Most Ottawa builders require your agent to register you on your first visit, so walking in alone can cost you representation on that purchase.
Pick one of the seven areas on the map or with the filters underneath it to see the builders active there and roughly what things cost.
Swipe the map sideways to see every area. The boundaries are the City of Ottawa's published neighbourhood boundaries, grouped into the areas buyers shop, while the village shapes come from the Official Plan village boundaries. The four towns east of the city are outside Ottawa, so their shapes show the built-up area mapped in OpenStreetMap.
Barrhaven has the largest concentration of new freehold homes in the city, which makes it the easiest place to get real choice on lot and model. Tied land is used heavily on the townhome blocks, so check the ownership type on the specific lot you're looking at.
This area is still filling in and is the one most exposed to transit timelines, so the phase your lot sits in matters more here than anywhere else. Servicing and the final grading sign-off can lag the model home by a long way.
Kanata and Stittsville have the deepest inventory in the city, with the strongest resale demand behind it thanks to the tech corridor. Newer phases run smaller lots than the established streets nearby, which is rarely obvious from a site plan.
Orléans has the strongest access to francophone schools in the new build market. It's also where the difference between freehold and tied land catches the most buyers off guard, with a mix of home types that generally gives better value per square foot than the west.
New construction here is almost entirely condominium, which means the 10-day cancellation right applies and interim occupancy is part of the deal. Development charges run lower inside the Greenbelt than in the suburbs, though that rarely shows up as a lower price.
The villages offer larger lots and custom or semi-custom builders, which bring a different set of questions about well and septic systems and private road maintenance. Build timelines also look long next to a production subdivision.
People look east of the city in Prescott and Russell for the price, since the same money buys noticeably more house than it does inside Ottawa. The trade-off is the commute and, outside Rockland, no municipal transit. The area is strongly francophone, with French-first school options that matter to a lot of buyers.
The prices here are planning ranges, since builder pricing moves with every release and the figure on a sign is for a base model on a standard lot before the lot premium, upgrades and adjustments. Confirm anything you're relying on with the builder, and ask me about the release you care about.
Community list current as of August 2026 and reviewed quarterly.
Every builder sales centre asks you to sign in on a sheet that works as a registration form. In most Ottawa builder agreements the agent named on it is the only agent who can act for you on that purchase, so if the line is blank, nobody can.
Registering costs you nothing, because the builder's commission is already priced into the home and gets paid whether or not you bring someone. If you walk in alone, the price stays the same and you deal with a sales representative who works for the builder, on a contract the builder wrote, with nobody reading it on your side.
If you've already toured a site without registering, tell me before you go back, since some builders will make an exception in writing, although most won't.
A builder agreement replaces the standard form you'd sign on a resale home. It was written by the builder's lawyers, so almost none of it is in your favour by default.
Resale closing costs are largely predictable, whereas on a new build the builder writes them into the agreement, so the range is far wider.
| Cost Item | Who Pays | Typical Range | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deposit instalments | Buyer | Around 5% of the price, staged | Paid on signing and at set intervals afterward, and counted toward your down payment |
| Development charges and levies | Buyer | Five figures if the clause is uncapped | Ottawa's charges on a new suburban single detached run above $60,000. How much of that you pay depends entirely on the adjustment clause, so ask for a cap |
| Tarion enrolment fee | Buyer | Around $1,790 on an average home | Legally the builder's fee, although most agreements pass it to you as a closing adjustment |
| Utility hookups and meters | Buyer | $1,500–$3,000 | Hydro, gas and water meter installation plus connection charges, almost always charged to the buyer as an adjustment |
| HST | Buyer | Included in the advertised price | The rebate is assigned to the builder and clawed back at closing if you're not moving in |
| Occupancy fees (condos only) | Buyer | Often $2,500–$6,000 a month | Paid during interim occupancy before you own anything, without reducing the purchase price |
| Decor centre upgrades | Buyer | Whatever you sign for | Upgrade deposits are usually non-refundable and rarely financeable. This is the line where budgets double more often than anywhere else |
| Land Transfer Tax (Ontario) | Buyer | ~1–2% of purchase price | Same as resale, with a rebate of up to $4,000 for eligible first-time buyers |
| Legal Fees | Buyer | $2,500–$3,500 | Higher than resale, since there are more documents and a condo closes twice instead of once |
| Grading and lot deposits | Buyer | $500–$3,000 | Refunded once the city signs off on final grading, which can take a year or more |
I'd read the adjustments schedule before you sign, since it's usually a separate page near the back of the agreement where the open-ended clauses live. A cap on levies and development charges is the single most valuable thing to negotiate on a new build, which is much easier to get before the deal is firm.
These figures are estimates for planning, so your builder's agreement and your lawyer are the authority on what you'll actually pay.
Two tax measures apply to newly built homes only, both tied to when you sign, which makes them among the few time-sensitive things on this page.
Eligible first-time buyers who sign on or after May 27, 2025 can get up to $50,000 back on a newly built home. Relief is full on homes priced up to $1 million and phases down to nothing at $1.5 million. You have to be the first person to live in the home, as your primary residence.
Up to $80,000 in provincial relief, available to first-time and repeat buyers alike. It applies when the agreement of purchase and sale is signed between April 1, 2026 and March 31, 2027, construction starts by the end of 2028 and the home is substantially complete by the end of 2031.
A first-time buyer of a new home inside both windows can combine the provincial relief with relief on the federal portion. On a home priced at or below $1 million that can mean the full 13% HST back.
On a new build the rebate is normally assigned to the builder and reflected in the price, so the important step is having your lawyer confirm the agreement is written to capture it. A buyer who qualifies and doesn't claim it correctly leaves the largest single sum on this page on the table.
Tax rules change and the provincial measure is tied to a specific window, so confirm the current rules and your own eligibility with your real estate lawyer or an accountant before you rely on any of these figures.
Every new home in Ontario comes with a statutory warranty, which works differently from a service contract with the builder and covers less than most people assume.
If the price is $600,000 or less, your deposit is protected to $60,000, while above $600,000 the protection is 10% of the price to a maximum of $100,000.
Deposits are protected to $20,000 plus a limited amount of accrued interest, which is considerably less than the freehold limit and worth knowing before you hand over a staged deposit on a pre-construction unit.
You're owed $150 a day toward accommodation and meals, to a maximum of $7,500, with no receipts needed for living expenses, although extra moving and storage costs do need them. If the builder misses the required notice, the compensation starts anyway.
Coverage is capped at $400,000 on a freehold home and $300,000 on a condominium unit for agreements signed on or after July 1, 2023. Condominium common elements are covered to $100,000 per unit, capped at $3.5 million in total.
It's your one documented walkthrough before you get the keys, so anything you want the builder to fix under warranty has to be written on that form on the day. Bring someone with you and don't let anyone rush it.
A mandatory schedule attached to every new home agreement, setting out your closing dates, your right to compensation for delays and the conditions the builder is relying on. It overrides any conflicting terms in the body of the agreement.
On a new condominium you can be living in the home and paying for it every month before you actually own it.
Title and keys arrive the same day, the way a resale closing works, although the date itself is less certain. Your closing date can move more than once before it becomes firm, with notice rules and compensation attached to each move under the Tarion Addendum.
First comes interim occupancy, when you move in and start paying occupancy fees, then final closing once the condominium corporation is registered, which can be months later. Only at final closing do you get title, start your mortgage and start building equity.
They're made up of interest on the unpaid balance of the purchase price, estimated municipal taxes and a projected common expense contribution. It feels like a mortgage payment, although none of it comes off the price.
Build a delay into your plans from the start by deciding early what you'll do if the date moves twice, whether that means a month-to-month lease, storage or a school registration that has to hold either way.
Selling your contract to another buyer before the home is finished, which most builder agreements restrict, charge a fee for or forbid outright. It also affects your HST position, because the rebate can be clawed back when you assign.
Amounts added to the purchase price on closing day. On a new build the builder's agreement sets them, which is why they run so much larger than on a resale.
Where you choose finishes and upgrades, usually at a fixed appointment with a deadline. Upgrade deposits are typically non-refundable and rarely covered by your mortgage.
Municipal fees that pay for the infrastructure serving new growth, set by the City of Ottawa, charged on each new home and passed to you through the adjustments clause unless that clause is capped.
The date the builder can no longer move without owing you compensation. The Tarion Addendum also lists tentative and outside dates, although this is the one that matters.
The Home Construction Regulatory Authority, which licenses Ontario builders and publishes their records in the Ontario Builder Directory.
The period on a new condominium when you can move in before you own the unit, paying occupancy fees to the builder that don't reduce the price.
The category covered by the seven-year warranty, which is narrower than it sounds because it only covers structural failure, leaving out finish quality and general disappointment.
Parcel of tied land, where you own the house and lot freehold with a share of a common elements corporation attached, along with a monthly fee for private roads or shared services.
The documented walkthrough before you take possession, where damage and incomplete work get recorded on a form, which makes it your best and effectively only chance to get items on the record.
The document your lawyer receives shortly before closing showing everything owed on top of the price. On a new build this is where uncapped clauses turn into real numbers.
The organization that administers Ontario's new home warranty. Builders enrol every home and pay a fee for it, while Tarion backs the warranty if the builder won't honour it.
It puts everything on this page in the order you'll need it, from the first visit through to the pre-delivery inspection. It's printable and short enough to hold in one hand while a sales representative is talking.
One message before you walk into a sales centre protects your representation on that purchase, which takes a minute and costs you nothing. It's also the only step on this page you can't go back and do later.
Enter your details to get a link to the checklist after sending.