Selling a pre-construction
Sell your Calgary pre-construction home for a flat $3,999* listing fee
Timed around your possession date, priced against the builder's own price list.
Selling a brand-new or nearly-complete home means competing directly with the builder who is still selling the same model down the street — with a show home, incentives and a sales centre. Your advantages are timing, finished upgrades and landscaping, and the listing has to lead with them.
What is different about selling pre-construction here
The builder sets the ceiling. Whatever they are asking for the same model, with whatever incentive is running this month, is what your buyer compares against — so pricing starts with the current builder price list, not last year's sales.
Timing drives everything else. Possession dates move, and the sale has to be structured around the real completion date rather than an optimistic one, including what happens if the builder's date slips.
What to have ready before you list
- Your purchase agreement with the builder, including any restriction on reselling before possession
- The current builder price list and incentives for the same model
- A full upgrade list with what each item cost — this is the difference between you and the show home
- New home warranty enrolment documents
- GST treatment on the sale, confirmed with your accountant or lawyer
- Realistic possession and completion dates in writing, plus landscaping and fencing status
Example: a $600,000 pre-construction sale
- Traditional listing side
- $11,000
- Future of Calgary
- $4,499
- Estimated savings
- $6,501
Run your own numbers on the savings calculator.
How your photos will look before a single showing
A new build with no landscaping and empty rooms photographs cold. Warm twilight exteriors and light virtual presentation give buyers something to react to while the yard catches up — always disclosed as enhanced.
Declutter & stage
Evening lights on
Register your representation on the first visit
Most builder sales centres require that your REALTOR® accompany you or be registered on your very first visit for representation to apply. Walk in alone, and you may not be able to bring an agent in later on that project.
The builder's price is generally the same either way — the cooperating brokerage amount is already built into the builder's budget — so unrepresented buyers rarely save anything by going alone.
Deposits are structured, not single
Unlike a resale purchase with one deposit, pre-construction deposits are usually staged, and each date is a contractual obligation.
- An initial deposit on signing, often with a short rescission or review window
- Further instalments at set dates or construction milestones
- How and where deposits are held, and what protection applies
- What happens to deposits if the project does not proceed
Occupancy, completion and the dates that move
Builder contracts distinguish possession or occupancy from final closing, and they contain extension provisions that let the builder move dates. Understanding those clauses before signing tells you what happens to your rate hold, your lease, or the sale of your current home if the build runs long.
For condos in particular, an interim occupancy period before the building registers is normal and carries its own costs.
Upgrades, allowances and what 'as shown' means
The show home is usually the upper-end package. Confirm in writing which finishes are standard, what the upgrade allowance covers, when selections are locked, and what the builder may substitute for equivalent materials.
Financing a home that does not exist yet
Lenders cannot fund what is not built, so approvals are typically re-verified near completion using your income and the rules in effect at that time. Long timelines mean your file has to still work at completion, not just on signing day.
Selling your current home around a build
If you are buying pre-construction and selling an existing Calgary home, the sequencing is the real work: list timing, possession dates, and a bridge plan if they do not line up. Our $3,999* listing fee applies to the sale side of that move, and the calculator shows what that keeps in your budget for upgrades.
Selling a pre-construction — common questions
Can I sell a pre-construction home before I take possession?
That depends entirely on your purchase agreement with the builder — many restrict resale or assignment before possession, and some require written consent. Read that clause first; it determines whether this is a resale or an assignment sale.
How do I price against the builder still selling the same model?
You price against their current list plus incentives, then credit yourself for the things they do not include: completed upgrades, landscaping, fencing, window coverings, appliances and a shorter wait to possession.
Is GST payable when I sell a newly built home?
GST can apply on new or substantially renovated homes, and the treatment depends on your specific situation. Confirm it with your accountant or real estate lawyer before pricing — it is not something to guess at.
What if the builder's possession date moves?
The offer is structured to account for it, with conditions and dates tied to the builder's actual completion rather than a projected one, so a delay does not put you in breach.
Does new home warranty transfer to my buyer?
Alberta New Home Warranty coverage generally follows the home for the remainder of its coverage periods. Providing the enrolment documents up front lets the buyer confirm exactly what remains.
What does the listing fee work out to on a new build?
The same as any other property: $3,999 plus GST up to $400,000 of sale price, with $500 added for every additional $200,000. What you offer a cooperating buyer brokerage is separate and up to you.
Calgary communities where you'll find them
Selling another property type
$3,999 listing fee plus applicable GST. Buyer brokerage compensation, if applicable, is separate. Terms apply. *The $3,999 listing fee applies to sale prices up to $400,000. Every additional $200,000 of sale price (or part thereof) adds $500 to the flat fee — for example $4,499 up to $600,000, $4,999 up to $800,000, and $5,499 up to $1,000,000. Real estate commissions are negotiable and are not fixed by law. This calculator compares the Future of Calgary listing fee with a commonly used traditional commission example for illustration only. Actual commissions may vary.