New builds
Buying a brand-new home
New homes are a big part of Edmonton’s market. The show home is the easy part. The contract, the extras and the tax are where people get caught out.
The real price
The base price is the start
Builders advertise a base price. What you sign for usually adds a lot premium and the upgrades you choose. Some homes also come without landscaping, a fence or a deck.
Then there’s GST. A new home is taxed at 5%, and builders handle it differently: some include it in the price, some add it on top. If you’re a first-time buyer, you may be able to get it back.
I lay out the full number like this before you sign anything.
An example new build, line by line
| Advertised base price | $499,900 |
| Lot premium | + $15,000 |
| Upgrades you choose | + $30,000 |
| Landscaping, fence and deckIf they’re not included | + $20,000+ |
| GST at 5% on $544,900If it isn’t already in the price | + $27,245 |
| First-time buyer GST rebateIf you qualify | – $27,245 |
| What you might budget | $564,900+ |
Made-up numbers to show how the costs stack up, not a quote. Every builder’s contract is different.
GST on new homes
Two rebates, very different sizes
First-time home buyers’ GST rebate
Up to $50,000 back: the full 5% GST on an eligible new home up to $1 million, and a partial rebate between $1 million and $1.5 million. Your agreement with the builder has to be signed on or after May 27, 2025 and before 2031.
It has to be your primary residence, and you generally can’t have lived in a home you or your spouse owned recently. The builder can credit it at closing, or you can apply to the CRA.
Regular GST new housing rebate
For any buyer: up to $6,300 back on a new home priced under $350,000, shrinking to nothing at $450,000.
At most Edmonton new-home prices, this one is small or zero. Many builders build it into their price and keep it, so check how your contract handles it.
Figures as of October 2026 and can change. Confirm your eligibility on canada.ca or with the CRA, and ask your lawyer to check how the contract handles GST before you sign.
Before you sign
What to check in the contract
What’s included
- Appliances, window coverings and air conditioning
- Driveway, landscaping, fence and deck
- Which finishes are standard and which are upgrades
- Whether the price includes GST, and who keeps the rebate
Money and dates
- The deposit schedule, and when deposits stop being refundable
- What happens if possession is delayed
- Whether the price can change before closing
- Homeowners’ association fees in the community
The lot
- Why this lot has a premium, and what backs onto it
- Walkout, side entrance or room for a future suite
- What’s planned nearby: schools, roads, commercial
Warranty
New homes in Alberta come with a mandatory warranty: at least 1 year on materials and labour, 2 years on delivery and distribution systems, 5 years on the building envelope and 10 years on the structure. Ask who the warranty provider is.
The sales team at a show home works for the builder. Many builders will only work with your own agent if the agent registers you or comes along on your first visit, so call me before you walk in.
Looking at a show home this weekend?
Send me the community and the builder, and I’ll tell you what to ask.