Greater Moncton Real Estate Blog

WAITING FOR RATES TO DROP ISN'T A PLAN. IT'S A GUESS.

I keep hearing some version of the same thing from buyers right now: "We're going to wait until rates come down."

Fair enough, rates might come down. The problem starts when "might" quietly turns into "will," and six months later somebody has built their entire home-buying plan around an interest-rate prediction nobody actually made.

There are plenty of legitimate reasons to wait to buy a house. Maybe the payment doesn't work. Maybe you need a bigger down payment. Maybe you're carrying debt you should probably deal with first. Maybe your job situation isn't stable enough yet. Maybe every house you've looked at lately is overpriced, poorly maintained, and somehow still has twelve shades of grey laminate flooring.

Wait.

But if your whole plan is, "Rates will definitely be lower next spring," understand what you're actually doing. You're not avoiding a gamble, you're making one.

WHAT THE BANK OF CANADA ACTUALLY SAID

On September 2, 2026, the Bank of Canada held its overnight rate at 2.25%.

More importantly, it said the upside risks to inflation had increased. The Bank specifically pointed to things like elevated oil prices and new tariffs that could add to business costs and keep inflation pressure higher than expected. Its position going forward was basically what you'd expect from a central bank: they'll keep watching the economy and inflation and adjust policy if they need to.

In other words, they didn't promise another cut, and they didn't say a hike is coming either. They don't know yet, which is mildly inconvenient considering half the internet apparently does.

That's the part buyers need to understand. Nobody at the Bank of Canada is standing there saying, "Hang tight until March and we'll knock 75 basis points off for you." If somebody is telling you rates are definitely going lower, they're predicting. Maybe they'll be right, maybe they won't.

WHY "I'LL WAIT FOR RATES TO DROP" WAS NEVER REALLY A STRATEGY

Interest rates matter, obviously. A lower mortgage rate can reduce your monthly payment and the total amount of interest you pay over time. On a mortgage of several hundred thousand dollars, even a modest change matters.

But buying a house involves more than one number. You're not just watching mortgage rates, you're also watching house prices, inventory, competition, your own income, your debt, your down payment and what sellers are willing to negotiate. All of those things move, and they don't move together just to make your life easier.

• Rates could come down while prices rise.

• Rates could stay flat while inventory keeps growing and sellers get more flexible.

• Rates could come down and suddenly a bunch of buyers who have also been "waiting for rates to drop" pile back into the market at the same time.

Or none of that could happen. That's the point. Waiting gets treated like the safe option because technically you're doing nothing, but doing nothing is still a decision.

WHAT'S ACTUALLY HAPPENING IN GREATER MONCTON

This is where the local numbers matter more than some national headline written for Toronto, Vancouver and the rest of Canada all at once.

Greater Moncton has softened: by August, there were 1,585 active residential listings, up 6.3% from August 2025. Months of inventory had climbed to 6.2 from 5.0 a year earlier. Sales were down 15.3% year over year, and the median days on market had increased to 47 from 42.

That's not a booming seller's market, and frankly, buyers should be happy about that. There is more inventory. Houses are taking longer to sell. Sellers are having to compete for buyers again. Buyers have more time to think, more opportunity to negotiate and, in some cases, more ability to walk away from a seller who still thinks it's 2021.

The market has been moving in that direction through the summer. Months of inventory sat at 4.8 in May, 4.5 in June, 4.9 in July and then jumped to 6.2 in August. Median days on market moved from 29.5 days in May to 36 in June, 38 in July and 47 in August.

That's good news for buyers, and it also means the lazy "BUY NOW BEFORE PRICES EXPLODE" pitch is nonsense. But so is assuming the opposite.

PRICES HAVEN'T EXACTLY FALLEN THROUGH THE FLOOR EITHER

Here's where the story gets more interesting.

The average residential sale price in Greater Moncton in August was $374,090, down 3.5% from August 2025. The median was $357,000, down 1.6%. So yes, prices were softer in August, but one month is one month.

Looking at the first eight months of 2026 gives a better picture. The year-to-date average price was $383,191, down just 1.0% from the same period last year. The year-to-date median was $361,500, actually up 0.3%. That's not a crash, and it's not a runaway market either. It's a market where inventory has increased, sales have slowed, buyers have more leverage, and prices are proving a lot stickier than some people expected.

Which brings us back to waiting for rates. If you're sitting on the sidelines because you believe mortgage rates are about to drop and Moncton house prices are about to collapse at the same time, neither half of that theory has happened yet. Could it? Sure, but that's a prediction too.

A BANK OF CANADA CUT DOESN'T AUTOMATICALLY MEAN YOUR MORTGAGE RATE DROPS THE SAME AMOUNT

There's another piece of this that gets butchered constantly.

The Bank of Canada's overnight rate is not your mortgage rate.

Changes to the overnight rate have a more direct impact on prime lending rates and variable-rate mortgages. Fixed mortgage rates are influenced by other things too, including bond yields, lender funding costs and what financial markets expect inflation and interest rates to do next. So if the Bank of Canada cuts by 0.25%, that does not automatically mean your five-year fixed mortgage drops by 0.25% the next morning.

• Sometimes fixed rates move before the Bank does because markets are anticipating a change.

• Sometimes they don't move much at all.

• Sometimes other pressures are pushing in the opposite direction.

Mortgage pricing is annoyingly more complicated than "Bank cuts, mortgage cheaper," because apparently somebody felt buying a house needed another layer.

THE MATH THAT ACTUALLY MATTERS

Here's what I'd be doing instead of trying to predict the next Bank of Canada meeting: run your numbers based on the mortgage rates that actually exist today.

What can you comfortably afford? Not what the bank says you can technically qualify for. What can you actually live with every month after the mortgage, property taxes, heating, insurance, maintenance and the usual pile of expenses nobody remembers until they own the house.

1. How much cash will you have left after the down payment and closing costs?

2. Are you carrying high-interest debt?

3. Is your employment stable?

4. Are you planning to stay in the area long enough for buying to make sense?

Those are real questions. A mortgage broker can run those numbers with you using today's rates, your actual income and your actual debt. I also have a mortgage calculator on my website if you want to start playing with the numbers before having that conversation.

If the numbers work comfortably today and you find the right house, I wouldn't automatically put your life on hold waiting for a future mortgage rate that may or may not show up. If the numbers don't work today, that matters too. Don't force it.

SOMETIMES WAITING IS ABSOLUTELY THE RIGHT MOVE

I don't subscribe to the usual real estate nonsense that "it's always a great time to buy." It isn't. Sometimes buying a house is a terrible idea.

• If the payment is going to leave you broke every month, wait.

• If buying wipes out every dollar you have, wait.

• If you have a pile of expensive consumer debt, maybe deal with that before celebrating home ownership with an empty bank account.

• If you're not sure you even want to stay in Moncton, don't buy a house because somebody told you renting is "throwing money away." That line should have been retired around the same time as vertical blinds.

And if the only houses you can afford are houses you don't actually want, there is no prize for buying one anyway.

The point of this article is not that you should buy now. The point is that waiting because your financial situation says "not yet" is very different from waiting because you've convinced yourself you know where interest rates are going.

One is planning. The other is guessing.

THE PART NOBODY LIKES: THERE IS NO PERFECT TIME

This is the frustrating part. There is no bell that rings at the bottom of the market, and there's no email from the Bank of Canada saying, "Congratulations, Shane, this is officially the cheapest possible week to borrow money for the next ten years."

You make the best decision you can with the information you have at the time. Right now, the Greater Moncton market is giving buyers more selection, more time and more negotiating power than they had a few years ago. At the same time, prices have not collapsed, and the Bank of Canada is not promising lower rates. That isn't good news or bad news, it's just the market, and markets are messy.

THE BOTTOM LINE

Should you wait for lower rates before buying a home in Moncton?

Maybe.

But don't wait simply because you've decided rates are definitely coming down. The Bank of Canada held its overnight rate at 2.25% in September and said inflation risks had increased. Greater Moncton inventory is up, sales are slower and homes are taking longer to sell. Prices have softened in some areas, but broadly speaking they have not fallen off a cliff. That's the reality.

If buying works for your finances today and you find the right property, don't let somebody else's interest-rate prediction make the decision for you. If buying doesn't work today, don't force it either. Keep saving. Pay down debt. Improve your position. Keep watching the market.

Just make sure you're waiting for a reason you can actually explain, not because somebody online promised you rates would be lower by spring.

Those people are remarkably hard to find when spring arrives.

If you want to find out what your actual numbers look like right now, today's rate, not a guessed-at one, that's a fifteen-minute conversation, not a commitment.

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

Strong Roots - Smart Moves

Shane MacPherson, REALTOR®, eXp Realty

On every file I write an offer on, rural, in-town, doesn't matter, I pull the GeoNB information and review the PID and PAN data myself before I let a client get too emotionally attached to anything. Not because I'm thorough for sport. Because public property information isn't infallible. Mapping is approximate, information can lag, and every once in a while something shows up that makes you stop and say, “Well...that's interesting.”

I'd rather have that moment before conditions are removed than three days before closing when everybody suddenly starts using the phrase, “we have a bit of an issue.”

Most buyers have never seen a PID or PAN report, and if we're being completely candid, a fair number of people in the industry don't spend much time reading them either. Your lawyer ultimately does the actual legal title work, and nothing I'm talking about here replaces that. But waiting until the lawyer's title search to learn everything there is to know about the property? That's not my idea of due diligence. That's hoping.

So let's break down what these reports are, what they tell you, what they don't tell you, and one little field on a PAN report that can potentially represent up to 15 years of deferred property taxes. Because that one deserves considerably more attention than it usually gets.

Two Different Reports, Two Different Jobs

People sometimes use PID and PAN like they're interchangeable. They're not. That's a little like using “mortgage” and “home insurance” interchangeably. Same house, completely different problem.

A PID, or Parcel Identifier, is the unique number assigned to a specific parcel of land in New Brunswick. Within the province's land registry system, that PID connects you to information indexed to that parcel, including ownership information, registered documents, plans and parcel relationships. Think of the PID as the property's government-issued identity.

A PAN, or Property Account Number, belongs to the assessment and taxation side of things. It connects the property to information such as assessed value, tax class, assessment history and tax levy information. Same dirt, two different jobs.

Most properties have both, and the information often cross-references, but they aren't interchangeable. The PID side helps you understand the parcel and the registered information attached to it. The PAN side helps you understand how the province assesses and taxes it. I want to see both.

What a PID Report Actually Shows You

At the top you'll normally find the housekeeping stuff: PID, status, county, parish, civic address if there is one, land description and area. Useful information, especially when you're dealing with rural property where the listing description, civic address and actual parcel don't always line up quite as neatly as you'd hope.

But the section that usually gets most of my attention is the registered documents. Think of it as the property's rap sheet. The instruments indexed to that parcel can tell you an awful lot about its history, and every once in a while they raise a question that's worth asking before anyone gets too far down the road.

Deeds and Transfers

A Deed or Deed/Transfer generally tells you that ownership changed hands. Pretty straightforward, but dates matter. If the ownership history I'm seeing doesn't seem to match the story I'm being told, I want to know why.

That doesn't automatically mean something is wrong. It means we ask the question. There's a difference between finding a red flag and finding something that deserves another look. Not everything unusual is a problem, but ignoring unusual things is a pretty efficient way of eventually finding one.

Mortgages and Discharges

A Mortgage means a lender registered an interest against the property. A Discharge generally means that mortgage was subsequently paid out and released. Basically the financial equivalent of finally deleting your ex's number.

If I see an older mortgage without an obvious corresponding discharge, I'm not immediately running into the street screaming that the deal is dead. I'm making a note of it and asking the appropriate person to confirm what's going on. That's really the point of reading these reports: spot the thing, ask the question and let the proper professional confirm the answer.

Agreements

An Agreement means some type of agreement has been registered relating to the land. It could involve access, rights between neighbouring properties, a right of way or something completely different.

The report tells you the document exists. It does not necessarily tell you everything that's inside it. If the agreement could matter to the buyer, somebody needs to actually pull and read the underlying document. Wild concept, I know.

Land Titles First Application, First Order and First Notice

You'll often see these grouped together around the same date. These generally relate to the property's conversion from New Brunswick's older Registry system into the modern Land Titles system.

This is especially common with rural properties that weren't converted until much later. Seeing those documents isn't automatically a red flag. Sometimes it's just evidence that government paperwork eventually caught up with the dirt.

Revenue Canada Judgment

This one gets my attention. A Revenue Canada Judgment can indicate that CRA has taken enforcement action involving unpaid federal tax debt. Depending on what has been registered, the property may be encumbered until the matter is properly dealt with.

That does not automatically mean the property can't be sold, but it does mean I want the lawyer looking at it. I'd personally rather discover something like that while everybody still has time to deal with it than during closing week when your lawyer calls and starts the conversation with, “So...there's something on title.”

Those are rarely the opening words to a relaxing afternoon.

Notice of Tax Sale

This is one where the wording matters. A Notice of Tax Sale does not mean the property has already been sold at a tax sale. It means the province has started the process of offering the property for sale because the property taxes have remained unpaid.

If the property actually goes to tax sale and sells, the purchaser receives a Tax Sale Certificate. The former owner then generally has 30 days from the date of the sale to redeem the property by paying the amount required. If the property isn't redeemed during that period, the tax deed process can follow.

So if I see tax-sale history on a PID report, I don't assume the Notice means somebody actually lost the property. I also don't shrug and move on. I ask what happened next.

Withdrawals

A Withdrawal of Other Documents generally means something previously registered has been withdrawn or cancelled. That's useful. It's also not terribly satisfying if you don't know what was withdrawn.

Think of the report saying, “Don't worry, we removed something.”

Fantastic. What?

That's where you keep digging.

Subdivision and Amalgamation Plans

These help explain how a parcel was created, divided, combined or reshaped. If you see a Related PID identified as a parent parcel, that's often the larger original property the current parcel came from.

This can be especially useful when you're staring at a rural lot shaped like somebody designed it during an earthquake.

What a PAN Report Actually Shows You

The PAN report is usually less dramatic, but this is where the money starts showing up.

You'll normally see property-description information, tax classification, assessed value and tax-related information. You'll also see assessment history alongside the tax levies for those years. That gives you a quick look at how the assessed value and taxes have been changing.

Normal gradual increases? Fine. A strange spike or drop? Now I want to know why.

It doesn't automatically mean something sinister happened. Maybe there was a renovation. Maybe land was subdivided. Maybe the tax classification changed. Maybe assessment caught up with a change to the property. Again, see something weird, ask the question. You'll notice a theme developing here.

Sales Price Information

The public assessment information also gives you previous sale prices, but there are a couple of limitations worth understanding.

New Brunswick's Property Assessment Online system publishes available sale-price information for properties sold after January 1, 2009. It also isn't instantaneous. Service New Brunswick advises allowing roughly 30 days after closing for a sale price to appear.

So if you know a property recently sold but the transaction isn't showing yet, that doesn't necessarily mean something is wrong. The government's database doesn't update itself the second somebody hands over the keys. Apparently even computers working for government need a coffee break.

And Then There's FLIP

This is the field I wish more buyers knew enough to look for: the Farm Land Identification Program, or FLIP.

FLIP is a New Brunswick property-tax program for qualifying agricultural land and farm buildings. One of the major benefits is that certain property taxes can be deferred while the property remains eligible for the program.

The important word there is deferred. Deferred does not mean forgiven. It means there can be a tax liability sitting quietly in the background, and depending on what happens with the property later, somebody may eventually have to deal with it.

Why FLIP Matters to a Buyer

For qualifying property, FLIP can defer taxes for up to 15 years. As new years are added, older years drop off so that generally no more than 15 years of deferred taxes are carried at one time. Associated interest is also calculated, although the interest payable is capped at 50% of the applicable deferred taxes.

Here's where buyers need to pay attention. If a property is deregistered because its use changes in a way that makes it ineligible for FLIP, the deferred taxes and applicable interest can become payable, potentially going back as far as 15 years.

That's not a typo, and it's why seeing FLIP on a PAN report shouldn't be treated as some random government notation nobody needs to understand.

But there's an important distinction here because not every change automatically results in the same outcome.

Changing Status Is Different From Deregistration

New Brunswick's FLIP rules also provide for something called “changing status.”

For property registered in the program after 1997, changing status may be available in specific circumstances, including where farmland reverts to forest, where the land is intentionally reforested, or where a qualifying farm outbuilding becomes incapable of agricultural use because of lack of maintenance.

This isn't something an owner simply declares. It has to meet the program requirements and be approved by the FLIP Registrar.

When approved, the property begins paying regular current property taxes while the taxes that had already been deferred remain deferred. Under the current post-1997 changing-status rules, if the property remains compliant in that status for 15 years, it is removed from the program and those previously deferred taxes are no longer payable.

If it gets deregistered before completing that process, however, some or all of the remaining deferred liability can become payable.

That's an important distinction. So seeing FLIP does not automatically mean, “Change anything and you're getting a 15-year tax bill tomorrow.” But it absolutely does mean, “Don't start changing things until you know exactly what the consequences are.”

If I'm representing somebody buying FLIP property, particularly somebody who plans to clear land, subdivide it, build on it or otherwise change its use, I want the FLIP status and potential liability confirmed before conditions disappear. In fact, New Brunswick's regulations allow an owner to apply to the Registrar for a determination on whether a proposed use could result in deregistration.

That seems like a considerably better option than guessing.

Because buying 30 acres with dreams of clearing five of them for the garage you've always wanted, only to discover afterward that your brilliant plan has property-tax consequences, is a shitty way to learn about agricultural tax policy.

Find out first.

What Happens if the Property Is Sold?

A sale doesn't necessarily mean the deferred taxes immediately become payable either. A purchaser who intends to continue qualifying the property under FLIP may be able to assume the deferred taxes and associated interest as a contingent liability.

Again, this is not something I'd make assumptions about from a listing description or a conversation at the kitchen table. I'd be confirming it with the FLIP Registrar and, where appropriate, the buyer's lawyer before removing conditions.

The purpose here isn't to become an expert in agricultural taxation. It's to know enough to recognize when you need one.

GeoNB Maps Are Not a Survey

This deserves its own section because I see people do this constantly.

GeoNB is incredibly useful. I use it all the time. But those nice parcel lines on your computer screen are not the same thing as a legal survey. The province itself describes measurements in the mapping system as rough representations and warns that they do not produce accurate boundary coordinates.

So when somebody points at a GeoNB line and says, “Yep, the property line is definitely right there,” no. It definitely isn't. It's approximately there according to the mapping.

If an exact boundary matters because you're building something, installing a fence, questioning a driveway, dealing with waterfront access or arguing with your neighbour over who owns the tree you've both hated for 12 years, that's surveyor territory.

GeoNB doesn't move survey pins, and your Realtor's finger pointing at an iPad definitely doesn't establish a legal boundary.

How to Pull This Information Yourself

For a quick first look, New Brunswick's Property Assessment Online system is free. You can search by civic address, PAN or PID and see the current assessed value, assessment values dating back four years, tax levy information and available recent sale prices.

It's a fantastic first pass and there's really no reason not to look.

For more complete land-registry information, including current ownership, registered documents, plans and historical registry information, there's PLANET, Service New Brunswick's land-registry system.

PLANET isn't free, but the cost isn't exactly going to bankrupt anybody. As of 2026, transactional access is $1 per query with a $10 monthly minimum for an active account, while the unlimited subscription option is $65 per month.

Yes, I have an account. Apparently I enjoy looking through government land records more often than a normal person should.

Your lawyer will ultimately perform the appropriate legal title work during a real estate transaction, and that distinction matters. Reading a PID report yourself is not the same thing as conducting a legal title search, and it doesn't replace the lawyer.

I'm not trying to practice law. I have enough paperwork already.

The point is to catch things early. If I can identify a judgment, tax-sale history, strange ownership sequence, registered agreement, FLIP enrollment, unusual parcel history or something else that deserves a second look before we write an offer or while conditions are still open, we have time to get the right person involved.

That's very different from discovering it when everybody's furniture is packed and somebody already booked the moving truck.

A Note for Fellow Agents

If you've never looked at the PID and PAN information on one of your listings before, particularly rural property, I'd start.

You don't need to become a title searcher, and you shouldn't become one. That's what lawyers are for. But understanding enough to recognize when something looks unusual is part of understanding the property you're selling.

If there's a CRA judgment sitting there, a tax-sale history, FLIP enrollment, an unusual parent parcel or an agreement you don't understand, I'd rather know about it before my client's lawyer, the buyer's lawyer and the buyer's agent all discover it simultaneously.

There's nothing quite like standing beside your client while somebody else explains their own property to them. Not exactly the professional look we're going for.

And this isn't only a rural-property thing. I look at this information on in-town properties too. Rural deals may give you more interesting parcel histories, but judgments, mortgages, agreements, ownership issues and other registered documents don't suddenly stop existing when you hit city limits.

The Bottom Line

Listing photos show you a property having its best day. PID and PAN information tell you some of the stuff that happened when nobody was taking pictures.

Neither gives you every answer. Neither replaces your lawyer, a surveyor, an accountant, the FLIP Registrar or another professional when their expertise is needed. But they can tell you which questions you should be asking.

And five or ten minutes spent asking the right question early can save an unbelievable amount of grief later.

If you're looking at property anywhere around Greater Moncton, rural, in-town or along the coast, and something on the PID or PAN information doesn't make sense, send it to me. I'd much rather help you figure it out before you write the offer than after you've fallen in love with the house, planned where the couch is going and mentally moved in.  And if that property's on a well instead of municipal water, New Brunswick Well Water: What Every Buyer Should Know is worth five more minutes before you get that far.

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

Strong Roots - Smart Moves

Shane MacPherson, REALTOR®
eXp Realty

I got into real estate because I had terrible realtors. I bring that up again here because well water is one of those topics where I watch good buyers accept whatever they're told, or worse, whatever they read in a comment section, instead of asking one more question. And I can't stand it.

So let's talk about wells. Specifically, why so many buyers who look at a rural or small-town property around here react to the word "well" the way most people react to finding out a used car was in a flood.

I bring up newcomers because that's usually who I watch glaze over first, someone relocating to Greater Moncton from Ontario or Alberta for the lower property taxes and the extra privacy, then the word "well" comes up and their whole expression changes. But I'd be doing you a disservice if I made this sound like a newcomer problem, because it isn't one. Plenty of people who've lived in New Brunswick their entire lives grew up on municipal water same as anyone else, and city water is city water whether you grew up here or moved here last year. If you've never personally been responsible for your own water supply, this is for you, no matter how long you've had a New Brunswick address.

WHY PEOPLE PANIC ABOUT WELLS

If you've only ever had municipal water, the first time someone tells you a house you love "has a well," it probably sounds less like a real estate detail and more like the setup to a horror movie. Somewhere on the internet is a video of someone's water coming out looking like a double-double from the drive-thru, and that one video has apparently convinced a lot of people, transplants and lifelong Maritimers alike, that every rural well is one bad day away from a science experiment.

Here's the thing though. That fear isn't really about wells. It's about the unknown. You've never owned one, never maintained one, and nobody's ever explained how any of it actually works, so your brain fills the gap with the worst version it can imagine. That's a completely normal reaction. It's also not a reason to walk away from a good property, it's a reason to actually learn the thing.

THE PART NOBODY TELLS YOU: THE BENEFITS

Nobody selling you on municipal water is going to tell you what you're giving up, so I will.

When you're on a well, you don't get a monthly water bill. Ever. That's not a small thing over the life of owning a home. You're also not affected when a water main breaks somewhere across town and half the city ends up under a boil water advisory for a week, that's happened here, and it will happen again, and if you're on a well it simply isn't your problem. A lot of people who've lived on well water for years will also tell you it tastes better, no municipal chlorine, and depending on your local geology, a naturally higher mineral content that a lot of people genuinely prefer once they get used to it.

You're also in control. Nobody upstream of you can quietly change treatment chemicals, adjust chlorine levels, or make a decision about your water supply without asking you, because there's no "upstream." It's yours. That's a real trade worth putting on the table before you decide a well is automatically a downgrade.

None of that means a well is maintenance-free, or that every well is fine. It means the fear and the benefit are both real, and you deserve to hear about both before you make a decision based on one video you saw once.

WHAT'S ACTUALLY IN NEW BRUNSWICK GROUNDWATER

Now the part that actually matters, because I'm not going to pretend there's nothing to check.

Arsenic occurs naturally in bedrock and soil throughout New Brunswick, and depending on your specific property, it can show up in well water at levels worth knowing about. So can uranium. Both are naturally occurring, not pollution, not somebody's fault, just what's in the ground in parts of this province. The provincial guideline for arsenic is 0.01 milligrams per litre, and the risk is specifically from drinking or cooking with the water over a long period, not from showering in it or watering your garden with it. That distinction matters and it rarely makes it into the panic version of this conversation.

If a test comes back high, you're not stuck. Treatment systems using reverse osmosis, anion exchange, or distillation are all effective and well understood. The one thing that doesn't work, and can actually make arsenic worse, is boiling the water. That myth needs to die.

HOW TESTING ACTUALLY WORKS ONCE YOU OWN IT

This is the entire fix for the fear: you don't have to guess. You test. This part is about maintaining a well you already own, the purchase itself works a bit differently, more on that below.

New Brunswick's public health guidance recommends testing for bacteria (total coliform and E. coli) roughly twice a year, typically after spring thaw and again in the fall, and testing for the inorganics, arsenic, uranium, fluoride, nitrates, every two to three years, since those accumulate naturally in groundwater rather than showing up overnight. If you notice a change in taste, smell, or colour, that's your cue to test sooner, not wait for the calendar.

Sample kits are available through Service New Brunswick or RPC Analytical Services, which has a location right here in Moncton, so this isn't a send-it-away-and-wait-a-month situation. A basic bacteria test is inexpensive, often well under fifty dollars. A fuller panel covering the inorganics runs more, budget somewhere in the low hundreds, though I'd call RPC directly for current pricing rather than trust a number sitting in any blog post, mine included. If the well was recently drilled, most well contractors include a testing voucher for the first year, worth checking before you pay for anything.

WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENS DURING A PURCHASE

Here's where I'll save you from some of the generic advice floating around online, because what actually gets tested on a real deal here, and how strict it is, is different from what you'll read in a general homebuying article.

Our standard Agreement of Purchase and Sale in New Brunswick has an actual clause for this, a Water Test condition, and the potability side of it isn't a soft suggestion. The standard is zero: zero E. coli, zero coliform. Not "low," not "trace amounts," zero. If the well doesn't come back clean, the clause gives the buyer the right to walk away entirely by a set date, and in practice, results usually come back within about 24 hours, so this rarely holds a deal up for long.

The same clause has a second box for additional criteria, chemical and mineral, which covers things like arsenic and uranium. That part is genuinely up to the buyer. It's not automatic, and I recommend it on every well property I write an offer on, but it's a decision you make, not something that happens by default. The trade-off is time: those lab results can take up to ten days, noticeably longer than the potability results, so if you want that box checked, build that extra time into your condition period from the start rather than discovering on day eight that you're still waiting on a lab.

A flow test, whether the well physically produces enough water to run a household, gets mentioned constantly in general articles as if it's a standard third test. In fifteen years of doing this, I have never once had a flow test done on a deal. That doesn't mean it's useless, in the right situation, a genuinely marginal-looking well on a larger rural property, it's a legitimate thing to ask for, but it is not part of a typical purchase here the way the Water Test clause is. Don't let a generic checklist convince you that you're skipping a standard step. You're not.

MAINTENANCE REALITY CHECK

Owning a well is not a part-time job. It's closer to owning a furnace than owning a boat. There's a cap and casing that need to stay sealed and intact, a pump and pressure tank that have a normal service life like any other mechanical system in your house, and if you end up needing a treatment system, that needs its own regular maintenance and periodic retesting to confirm it's still doing its job. None of that is exotic. It's routine home ownership, just a different routine than the one you're used to.

THE BOTTOM LINE

A well isn't a red flag. It's a system, and like every system in a house, it deserves a real look instead of a reflex. Test it, understand what the results actually mean, budget for the maintenance like you would anything else, and you'll probably end up liking not having a water bill more than you expected to.

If you're looking at a property with a well and want a second set of eyes on what the test results actually mean before you waive a condition, that's exactly the kind of question I'd rather you ask me before closing than after.

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

Strong Roots - Smart Moves

Shane MacPherson, REALTOR®, eXp Realty

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

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.