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Lots-with-a-builder-option · Sold from plans
Pre-permit, pre-construction inventory across Central Newfoundland — choose your lot, choose your builder, choose your plan. Building permit and foundation work to follow.
Lots-with-a-builder-option across Central NL — pre-permit, sold from plans + specifications before construction begins. Aligned with CMHC's pre-start methodology: these listings sit under Land/Lot, not Residential, until a building permit is issued and foundation work commences.
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To Be Built · Plans & Specifications Only
Pre-construction listings are lots offered with a builder option — purchased before a building permit is issued and before ground is broken. You're buying a site plus a commitment: the builder's plans, specifications, and pricing hold for your build while the permit process runs its course.
In NLAR's Matrix system these listings sit under the Land/Lot property type — a deliberate signal. The moment a building permit is issued and foundation work begins, the listing typically converts to Residential — New Construction. That permit-issued date is the line between the two markets, and it matters for how you finance, how the HST rules apply, and what inspection rights you carry.
The Turner Realty Team has worked with buyers through the full pre-construction arc across Gander's growing residential corridors — from the initial land purchase and builder selection through to keys-in-hand. If you're weighing a pre-construction purchase, the questions below will give you the framework.
The Classification Line
Whether you're searching MLS or talking to a lender, this single distinction changes everything about the transaction.
This distinction aligns with CMHC's housing-starts methodology, which tracks starts — not permits — as the leading indicator. When you see CMHC reporting on Central NL housing starts, a pre-construction lot-with-builder-option is not counted until foundation work commences. That's the same line NLAR draws in how these listings are classified.
Confirm the current permit and construction stage with your agent and lender before making any financing decisions — the line can move faster than listings are updated.
The Purchase Process
A pre-construction transaction has more moving parts than a resale purchase. Here's the arc from first showing to occupancy.
You're buying the lot and contracting with a builder simultaneously — or buying a builder's own lot as part of a package deal. Your agreement will specify the floor plan, specifications, inclusions, and a total project price. Have your lawyer review the construction contract before signing; it is a separate document from the MLS Agreement of Purchase and Sale.
Builder deposits vary, but a common NL structure is an initial deposit on signing followed by milestone deposits (permit approval, foundation, framing, dry-in). Unlike a resale purchase — where your deposit sits in trust and is returned on closing — builder milestone deposits are typically released to the builder progressively. Understand the schedule before committing. Ask your lawyer about deposit protection if the builder cannot complete.
The builder files for the building permit with the Town of Gander or the relevant municipality. Timeline depends on the completeness of plans and municipal workload. Central NL municipalities have generally managed reasonable turnaround windows for residential permits, but this is a builder-managed process — ask your builder for a realistic timeline before locking in your construction mortgage.
Once the permit is issued and your lender receives the approval, the construction mortgage activates. Draws are released to the builder at defined stages — foundation, lock-up, drywall, completion. Your lender will inspect at each stage before releasing the next draw. You typically pay interest only on the drawn portion during construction.
Before closing, you have the right to a pre-delivery inspection to document any deficiencies. In NL, Atlantic Home Warranty Programs is the primary new-home warranty provider. Builder enrolment in a home warranty program provides coverage for deposit protection (if the builder cannot complete), defect coverage for materials and systems, and major structural warranty — confirm enrolment status with your builder and your lawyer before closing.
Closing converts your construction mortgage to a term mortgage. You'll receive final closing costs including land transfer (NL has no provincial land transfer tax — a meaningful saving vs. most Canadian provinces), title insurance, legal fees, and HST-related adjustments. Confirm the occupancy date in your contract; delays are common and your agreement should specify a long-stop date and buyer remedies.
Financing Framework
Financing a pre-construction purchase typically runs through three distinct lending phases, each with different rates, approval criteria, and down-payment requirements. Your mortgage broker or bank should map out all three before you sign the builder contract.
Covers the land purchase while permits are pending. Typically requires a larger down payment (35–50% is common for raw land) and carries a higher rate than residential mortgages. Confirm with your lender whether a builder package reduces their land-only risk assessment — it sometimes does.
Activates when the permit is issued and foundation begins. Funds are released to the builder at inspection-verified milestones (foundation, lock-up, drywall, completion). You pay interest only on each draw as it's released. The full mortgage amount is based on the appraised completion value — get that appraisal ordered early.
At closing, the construction mortgage converts to a standard amortized mortgage. At this stage CMHC or Sagen mortgage insurance may apply depending on your down payment. NL's no-land-transfer-tax environment means your closing costs are meaningfully lower than buyers in Ontario or BC would expect for a comparable home.
HST note: New-construction homes in NL are subject to 15% HST (5% federal + 10% provincial). The Federal New Housing Rebate may apply if the purchase price is below the rebate threshold, and the NL portion of HST on qualifying new homes may carry a provincial rebate. These thresholds and eligibility rules change; confirm with your lawyer and accountant before finalizing your offer price. Do not estimate your out-of-pocket cost without HST factored in.
Buyer Benefits
Once you sign a fixed-price builder contract, your construction cost is set — you're insulated from material price increases during the build, which can be significant on multi-year projects. Understand what "fixed price" actually covers in your specific contract; extras and change orders are usually not included.
Pre-construction gives you the widest window to influence finishes, layout modifications, and mechanical rough-ins (EV charging, home office wiring, in-law suite plumbing stubs). Once framing is up, most changes become expensive retrofits.
A newly built home in NL is eligible for Atlantic Home Warranty coverage — a builder-enrolled warranty that covers deposit protection, defects in materials and systems (years 1–2), and major structural defects (up to 10 years). Resale homes typically come with no warranty beyond what the seller discloses.
Modern NL builds follow the National Building Code and increasingly incorporate R-2000 or higher insulation standards, triple-pane windows, heat pump systems, and HRV ventilation. Long-term energy bills on a well-built 2024+ home are meaningfully lower than an older Central NL house of comparable size.
Pre-construction lots in established subdivisions are allocated by the builder — your negotiation is with the builder, not competing buyers in an auction dynamic. That said, desirable lots in active subdivisions do sell quickly; multiple buyers will often be interested in the same phase release.
Building in an established subdivision like Gander's Blandford or Comet Drive corridors means municipal services (water, sewer, roads, school bus routes) are already in place — unlike buying raw land in a new development where servicing timelines are the builder's or municipality's problem to solve.
What to Expect
The period from signed agreement to keys-in-hand on a pre-construction home in Gander typically runs 12 to 24 months, depending on the builder's current project load, permit timing, and weather windows (Newfoundland's shoulder seasons compress the outdoor work calendar meaningfully).
A rough arc for a single-family detached build in the Gander area:
Builder delays are common, especially for labour shortages or supply-chain disruptions. Your purchase agreement should contain a Tentative Occupancy Date, a Firm Occupancy Date, and provisions for buyer compensation or cancellation if the builder cannot meet the long-stop date. Review this section with your lawyer before signing.
Turner Realty Team
The Turner Realty Team has worked with buyers and builders across Gander's active residential subdivisions — including Blandford Drive, Comet Drive, and surrounding growth corridors — through multiple phases of new lot releases.
Our role in a pre-construction transaction typically includes:
We represent buyers, not builders — our fee in a new-construction transaction is typically paid by the builder's commission structure, at no cost to you. Confirm the commission structure with us before your first builder meeting.
Get Started
Talk to the Turner Realty Team before you sign anything. A 20-minute conversation before your builder meeting can save you significant issues at closing.
This rollup is curated to a standard that’s stricter than current NLAR practice. Lots-with-a-builder-option are categorized under MLS® Land/Lot — not Residential — until a building permit is issued and foundation work commences.
A listing appears on /listings/pre-construction/ when no building permit has been issued yet. The listing IS a lot + a builder option to construct your home on agreed plans. Once a permit is issued and foundation work commences, the listing migrates to /listings/new-construction/ with a BUILDING NOW status badge.
Our categorization matches the methodology CMHC uses to report housing data nationally. Pre-permit listings are NOT counted as housing starts by CMHC until foundation work begins; we mirror that boundary in MLS categorization so consumers shopping built inventory aren’t mixed in with consumers shopping lots-and-builder-options.
Listings here are real lots with real builders behind them — you can drive to the lot, walk the site, look at the surrounding development. What you cannot do is inspect the home you’ll receive (it doesn’t exist yet). Your purchase agreement is a builder contract for a future home + a separate land transaction. Specific terms vary builder-by-builder; always have a real-estate lawyer review the contract before signing.
This is the Central Region pilot of the NLAR New Construction Task Force’s in-progress recommendations. Mike Turner (Broker of Record, Royal LePage Turner Realty) sits on the Task Force. The pre-construction/new-construction categorization split + the per-card lifecycle badges are part of the recommendation being brought to the NLAR Board.
Questions about a specific pre-construction package? Email Mike Turner directly — he’s on the NLAR New Construction Task Force shaping the standards.
A pre-construction listing represents a lot or parcel of land where a builder has a home design ready to build — but construction has not yet started and no building permit has been issued. You are purchasing from plans and specifications rather than a finished or partially-finished structure. In Central Newfoundland, these listings sit under the Land/Lot property classification on the NLAR MLS® system until a permit is issued and foundation work begins, which is consistent with how the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) categorizes housing starts. Once the permit is pulled and construction commences, the listing typically transitions to the New Construction category.
Deposit structures vary by builder, but a common pattern in Central NL involves an initial deposit on signing (often 5–10% of the purchase price), followed by one or more construction-progress draws as milestones are reached — foundation complete, framing complete, lockup stage, drywall stage, and final completion. This staged structure differs from a resale transaction where the full deposit typically moves into trust shortly after conditional removal. Your lawyer and mortgage broker should review the purchase agreement and draw schedule before you sign. Provincial regulations and individual builder contracts vary, so always confirm specifics with your legal counsel.
Yes, but the mortgage product is different from a standard term mortgage. A construction or “progress advance” mortgage releases funds in stages as construction milestones are certified by a lender-appointed inspector, rather than advancing the full amount at closing. This means your interest costs during construction are calculated only on the amounts drawn, not the full loan. Once construction is complete, the construction mortgage typically converts to a standard term mortgage. Some lenders also offer a completion mortgage, where you simply apply for the full mortgage at the end of construction and nothing is advanced until possession. Confirm which product your lender offers and how it aligns with your builder’s draw schedule.
Yes. In Newfoundland and Labrador, new home purchases — including homes built on pre-construction lots — are subject to the 15% Harmonized Sales Tax (HST). However, buyers may be eligible for the GST/HST New Housing Rebate if the home will be used as their primary residence and the purchase price meets the eligibility thresholds set by the Canada Revenue Agency. The rebate can offset a meaningful portion of the HST payable. Importantly, NL has no provincial land transfer tax (unlike Ontario and BC), which reduces closing costs compared to many other Canadian provinces. Always verify your specific eligibility for the new housing rebate with your accountant or the CRA before finalizing your purchase.
Newly built homes in Newfoundland and Labrador are not covered under a mandatory statutory warranty program the way homes are in provinces like Ontario or BC. However, many builders in Central NL voluntarily enroll in third-party warranty programs such as Atlantic Home Warranty (AHW) or LUX Home Warranty, which provide layered coverage: one year for workmanship defects, two years for mechanical systems (plumbing, electrical, HVAC), and up to ten years for structural defects. Before signing a pre-construction agreement, ask the builder whether the home will be enrolled in a third-party warranty program, who administers it, and what the claims process looks like. This is a significant differentiator between builders and worth asking as a condition of purchase.
Build timelines vary based on the builder’s current workload, the complexity of the design, material availability, and seasonal factors. In Central Newfoundland, a straightforward single-detached home on a serviced lot typically takes 10–18 months from permit issuance to possession. More complex or custom builds may run 18–24 months. Winter weather can extend exterior work, though many builders maintain progress through the colder months on interior work. Delays in permit processing, trades scheduling, and material supply chains can also add time. When reviewing a purchase agreement, look for a specified outside possession date and understand what remedies you have if the builder fails to meet it. A realistic buffer of two to four months beyond the builder’s stated timeline is prudent planning.
On this site, pre-construction listings are lots or builder packages where no permit has been issued and construction has not started — you are buying land and a building plan. New construction listings are homes where construction is underway or recently completed within the past few years, based on the NLAR Matrix fields for year built and construction status. The pre-construction filter targets the NLAR structured fields for “To Be Built” status specifically. In practice, this distinction helps buyers understand what they are committing to: pre-construction means you are making decisions based on blueprints and specifications, while new construction typically means you can see the build progress or a completed product. Both categories are supported by Turner Realty Team agents who specialize in each stage of the new-home buying process in Central NL.
A pre-construction agreement is a more complex document than a standard resale purchase agreement. Key provisions to review with your lawyer include: the full specifications and materials schedule (what grade of finishes are included vs. upgrades), the draw and payment schedule, the permitted variation clause (how much the builder can deviate from quoted specifications without your consent), the outside possession date and delay remedies, whether HST is included in the purchase price or added on top, the enrollment status in any third-party warranty program, dispute resolution procedures, and whether you have any right to assign the contract before possession. In Central NL, most pre-construction agreements are builder-prepared and favour the builder — your lawyer’s review is essential before you sign. Turner Realty Team agents can help you navigate the process and connect you with experienced real estate lawyers in the region.
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