Questions to Ask Before You Buy a Pre-Sale Multiplex in Vancouver (2026)

A pre-sale home is the one purchase where you buy something you cannot walk through. There is no kitchen to stand in, no bedroom to measure, no morning light to watch come through the window. You are buying a drawing, a set of promises, and a completion date that is often two years away. That is not a reason to be afraid of it. Plenty of families end up in a home they love this way, and buying early can mean first pick of the best floor plans. But it does mean the questions you ask before you sign matter more than they would with a home you can see.

We already have two guides that sit next to this one. One is our walk-through of what to check with any brand-new unit, and one covers what actually happens when you visit a multiplex open house. This post is different. It is a list of questions built for the pre-sale situation only — the things you can only ask when the home is not built yet, and the answers that tell you whether the team behind it is worth your deposit.

Print it. Bring it. Ask every question that fits your situation. A good sales team will not mind. If anything, the questions mark you as a serious buyer, and serious buyers get better attention. Below, the questions are grouped by theme. For each one we explain why it matters and what a strong answer sounds like.

The team that built it

You cannot inspect a home that is still on paper. So the first thing you are really buying is the people. Their track record is the best sign of what your finished home will feel like.

Who is the team behind this, and what have they finished before?

You want a name you can look up, and homes you can go see. Ask for two or three of their completed projects nearby. A strong answer comes with addresses and dates, not vague talk. If you can, drive by one of their finished buildings and see how it has held up. On our site, many of these teams have a profile page so you can read who built what before you ever call.

Is this their first multiplex, or have they done several?

Everyone starts somewhere, and a first project is not automatically a bad one. But experience shows up in the small things — how the storage is laid out, how quiet it is between neighbours, whether the finishes were chosen by someone who has lived with them. If it is their first, lean harder on the warranty questions further down.

Can I speak to a past buyer?

This is a fair ask, and the answer tells you a lot. A team proud of its work can usually connect you with someone who bought from them before. If they go quiet, that is information too. You are not being pushy. You are doing what any careful person would do before handing over a large deposit.

The unit itself

This is the part buyers get most wrong on paper. A floor plan can look generous and live small. Ask the questions that turn a drawing into a real home in your head.

Which way does the home face, and which rooms get the sun?

In Vancouver, light is everything. Grey winters make a south- or west-facing living space feel completely different from a north-facing one. Ask which direction the main windows point and at what time of day each room gets sun. A good answer is specific: “the kitchen and living room face southwest, so you get afternoon and evening light.”

What are the actual ceiling heights and window sizes?

Square footage does not tell you how a room feels. A nine-foot ceiling and large windows make a small room feel open. Low ceilings and small windows make a large room feel like a box. Floor plans rarely show height, so you have to ask. Ask which rooms, if any, have lower ceilings because of ducting overhead.

Where is the storage, and how much of it is there?

Brand-new homes are often tight on storage, and pre-sale drawings hide it well. Ask where the coat closet, pantry, and linen storage are, and whether you get a separate storage locker. If you are a family pooling into one home, storage is one of the first things you will run short on. Get the honest number now, not on move-in day.

What parking comes with the home, and can I count on it?

Ask exactly what is included — a private garage, a shared spot, a driveway, or nothing — and whether it is written into your contract. Some buyers assume parking and find out late that it costs extra or is not guaranteed. If you own two vehicles, or plan to, settle this before you sign.

Can I see the finishes I will actually get?

Renderings are the best-case version. Ask to see real samples — the flooring, the counters, the cabinet fronts — and ask whether the contract lets the team swap in “equivalent” materials later. Some contracts allow a substitution if a product is unavailable. That is normal, but you want to know the range you might land in, not just the glossy picture.

The building and the strata

When you buy into a duplex, triplex, or fourplex, you own your unit and share the rest with a handful of neighbours. That shared part comes with a monthly fee and a rulebook. Both are easy to overlook on paper and expensive to learn about later.

What is the estimated monthly strata fee, and what does it cover?

Every pre-sale comes with an estimated strata fee — the monthly amount you pay toward shared costs and repairs. Ask what it covers: building insurance, shared landscaping, garbage, any shared systems. In a small multiplex the fee is usually lower than in a big condo tower, because there is less to maintain. But it is an estimate until the building runs for a while, so ask how it was calculated. Our separate guide on multiplex strata fees goes deeper if you want it.

What exactly do the neighbours and I share?

In some multiplexes you share almost nothing — each home has its own entrance, yard, and roof. In others you share a lobby, a hallway, a parking area, or a garden. What you share is what the strata fee pays to maintain, and what you will need to agree on with neighbours. Ask for a plain-English list of shared versus private, and get it in writing.

What do the strata bylaws say about pets, rentals, and noise?

This is the question that quietly decides whether a home works for your life. If you have a dog, ask about size and number limits. If you might rent a room later, ask whether rentals are allowed. Ask about quiet hours and any rules on what you can do outside. Bylaws can be changed by the owners over time, but you buy into the ones that exist now, so read them.

Is there a rainy-day fund, and how is it being started?

A strata keeps a savings account — the contingency reserve fund — for future repairs. In a brand-new building it starts small because nothing has broken yet. Ask how the fund is set up and how quickly it is meant to grow. In a small multiplex, a big repair split among only two to four owners can land harder per household, so a healthy fund matters.

Money and timing

This is where the pre-sale process is most different from buying a finished home. You pay in stages, over time, for something that arrives later. Get the full shape of it before you commit a dollar.

What is the deposit schedule, and when is each payment due?

Pre-sales are usually paid in installments — a first deposit on signing, then more at set dates. Ask for the full schedule up front: how much, and when. You need to know you can hit each date. A clear answer is a table of amounts and dates you can plan your savings around.

Where is my deposit held?

In British Columbia your deposit does not go to the team behind the project. Under the Real Estate Development Marketing Act, deposits must be held in trust by a lawyer, notary, or brokerage, and are generally only released when the sale completes, per BCFSA's presales information. Ask who holds yours, and confirm it in writing. We have a full post on how deposit protection works if you want the detail.

Will I pay GST, and could I get some of it back?

A brand-new home is taxed. You pay 5% GST on a new build, which a resale home does not carry. But as of a 2026 change, a first-time buyer can get the full GST back on a new home priced up to $1 million, with a partial rebate that phases out up to $1.5 million, as long as the purchase agreement was signed on or after March 20, 2025. The details are on the Canada Revenue Agency's first-time home buyers' GST rebate page. Ask whether the price you were quoted already includes GST, and whether you qualify for the rebate — it can be a real amount of money.

What is the expected completion date, and what happens if it slips?

Pre-sale dates move. That is the nature of building something. Ask for the current estimated completion, then ask the harder question: what happens if it is late? Where will you live in the gap? Contracts include an outside date — the latest the home can be finished before you can walk away. Find that date and understand it, because it is your protection if the timeline drifts.

Is the price fixed, and what is included in it?

Ask plainly what the price covers. Are appliances included? Window coverings? The parking spot? Is the price locked, or can it change before completion? You want no surprises between the number on the page today and the number you pay at the end. Get the list of what is in and what is extra.

Your rights as a pre-sale buyer

British Columbia gives pre-sale buyers real protections. A good sales team will explain them without being asked. If they gloss over these, slow down and ask directly.

How does the 7-day cancellation window work?

This is the big one. Under British Columbia's Real Estate Development Marketing Act, you get seven calendar days to cancel a pre-sale contract, starting from the later of the day you sign or the day you receive the disclosure statement. You can walk away for any reason, or no reason, and get your deposit back. This right is set out in the Real Estate Development Marketing Act. Ask the team to confirm your exact seven-day window in writing, and use those days to have a lawyer read the contract. We wrote a full explainer on this cooling-off right if you want to go deeper.

Can I see the disclosure statement, and can I take it home?

The disclosure statement is the long, detailed document that lays out the project, the team, the timeline, and your rights. You are entitled to it. Ask for it, take it home, and read it slowly — or better, have a lawyer read it. Do not sign anything until you have it in hand. It is one of the strongest tools you have, and it exists to protect you.

What warranty comes with the home?

Nearly every brand-new home in British Columbia comes with mandatory warranty insurance on a 2-5-10 schedule, overseen by BC Housing: two years on labour and materials, five years on the parts of the home that keep water out, and ten years on the main structure. Ask to confirm the home is covered and who the warranty provider is. This is a real safety net a resale home does not give you, and we have a separate post that breaks down exactly what it covers.

Life in the home

The contract questions protect your money. These questions protect your daily life — the part that actually decides whether you are happy after you move in.

What is the neighbourhood like, and what is planned nearby?

You are buying into a street, not just a floor plan. Ask what the block is like now and whether anything is planned close by that could change your view, your parking, or your quiet. Walk the area at different times — a school run at 8am and a Friday evening tell you different things. This is one place where our neighbourhood guides can do a lot of the homework for you.

How far are schools, transit, and daily errands?

If you have kids, ask which schools you are near and how the catchment works. If you take transit, walk the route to the nearest station and time it. Ask how far the grocery store, the park, and the pharmacy are. For families pooling into one home so grandparents are close, easy errands and a nearby park often matter more than a fancier finish.

What will the move-in process actually look like?

Before you take the keys, there is a final walk-through where you note anything that needs fixing. Ask how that works, when it happens, and how the team handles the small fixes that always come up in a new home. A team with a clear, calm answer here is one that has done this before and will still be reachable after you move in.

What this comes down to

You cannot walk through a pre-sale home. So the questions are how you inspect it. Here is the short version of what to carry with you:

• The team is the product. Look up their finished homes and go see one.
• Make the drawing real — ask about light, ceiling height, storage, and parking, not just square footage.
• Learn the strata fee, what you share, and what the bylaws allow, before pets or rentals become a problem.
• Get the full deposit schedule, the completion date, the outside date, and a clear list of what the price includes.
• Know your rights: the seven-day cancellation window, the deposit held in trust, and the 2-5-10 warranty.
• Get the answers that matter in writing. A good team is glad to.

If you want a second set of eyes on a pre-sale multiplex you are looking at, that is exactly what we are here for. We know the teams building across Vancouver and Burnaby, and we can tell you which questions matter most for the specific home in front of you. Talk to us, or browse the multiplex homes we have now to see what is coming to market.

Frequently asked questions

How many questions is too many to ask a sales rep?

There is no such thing as too many, as long as they are real. A serious buyer with a printed list is welcomed, not resented. If a rep seems annoyed that you are asking careful questions before spending several hundred thousand dollars, treat that reaction itself as an answer.

What if the sales team won't answer my questions in writing?

That is a warning sign worth taking seriously. Promises made out loud are hard to hold anyone to. Ask politely for the key points — parking, price inclusions, completion date — by email. A confident team will send it. Hesitation to write things down usually means the answer is softer than it sounded.

Can I bring my own advisor to the sales centre?

Yes, always. You can bring a family member, a mortgage broker, or your own agent. Having someone with you who has done this before catches things you might miss. It is your purchase and your money, and no one should discourage you from bringing support.

Should I really have a lawyer read the contract?

Yes. This is the single best use of your seven-day cancellation window. A lawyer who reads pre-sale contracts will spot terms you would not — substitution clauses, the outside date, deposit conditions. It costs a few hundred dollars against a purchase worth far more. It is cheap protection.

Is buying pre-sale riskier than buying a finished home?

It is different, not automatically riskier. You take on timeline uncertainty, but you also get first pick of floor plans, warranty coverage, and a brand-new home. British Columbia's rules — the cancellation window, deposits held in trust, mandatory warranty — are built to protect pre-sale buyers specifically.

How firm is the completion date I'm given?

Treat it as a best estimate, not a promise. Building runs into delays, and dates commonly move by months. The number that actually protects you is the outside date in the contract — the latest the home can be finished before you are allowed to walk away and get your deposit back. Ask for it.

What happens to my deposit if the project doesn't get built?

Your deposit is held in trust, not spent by the project team, and it is returned to you if the deal falls through under the contract's terms. This trust rule under British Columbia's marketing law is one of the main reasons pre-sale buying is safer than it feels. Confirm who holds your deposit before you sign.

Can I change the finishes or layout before it's built?

Sometimes, sometimes not. Some teams offer a short menu of finish choices early on. Structural changes are rarely on the table. Ask what is fixed and what you can pick, and get any choices in writing with a deadline, because these options usually close well before completion.

What questions are unique to pre-sale that I wouldn't ask about a finished home?

Anything about the future: the deposit schedule, the completion and outside dates, what the price includes, whether finishes can be swapped, and how the seven-day window applies. With a finished home you can see and measure everything. With a pre-sale, these forward-looking questions are your only way to inspect it.

How do I compare two pre-sales fairly when neither is built?

Line up the same questions for each: light and layout, storage and parking, strata fee, price inclusions, completion date, and the team's track record. Comparing on the glossy renderings alone will mislead you. A plain side-by-side of the answers is where the real differences show up.

Do I need a real estate agent for a pre-sale, or just talk to the sales centre?

The sales centre works for the project, not for you. Having someone on your side — an agent who knows the local pre-sale market — costs you nothing in most cases and gives you an advocate. That is the role we play for buyers looking at multiplex homes in Vancouver and Burnaby.

What if I find a problem after I move in?

That is what the final walk-through and the 2-5-10 warranty are for. At the walk-through you list anything that needs fixing before you take the keys. After that, warranty coverage handles defects on a set schedule. Ask the team, before you buy, how they handle post-move-in fixes.

Are the strata fees I'm quoted going to stay the same?

The number you are given is an estimate based on the building before anyone has lived in it. Real costs settle once the building is running, and fees can rise over time as the strata funds future repairs. Ask how the estimate was calculated so you can judge whether it looks realistic.

Is it a bad sign if the team has only built one project before?

Not on its own. Everyone has a first project, and a careful newer team can build a lovely home. But with less track record to check, lean harder on the safety nets — confirm the warranty, read the disclosure statement closely, and have a lawyer review the contract. Do more homework, not less.

When should I start asking these questions — at the first visit or later?

Start at the first visit. The earliest buyers often get the best floor plans and the clearest attention, and asking strong questions early marks you as serious. You do not have to decide anything on day one. Ask, take the disclosure statement home, and let your seven-day window do its job.