One of Mattamy's most popular models, the Westlynn, offers a spacious main floor and 4 large bedrooms. Enter through the tiled foyer and admire the gleaming hardwood floors throughout the main and second floor. Glass french doors create privacy in the living room, currently used as a den. Bonus feature of a mudroom from the garage. The large eat-in kitchen offers great counter space and a kitchen ...

Welcome to the top floor of one of Ottawa’s best east end condo buildings. Walk into this large freshly painted unit with spectacular (corner unit) views from your balcony! This 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom condominium features a tiled foyer leading to the kitchen and open dining and living space with great laminate flooring. The kitchen offers an eat-in area, great counter space, nicely tiled ...

Welcome to Ohio Towers! This centrally located condominium is perfect for the first-time home buyer, savvy investor, single professional or retiree. Enjoy this amazing and affordable two bedroom, one bathroom condo, ready to move in and enjoy. Walk right in and appreciate the light kitchen with appliances included and pass-through window. This unit has laminate flooring throughout. Both bedrooms ...

Newly built homes have all the appeal of the most up-to-date styles and features along with details you have a chance to choose yourself, like countertops, cupboards, and window coverings. Because they are making the biggest purchase of their life, home buyers deserve protection that ensures they receive what they pay for. For instance, a resale home buyer can schedule a home inspection to help identify structural problems with a house they don’t immediately see.

But how do you identify problems with a home that hasn’t yet been built? Who protects you if you buy a home that never actually gets built?

In the interests of protecting the buyers of new build homes, Tarion Warranty Corporation was created to provide warranties, create rules, regulate builders and mediate problems between buyers and builders. Now, however, it’s become clear that Tarion’s many (often conflicting) roles prevent it from protecting the interests of buyers. Many real estate lawyers feel that the current Tarion program is closer to the builders than the public, and a new, non-profit regulatory body will address issues like construction delays. A customer might buy a pre-construction home and then find their occupancy date pushed back months longer than they planned for, bringing additional costs if they are forced to find alternative accommodation until their home is complete. The maximum a buyer gets if a new-build project fails to go through is $20,000 for condos or $40,000 for houses--even if the required deposit was double those amounts. New regulations would ensure that the buyer receives back more of their deposit in the event a building project is cancelled.

What does this mean for you? Ideally, once a new regulatory body is established, if you fall in love with a model home pre-construction you will have additional protection in the event that the completion of your house is delayed and you can’t afford to wait.

Read more on the future of Tarion at CBC