) | 4.9 months of inventory | 38 days to sell | Sellers getting 97% of asking

More listings, slower pace, prices that went sideways. That is the regional story, and it is the least interesting part of this report. Active listings hit 1,558, so buyers have the most choice they have had in years. The sales-to-new-listings ratio sits at 55.5%, which is textbook balanced. Anyone who tells you "the Moncton market" is hot or cold as one single thing is either not paying attention or selling you something.

One number to watch: the MLS® HPI benchmark ($384,300) is up 6.1% on the year and up a rounding error (0.1%) for the month. Last month's scary one-month dip? Gone. One-month moves are noise. Ignore anyone building a doomsday out of thirty days of data.

MONCTON: COOLING

94 sales (down 16.1%) | Average $400,592 (up 4.6%) | Median $386,250 (up 8.8%) | 5.2 months of inventory | 36.5 days | 97.4% of asking

Still the slowest of the three urban markets. Sales down 16% from last July, inventory sitting above the regional average, and sellers giving up about $10,000 off list on a typical home. Prices are up year over year, so this is not a crash, it is a market that stopped rushing. A year ago you could not breathe in here. Now you can.

Moncton North: BALANCED 40 sales | Average $414,732 | 4.1 months | 39 days Busiest sub-market in the city, again. Prices flat to slightly soft year over year, but 40 sales in a month is not a demand problem.

Moncton East: BALANCED 27 sales | Average $409,033 | 5.1 months | 35 days The weird one. Inventory is up 28% from last year, yet whatever sells is getting 99.4% of asking and the median jumped 17%. Translation: priced right, it flies. Priced on hope, it sits and becomes the comp that makes the next seller look reasonable.

Moncton Center: COLD 26 sales | Average $366,439 | 7.0 months | 37 days 182 listings, 26 sales, 95% of asking, seven months of inventory. This is the buyer's market everyone keeps asking me if we have. We do. It has an address, and this is it.

Moncton West: TOO SMALL TO RATE 1 sale | Average $495,000 One sale is not a market. It is an anecdote.

Buying in Moncton: negotiate like you mean it, especially in Center. Selling: your comps are from the last 90 days, not from the summer of 2024 you keep quoting me.

DIEPPE: WARM

52 sales (down 5.5%) | Average $442,899 (up 7.9%) | Median $412,400 (up 15.0%) | 3.7 months of inventory | 38.5 days | 97.4% of asking

Dieppe finally got the memo. In June it ran hot with sales up 45% and acted like the rules did not apply to it. In July sales slipped, inventory climbed to 3.7 months, days on market stretched to 38, and it rejoined the rest of us. Still the priciest urban market, still healthy, just no longer sprinting. If June's bidding wars scared you off, this is a far more civilized room to shop in.

Dieppe Fox Creek: HOT 22 sales | Average $466,695 | 2.9 months | 37 days Tightest inventory in Dieppe at 2.9 months and 98.2% of asking. Still a seller's sub-market. It is just not the 19-day sprint it was in June, which is a polite way of saying the panic buying stopped.

Dieppe Chartersville: WARM 15 sales | Average $444,163 | 4.5 months | 25 days Called this one last month. I said the supply was coming and the window was now. The supply came: listings up 66%, inventory up to 4.5 months. What sells still sells in 25 days at 99% of asking, so the sellers who listed are fine. The ones still holding out for a better market are watching it walk the other way.

Dieppe Center: BALANCED 13 sales | Average $429,115 | 4.3 months | 39 days Softest sale-to-list in Dieppe at 95.6%. Buyers here have room, and unlike a year ago, they are actually using it.

Dieppe East: TOO SMALL TO RATE 2 sales | Average $261,250 Two sales. Next.

Buying in Dieppe: you have options and time you did not have in June, use both. Selling: presentation still matters at these prices. A buyer writing a $450,000 cheque expects $450,000 of house, not a promise and a fresh coat of "we'll get to that."

RIVERVIEW: HOT

36 sales (up 24.1%) | Average $405,521 (up 9.3%) | Median $364,250 (down 0.2%) | 2.3 months of inventory | 28.5 days | 98.3% of asking

While everyone was watching Dieppe cool off, Riverview quietly took over. Sales up 24% while most of the region slowed down. It sold 36 homes against 42 new listings and sits at 2.3 months of inventory, the tightest in Greater Moncton. This is the one market where "let me sleep on it" is how you lose the house.

Riverview West: HOT 17 sales | Average $377,971 | 2.0 months | 24 days Two months of inventory, 24 days to sell. Same story as June. Still where the action is, still no time for games.

Riverview East: HOT 15 sales | Average $422,891 | 1.5 months | 59 days It sold 15 homes against 8 new listings. Not a typo. It sold nearly twice what came on the market. Inventory is down to 1.5 months and sellers are getting 98.9% of asking. The 59-day average days on market looks slow until you notice that with only 15 sales, one or two long-sitting listings finally clearing drags the whole number up. This is exactly the stat a lazy agent quotes to talk you into overpricing ("relax, homes take two months here") while the good ones quietly sell in a weekend. Watch the inventory, not the calendar.

Riverview Center: TOO SMALL TO RATE 4 sales | Average $457,475 Four sales. Not a trend, and I am not going to dress it up as one.

Buying in Riverview: be decision-ready or be a backup offer, especially in the West. Selling: you have the strongest hand in the region. That is not a licence to overprice, it is a licence to price right and let the phone ring.

SHEDIAC AND THE COAST: COLD

20 sales (down 37.5%) | Average $405,953 (down 9.5%) | Median $347,450 (down 4.0%) | 9.0 months of inventory | 37.5 days | 98.5% of asking

Now the part of the report someone will absolutely try to spin. The coast is the coldest market here, and it is not close. Nine months of inventory. 180 listings against 20 sales. Sales down 37% from last July. There are nine homes sitting for every one that sells. If anyone tells you the Shediac market is "strong right now," ask them to explain nine months of inventory, then watch them change the subject.

Shediac East / Cap-Pelé: BALANCED 12 sales | Average $367,433 | 4.7 months | 52 days The plot twist. While Shediac town froze, Cap-Pelé had its best month in a year. Sales doubled, and inventory dropped from over eight months a year ago to under five. Two coastal markets a short drive apart, heading in opposite directions. This is why "the coast" is not a thing you can price a house against. Cap-Pelé is not Shediac, and July proved it.

Buying on the coast: the most leverage you have had in years, especially in Shediac proper. Anything sitting past 60 days is not a firm price, it is an opening bid. Selling in Shediac: aspirational summer pricing does exactly one thing in this market, and that is produce a stale listing followed by the price cut you could have led with. Price to nine months of competition, or price to the summer in your head. Only one of those sells.

MY TAKE: THE NUMBER SOMEONE WILL DEFINITELY GET WRONG

The regional average price is down 0.5% from last year. Give it a week and someone turns that into "Moncton house prices are falling," probably in a Facebook comment, probably in capital letters.

They are wrong. The median is up 2.0% and the HPI benchmark, which is the cleanest number we have, is up 6.1% on the year. Two of the three price measures went up. The average slipped for a boring reason: the pricier markets went quiet this month (Moncton sales down 16%, Dieppe down 5.5%), so fewer high-end sales dragged the average down. That is a math quirk, not your home losing value.

The average price is the least reliable number in the entire report, and the easiest one to weaponize. It tells you what sold last month, not what your house is worth today. If a stat ever gets used to talk you into a lower list price, it will be this one. When the average and the median disagree, trust the median. When you actually need the answer, trust neither and get someone to pull your real comps.

THE BOTTOM LINE

• Buying in Riverview: move fast, skip the games.

• Buying in Moncton Center or Shediac: take your time and negotiate like you have all the leverage, because you do.

• Selling anywhere: your first three weeks decide everything. Price to the market you are in, not the one you were in two years ago.

The regional average applies perfectly to nobody. Your street, your price range, and your timeline are the only stats that matter, and none of them fit in a headline.

I read all 365 pages of this report so you don't have to. If you want to know what page your house is on, call or text 506-852-6477. No pressure, just straight answers.

Strong Roots - Smart Moves

Shane MacPherson | REALTOR® | eXp Realty (506) 852-6477

Source: CREA Moncton and Area Residential Market Activity and MLS® HPI Report, July 2026. Sub-areas with fewer than 10 monthly sales are flagged rather than rated, because small samples make unreliable trends.

One region. Four markets. Thirteen sub-markets. And they are not doing the same thing.

The June 2026 CREA numbers show a region that has downshifted from a seller's sprint to a negotiation. But zoom in one level and the picture splits hard: parts of Dieppe and Riverview are still running hot while chunks of Moncton and the coast have gone quiet.

Here is the whole thing, minus the fluff.

How the ratings work. Every area below gets a rating based on inventory, days on market, and how close sellers are getting to asking price:

• HOT: sellers in control, come prepared

• WARM: still favours sellers, but buyers can breathe

• BALANCED: fair fight

• COOLING: buyers gaining leverage

• COLD: buyers hold the cards

• TOO SMALL TO RATE: fewer than 10 sales this month, and I won't pretend a handful of transactions is a trend

GREATER MONCTON AT A GLANCE: BALANCED

323 sales (down 4.7%) | Average $396,016 (up 1.4%) | Median $375,000 (flat) | 4.5 months of inventory | 36 days to sell | Sellers getting 97% of asking

More choice, slower pace, flat prices. That is the whole regional story in nine words. With 1,466 active listings, the most June inventory in years, buyers are comparison shopping and sellers are negotiating, not dictating.

One number worth flagging: the MLS® HPI benchmark ($384,100) dipped 5% in one month but is up 6.2% on the year. One-month moves are noise. Ignore anyone panicking about it.

MONCTON: COOLING

88 sales (down 13.7%) | Average $399,136 (down 3.2%) | Median $380,000 | 5.2 months of inventory | 38 days | 96.7% of asking

The softest of the three urban markets. Sellers are giving up over 3% off list on average, roughly $13,000 on a typical home. That negotiating room did not exist two years ago.

Moncton North: BALANCED 38 sales | Average $433,335 | 3.9 months | 41 days Busiest sub-market in the city. Prices softened 7%, but demand is real.

Moncton East: COOLING 23 sales | Average $428,624 | 5.7 months | 37 days Active inventory up 90% from last year. Sellers here need sharp pricing.

Moncton Center: COLD 22 sales | Average $318,814 | 7.8 months | 31 days 171 active listings, 22 sales, 95.1% of asking. The buyer's market everyone keeps asking about? It lives here.

Moncton West: TOO SMALL TO RATE 5 sales | Average $357,000 Five sales is a coincidence, not a trend.

Buying in Moncton: negotiate with confidence, especially in Center and East. Selling: your comps are from the last 90 days, not from 2024. Price like it.

DIEPPE: HOT

61 sales (up 45.2%) | Average $491,874 (up 4.8%) | Median $444,900 | 3.1 months of inventory | 29 days | 98.2% of asking

Dieppe did not get the cooling memo. Sales up 45% while the rest of the region slowed. Most expensive urban market and still the most competitive.

Fox Creek: HOT 19 sales | Average $537,979 | 3.2 months | 19 days Sales nearly tripled. Nineteen days to sell at 99% of asking. Hottest sub-market in the region, full stop.

Chartersville: HOT 21 sales | Average $511,167 | 3.0 months | 23 days Strong and fast, but new listings jumped 169%. Supply is coming. Sellers, your window is now.

Dieppe Center: WARM 19 sales | Average $442,853 | 3.1 months | 43 days Sales are up, but 43 days to sell tells you buyers are choosy. Priced right it moves, priced hopeful it sits.

Dieppe East: TOO SMALL TO RATE 2 sales | Average $317,000 Two sales. Moving on.

Buying in Dieppe: pre-approval locked, decision-ready, no lowballing fresh listings. Selling: best conditions in the region, but buyers paying $500K expect $500K presentation.

RIVERVIEW: WARM

40 sales (down 4.8%) | Average $408,565 (up 2.4%) | Median $377,450 (up 6.1%) | 2.3 months of inventory | 34 days | 97.6% of asking

Riverview sold more homes than it listed in June: 40 sales against 39 new listings. Tightest inventory in Greater Moncton. But buyers have gotten price-sensitive. Sellers were getting over 100% of asking a year ago. Now it's 97.6%. Scarcity is not a blank cheque anymore.

Riverview West: HOT 23 sales | Average $411,530 | 1.7 months | 21 days Sold more than it listed. Twenty-one days. This is where the action is.

Riverview East: WARM 10 sales | Average $396,100 | 3.1 months | 38 days Solid but slowing. Inventory up nearly 50% from last June.

Riverview Center: BALANCED 7 sales | Average $416,629 | 2.9 months | 55 days Low inventory but 55 days to sell and 96% of asking. Buyers here are patient. Sellers shouldn't be greedy.

Buying in Riverview: hesitate a week on a good listing in the West and you're writing a backup offer. Selling: you still have the edge, just not a 2021 edge.

SHEDIAC AND THE COAST: COOLING

23 sales (down 32.4%) | Average $435,087 (up 7.7%) | Median $423,000 (up 8.3%) | 7.0 months of inventory | 45 days | 98.2% of asking

The most misread market in the report, which is why it gets its own section below. Sales down a third, days on market more than doubled (20.5 last June, 45 now), seven months of inventory. That is buyer's market territory on the coast for the first time in years. Quality properties still command strong prices. Everything else sits.

Shediac East / Cap Pele: TOO SMALL TO RATE 4 sales | Average $348,725 | 13.5 months Four sales and over a year of inventory. Small numbers, but the direction is unmistakable.

Buying on the coast: the most leverage you've had in five years. Anything sitting past 45 days is a conversation worth having. Selling: aspirational summer pricing worked in 2021. In 2026 it produces a stale listing and a price reduction. Price it right or wait a year.

MY TAKE: THE NUMBER EVERYONE WILL READ WRONG

Shediac's average price is up 7.7%. The coast is booming, right?

No. When only 23 homes sell in a month, the average tells you which homes sold, not what homes are worth. A few strong waterfront sales drag the number up while the market softens underneath. Days on market doubled. Inventory hit seven months. Those are not boom numbers.

In thin markets, trust days on market and inventory over average price. Every time. Price data tells you about the past. Inventory data tells you about your negotiation.

THE BOTTOM LINE

• Buying in Dieppe or Riverview West: move fast, no games.

• Buying in Moncton Center or Shediac: take your time, negotiate hard.

• Selling anywhere: your first three weeks decide everything. Price to today's market, not last year's memory.

The regional average applies perfectly to nobody. Your street, your price range and your timeline are what actually matter, and that analysis takes a conversation, not a stats sheet.

I read all 365 pages of this report so you don't have to. If you want to know what page your house is on, call or text 506-852-6477. No pressure, just straight answers.

Strong Roots - Smart Moves

Shane MacPherson | REALTOR® | eXp Realty (506) 852-6477

Source: CREA Moncton and Area Residential Market Activity and MLS® HPI Report, June 2026. Sub-areas with fewer than 10 monthly sales are flagged rather than rated, because small samples make unreliable trends.

My sellers just spent $10,000 fixing up a house they didn't even live in anymore.

It was the best money they spent all year, and I can prove it with the numbers. Even by the most conservative math, that $10,000 came back as more than $33,000 at the closing table.

The Story

Back in 2019, I helped a young couple buy their first home, a semi-detached in Riverview. We stayed in touch over the years, and this spring they called me. They were moving out to the country, they had a baby on the way, and it was time to sell.

The house was 16 years old and it showed. Dated paint colours, worn flooring in the basement, dinged up baseboards, and all the normal wear and tear that piles up when you're busy living your life instead of maintaining a showpiece.

There was one more thing, and it's the thing nobody wants to talk about: pets. This was a home with big dogs and cats, and it smelled like it. Chewed baseboards, scratched trim, damaged paint, and a strong animal odour throughout the house. If you have pets, you know exactly what I mean, and you also know that you stop noticing it in your own home. Buyers notice it in the first ten seconds.

Nothing here was unusual. Nothing was broken. Just a house that had been thoroughly lived in.

When I did the evaluation, I gave them two numbers.

Sell it as-is: list in the $324,900 to $329,900 range, and be prepared for it to sit.

Do the work first: list at $364,900.

That's a gap of $35,000 to $40,000 on paper. The estimated cost to close that gap was about $10,000.

What They Did

They took the advice. Here's what the $10,000 covered:

A professional painter went through the whole house, which handled the dated colours and the pet-damaged walls in one shot. The house was professionally deep cleaned top to bottom (windows, walls, baseboards, trim), and then cleaned a second time, because one pass does not get pet odour out of a home. New flooring and baseboard trim went into the basement level, which took care of the worst of the wear and the chewed trim. The basement stairs were cleaned and painted, mini splits were serviced/repaired and a new dishwasher was credited in the sale. The deck got pressure washed and the yard was cleaned up.

None of this was a renovation. No kitchen gut, no new bathroom, no additions. Just paint, cleaning, flooring, maintenance on existing appliances, and elbow grease.

And here's the part that matters: when we listed, the smell was gone. Completely. Buyers walked into a home that felt cared for instead of walking in, wrinkling their nose, and mentally knocking $30,000 off their offer before they'd seen the second bedroom.

The Result

We listed at $364,900.

We had an accepted offer in 8 days.

Final sale price: $363,000. That's 99.5% of list price.

Run the math, and let's use the conservative version. Even if the as-is listing had sold at the very top of that range, $329,900, they still sold for about $33,000 more by doing the work. After covering every dollar of the $10,000 in prep, they put over $23,000 extra in their pocket. Compare against the bottom of the range and it's closer to $28,000. Either way, every dollar they spent came back at least double.

And that's the optimistic version of the as-is scenario. In reality, an as-is listing in today's market probably doesn't sell at the top of its range, or at list at all. It sits, it gets stale, buyers start asking what's wrong with it, and the eventual offers come in well below asking. The real gap was likely bigger than these numbers show.

Why This Matters Right Now

The Greater Moncton market has shifted. Buyers have more options than they did a year ago, and they know it.

Here's what that looks like in practice. Buyers walk through an as-is listing and make a list of everything that needs doing. Paint, flooring, that railing, the deck. Then their agent takes that list and uses it to justify a lowball offer. And they're not offering you the cost of the repairs off the price. They're offering the cost of the repairs plus the hassle plus a margin for the unknown. A $10,000 prep job becomes a $30,000 or $40,000 price reduction in a buyer's offer.

In a hot market, sellers could skip the prep and buyers would compete anyway. That market is gone. Right now, the homes that sit are the ones where the seller decided the buyer could deal with it.

What This Means If You're Thinking About Selling

When your REALTOR walks through your home and tells you it needs work before it hits the market, that's not criticism and it's not them being picky. That's them protecting your money.

A good listing agent should be able to give you two honest numbers: what your home is worth as-is, and what it's worth after the right prep. Then you can decide if the gap is worth the investment. Sometimes it isn't. Sometimes the work costs more than it returns, and as-is is the smart play. But you can't make that call without both numbers.

That two-price evaluation is exactly what I did for these sellers, and it's what I do for every seller I work with.

Frequently Asked Questions

Should I renovate my house before selling it in Greater Moncton?

Usually no, not in the full renovation sense. Major renovations like kitchens and bathrooms rarely return their full cost at sale. What does pay off is prep: paint, deep cleaning, flooring repairs, fixing the obvious wear and tear. The example above returned at least $2 for every $1 spent, and none of it was renovation.

What does selling a house as-is mean?

It means listing the home in its current condition with no repairs or prep work done. Buyers see everything, and in a balanced or buyer-leaning market, they price everything into their offer, usually with a heavy margin on top.

Can I sell a house with pet smell?

You can, but it will cost you far more than fixing it would. Pet odour is one of the fastest ways to lose a buyer, and most won't tell you that's the reason. They just don't come back. The fix is usually not complicated: professional deep cleaning (sometimes twice), fresh paint, and replacing any flooring that's absorbed odour. If you've lived with pets for years, assume you can't smell your own home accurately and get an honest outside opinion before listing.

How do I know if the prep work is worth the cost?

Get both numbers from your REALTOR: the as-is value and the after-prep value. Compare the gap to the estimated cost of the work. If the gap is meaningfully bigger than the cost, the work is worth doing. If it's not, list as-is with your eyes open.

How long does it take to sell a house in Moncton right now?

It depends heavily on condition and pricing. Well-prepped, accurately priced homes are still selling quickly. The home in this example sold in 8 days. As-is listings and overpriced listings are the ones sitting.

Thinking about selling? Before you list, get the full picture. My free Seller's Guide walks through the entire process, including real closing cost numbers for New Brunswick, so you know exactly what to expect.

[Download the Seller's Guide]

A client asked me recently if they really needed a home inspection on a brand new townhouse in Moncton. It was covered by a new home warranty, the builder had a solid reputation, and the home had just been completed. Why bother?

I told them the same thing I tell everyone: yes, get the inspection.

Here's why.

New home warranty is not the same as due diligence

New Brunswick new construction homes come with a warranty program that covers defects in materials and workmanship, structural issues, and a few other categories depending on the builder and program. That protection is real and it matters.

But a warranty is something you use after a problem shows up. A home inspection is how you find problems before they become your problem.

Those are two very different things.

Trades are busy. Schedules are tight. Things get missed.

We have excellent builders in Greater Moncton. I work with them regularly and I mean that. But homes are built by people, and people work under pressure. Schedules get compressed. Trades are stretched thin. And sometimes things get missed.

I recently did a walk-through on a 2024 townhouse and found a missing firewall between units. Not a cosmetic issue. A code requirement that affects fire safety and, depending on your insurance company, could affect your coverage.

The builder didn't try to hide it. It just got missed. It happens.

A home inspector would have caught it. That's exactly what they're there for.

A good inspector teaches you about your home

Here's something buyers don't always think about: a home inspection on a new build isn't just about finding defects. It's also one of the best ways to learn how your home actually works.

Where's the shut-off valve? How does the HRV system operate? What maintenance does the builder recommend for the first year? A good home inspector walks you through all of it, and that knowledge is worth something on its own.

First-time buyers especially benefit from this. You're not just buying a house, you're taking on responsibility for a building. Understanding the systems before you move in puts you in a much better position.

What a home inspector looks at on new construction

The focus is a bit different than on a resale home. With new construction, an inspector typically looks at:

Structural components: framing, foundation, roof
Mechanical systems: HVAC, HRV, plumbing, electrical
Building envelope: insulation, vapour barrier, windows, doors
Fire separation between units (in townhouses and semis)
Grading and drainage around the foundation
Any visible code or workmanship concerns

They're not checking for wear and tear. They're checking for missed steps, installation errors, and anything that could become a problem down the road.

When to book the inspection

Most standard agreements of purchase and sale in New Brunswick already include an inspection clause. What you want to do is add language to the additional terms and conditions that specifically addresses the timing for new construction. Here's the type of clause I typically recommend:

"The Buyer's home inspection shall be completed once construction of the property has been substantially completed by the Builder and the property is in a condition suitable for inspection, which is expected to be approximately ten (10) to fourteen (14) days prior to the agreed closing date. The Seller agrees to provide reasonable access to the property for the Buyer, the Buyer's REALTOR®, and the Buyer's chosen home inspector for the purpose of completing this inspection. This condition is included for the sole benefit of the Buyer."

That 10 to 14 day window matters. It gives the inspector time to do a thorough job, gives you time to review the report, and gives the builder time to address anything that comes up before your final walkthrough. Keep in mind that build schedules can shift, so make sure your clause language is flexible enough to account for delays rather than tied to a fixed date. If you leave it too late and something significant turns up, you have very little leverage and very little time.

Any reasonable builder will accept this kind of language. If they push back on it, that tells you something worth knowing before you're locked in.

Bottom line

New home warranty is a good thing. A home inspection is also a good thing. They're not the same thing and one doesn't replace the other.

I've been recommending home inspections on new construction for 15 years, and more so in the last 10. I've never had a client come back and say they regretted getting one. I've had clients come back and say they wished they had.

Get the inspection.

Questions about buying new construction in Greater Moncton? Call or text 506-852-6477. No pressure, just straight answers.  Buying new construction as part of a move from out of province? There's more on that, including why you want your own representation in a show home, in my Moving to Moncton guide.

As the cold weather rolls in, it’s the perfect time to give your home a quick seasonal tune-up. A few simple steps now can save you from headaches and big repair bills later, and keep things warm and comfortable all winter long. And if anything pops up during the season, reach out, I’m always happy to point you in the right direction.

Exterior

• Clean gutters and downspouts to prevent ice-dams and roof leaks.

• Inspect the roof, chimney, flashing, and vents for any damage.

• Shut off and drain exterior faucets and hoses so they don’t freeze.

• Store patio furniture, cushions, and décor.

• Stock up on ice-melt or sand for walkways.

Energy Efficiency

• Seal windows and doors with weather-stripping or caulking to stop heat loss.

• Check attic insulation and ventilation to avoid moisture issues.

• Close foundation vents (if applicable).

Heating & Safety

• Replace furnace filters.

• Schedule a heating-system inspection or tune-up.

• Test smoke and carbon-monoxide detectors.

• Clean or service fireplaces, wood stoves, or heat pumps.

Outdoor Maintenance

• Trim back branches that could break under snow and hit the house.

• Check snowblower: fuel, spark plug, belt, and test-run it.

• Get shovels and driveway markers ready.

Indoor Prep

• Reverse ceiling fans to push warm air downward.

• Create an emergency kit: flashlights, batteries, candles, matches, blankets.

• Confirm your winter contact list: plumber, HVAC tech, electrician.

• Make sure generator is in good working order and you have plenty of fuel.