Greater Moncton Real Estate Blog

Book a showing with the listing agent on a new build in Greater Moncton and you will be met by someone who knows the product cold. They will walk you through every room, answer every question, and make the whole thing feel very straightforward.

You are in the builder's hands. That is not the same as having your own.

THE SHORT ANSWER

You do not need a buyer's agent to tour a new build listing or ask questions. But when you are ready to put an offer on that home, yes. Get your own. Here is the part nobody explains.

THE BUILDER'S REP IS GOOD AT THEIR JOB

Their job is to sell you that home at the builder's price, with the builder's terms, on the builder's timeline. They know the product cold. They are not going to lie to you.

They are also not going to tell you when the upgrade package is marked up. Not going to flag the clause in the purchase agreement that lets the builder push your closing date back. Not going to suggest you bring in an independent inspector during the build. Not going to advocate for you when something goes sideways.

Because they work for the other side. That is not a character flaw. That is their job.

Not long ago I was working with clients who were referred to me just before Christmas. We found a resale home they liked, lined everything up, and got to inspection day. The inspector found major foundation issues. The kind that do not show up in photos but show up in invoices later.

They had two choices: move forward and hope for the best, or step back and make the right call. They walked.

From there we pivoted to new construction. Same budget. Better outcome: warranty protection, modern efficiencies, lower maintenance costs, peace of mind.

Here is the part that matters for this conversation: we brought in an independent inspector on the new build too. Two pages of items the trades had missed during the build. The builder was excellent to work with and got everything on that list addressed before closing. They closed happy.

The builder's team was professional throughout. They also worked for the builder throughout. Both things are true. Having representation and an independent inspector is what made sure my clients' interests were protected while the builder's team was protecting the builder's.

WHAT HAVING YOUR OWN AGENT ACTUALLY MEANS

It means someone reviews the purchase agreement before you sign it. Builder contracts are written by the builder's lawyers. Some of what is in there very much favours the builder. An extra set of eyes before you are committed is not paranoia. It is the minimum.

It means negotiating the parts that actually move. The list price on a new build is often firm. Upgrades, closing dates, and certain features sometimes are not. You do not know which is which until someone asks.

It means an independent inspection at the right stage. A pre-closing walkthrough catches deficiencies while the builder still has an obligation to fix them. That window closes at possession.

It means keeping a record of what you were promised. Spec changes happen. Materials get substituted. Items disappear between signing and closing. Someone who documented the original agreement is the difference between a conversation and a dispute.

It means confirming the warranty. New builds in NB can be covered by a third-party new-home warranty program such as Atlantic Home Warranty or LUX Home Warranty, but coverage is not automatic. The builder needs to participate in a warranty program and the specific home needs to be registered. Ask exactly what warranty comes with the home, who provides it, and what it actually covers before you fall in love with the finishes.

IT DOES NOT COST YOU MORE

Builders build agent commissions into the sale price whether a buyer's agent is involved or not. If you go in unrepresented, that money stays with the builder. You do not get a discount for going in alone.

Most buyers do not know this. Going unrepresented does not save you anything. It just means nobody is looking out for your side of the table.

THE ONE THING NEW BUILDS HAVE THAT RESALE DOES NOT

HST. And most buyers misunderstand how it works on a new build.

In virtually every new construction contract in Greater Moncton, the purchase price is calculated assuming the home will be your primary residence. The federal HST rebate and any applicable NB Power grant are assigned to the builder at closing and already baked into the price you see advertised. The buyer does not handle those directly.

Here is where it gets important: if you are buying that new build as an investment property, a rental, or a secondary home, you do not qualify for the HST rebate. The contract was written assuming primary residence status. Without that rebate, the real cost of the home is meaningfully higher than the price on the page.

Most investors looking at new builds in Dieppe or Riverview see the advertised number and budget around it. The rebate disqualification does not come up until someone actually reads the contract. By then some of them have already mentally spent the money.

Your own agent reads the contract before that happens. That is the whole point.

If you want to know what the real numbers look like on a specific new build as an investment property, send me the address. I will walk through it with you before you commit to anything. Maxime Bourgeois at Bourgeois Chiasson Avocats in Memramcook handles closings across Greater Moncton and can confirm the exact tax implications for your situation.

THE QUESTIONS I GET ASKED

Can the builder's rep answer my questions honestly?

On most things, yes. They know the product better than almost anyone. The gap is the moment your interests and the builder's interests stop being the same thing. That is when you need someone whose only job is to protect you.

Does having a buyer's agent slow down the process?

No. Working with buyer's agents is standard for builders in Greater Moncton. It does not complicate anything.

I've already toured a new build. Can I still bring in my own agent?

Yes, as long as you haven't signed anything. In Greater Moncton, new builds are listed on MLS through the builder's own listing agent or a private sale service. You book a showing the same way you would a resale. If you've toured without representation, you can still bring your own agent in before you put pen to paper. Do it before anything is in writing.

Is there always a warranty on a new build here?

Not automatically. Ask before you assume. Find out which program covers the home, whether the specific unit is registered, and what the coverage actually includes.

If you are relocating to Greater Moncton and trying to decide between a new build and a resale, the monthly market update has current pricing context across the region. Start there.

And if you want an agent who will tell you when a new build makes sense for your situation and when it does not: send me the address. I will walk through it with you before you commit to anything.

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

Strong Roots. Smart Moves.
Shane MacPherson | REALTOR® | eXp Realty
506-852-6477 · movingwithmacpherson.com

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.