October 29, 2026 | Buying
New Construction Homes in Pickering: 2026 Builder Guide
Updated October 2026 · By Xerxes Bharucha, Broker · Team Rajpal, Re/Max Key2 Real Estate., Brokerage, Seaton, Pickering
Quick answer: Most new construction homes in Pickering are in Seaton, where nine builders are selling townhouses, semis and detached homes in 2026, starting in the $600,000s for a townhouse and the low $900,000s for a detached home. Deposits run about 7% to 12% of the price, paid over 4 to 12 months. Many homes close in just 90 to 120 days, while others are 2 to 3 years out. In our experience, Seaton builders are often priced 8% to 12% below similar resale homes. Sign by March 31, 2027 and the HST rebates can take up to $130,000 off a new home. Register with an agent before your first sales office visit, or you usually can’t add one later.
Watch: a Mattamy Elgin home tour in Seaton Whitevale
Is now a good time to buy new in Seaton?
Yes, and it’s unusual. New construction has traditionally cost more than resale, and in many places it still does, even with the HST rebate. Seaton is different: with so many builders competing, it’s common to find new homes priced about 8% to 12% below the market value of similar resale homes nearby.
There has never been a better time to buy in Seaton. You get a brand new home where you choose the lot, the floor plan, the upgrades, the finishes and the colours. You’re the original owner, it comes with a full warranty, and you have time to save up for the down payment, all for about 10% less. And closings for a lot of these homes are only 90 to 120 days away, so it’s not like the home comes to you sometime in the distant future. Isn’t the deal an obvious one?
Xerxes Bharucha, Broker, Team Rajpal
Do new homes cost more than resale? 35 years of prices
Over the long run, yes. In 1990 the average newly built house in the Toronto area closed at about $398,000, while the average resale home sold for $255,000. By 2022 those numbers were $1.31 million and $1.19 million. The two have climbed together for three decades, but the gap between them opens and closes with the market, and right now it’s closing fast.
Builders’ asking prices for new low-rise homes peaked at $1.83 million in December 2021 and have fallen 32% since, to $1.25 million in September 2026. Resale prices are down 14% from their 2022 peak over the same stretch. That’s why, in Seaton, we’re now finding new homes priced below similar resale homes.
One thing to know: a pre-construction price is locked in 1 to 3 years before you close. In a rising market that works in your favour; in a falling one, you can close above market. Homes that closed in late 2025 averaged $1.67 million because most were bought at 2022 and 2023 prices. With builders’ prices down about 30% from the peak and the HST rebate in play, the math on new homes looks very different in 2026.
Chart sources: TRREB Market Watch historic averages and September 2026; CMHC Market Absorption Survey, Toronto (closing prices of new single and semi-detached homes); BILD and Altus Group, September 2026 (benchmark asking price of new single-family homes in the GTA).
Which builders are building new construction homes in Pickering?
| Community | Builders |
|---|---|
| Seaton Whitevale | Mattamy Homes |
| Seaton Mulberry | Mattamy Homes |
| Seaton, Bloom and Seaton Taunton | Mattamy Homes |
| New Seaton | Brookfield Residential, Aspen Ridge Homes, TowerHill Homes |
| Seaton Winding Woods, Fieldgate Seaton | Fieldgate Homes |
| Greenwood Seaton, Seaton South | OPUS Homes, DECO Homes |
| Seatonville | Arista, DECO, Fieldgate, OPUS, Mattamy and others |
| Trails of Whitevale | Sundial Homes |
Learn more about the community in our Seaton guide, or see one builder up close in our Seaton Whitevale Mattamy homes guide.
How much do new construction homes in Pickering cost?
Here’s where prices start in Seaton this fall, across the builders we work with:
| Home type | Starting price, fall 2026 |
|---|---|
| 3-storey townhouse | From the $600,000s |
| 2-storey townhouse with a backyard | From the $700,000s |
| Townhouse with a 2-car garage | From the $700,000s |
| Semi-detached | From the $800,000s |
| Detached, single-car garage | From the low $900,000s |
| Detached, double-car garage | From the high $900,000s and up |
Prices change with each release, and with the lot and the builder. Most builders include HST in the price and credit the rebate at closing. Call us for this week’s price lists and incentives.
How do deposits work on a new build in Seaton?
Every Seaton builder lands near 10% of the price in total. What changes is how fast you have to pay it.
| Builder | Deposit paid in full by | Instalments | Share of price |
|---|---|---|---|
| DECO Homes | 360 days | Staged, or pay in full | About 10% |
| Fieldgate Homes | 210 days | 4 to 8 | About 10% to 12% |
| OPUS Homes | 190 days | 5 | About 10% |
| Arista Homes | 180 days | 5 equal | About 10% |
| Aspen Ridge Homes | 150 days | 4 equal | About 10% |
| Sundial Homes | 150 days | 6 to 7 | About 10% to 12% |
| Brookfield Residential | 120 days | 5 | About 7% to 9% |
| Mattamy Homes | 120 days | 4, plus more for premium lots | About 10% |
| TowerHill Homes | Not published | Ask | Ask |
Deposits are set per release, so your schedule may not match your neighbour’s. Always get it in writing, with dates.
What’s actually included in a new Seaton home?
The word “standard” means different things at each sales office. When we compared all nine builders’ own features lists, we found:
- Air conditioning is standard with only 3 of the 9 builders.
- The hot water tank is owned by you with only 1 of the 9. With most, it’s a rental you pay monthly, sometimes for 15 years.
- 200 amp electrical service, which matters for an EV charger, a heat pump or a finished basement, comes with 4 of the 9.
- Hardwood on the main floor is standard with 7 of the 9. Two use laminate or carpet.
- 9-foot ceilings on both floors come with 4 of the 9.
Want to know which builder is which? Download our free builder guide below, or call us for the full 16-page version.
Download the free Seaton Builder Guide (PDF)
What closing costs come with a new build?
On top of land transfer tax, new homes come with builder closing costs: the Tarion warranty fee, water and hydro meters, a tree levy and a regulator fee. On a Mattamy Seaton Whitevale townhouse at $750,000, those came to about $3,600 with HST. The big one to watch is development charges and levies. Some builders cap the increase at zero, some at a set dollar amount, and at least one published agreement has no cap at all. See the new-build section of our closing costs guide.
Why are new construction homes a better deal than usual right now?
- HST rebates: Ontario and Canada are rebating up to 100% of the HST on many new homes. A repeat buyer gets the enhanced Ontario rebate only on an agreement signed between April 1, 2026 and March 31, 2027. See our new home HST rebate guide.
- 30-year amortization: Since December 15, 2024, anyone buying a newly built home with less than 20% down can take a 30-year insured mortgage. On a resale home, only first-time buyers can.
- Often cheaper than resale: In Seaton, builders are often priced about 8% to 12% below similar resale homes.
- More time to pay: Your deposit is spread over months, and you don’t need the rest until closing. Some homes close in 90 to 120 days; pre-construction can be 2 to 3 years away.
- No bidding wars: You buy from a price list and a lot map.
Should you buy pre-construction or resale?
Timing used to decide it: buy resale if you need a home soon, buy pre-construction if you can wait years. That’s changed in Seaton.
Given the closing timelines of pre-construction today, there’s not much difference between someone who is looking a ways out and someone who needs a home soon.
Xerxes Bharucha, Broker, Team Rajpal
With many Seaton homes closing in 90 to 120 days, and often priced below resale, new is worth a look for almost any buyer. So what’s the real difference maker? Not everyone is comfortable buying off a floor plan.
Not everyone is comfortable buying off a floor plan. That’s completely normal, and it’s perfectly fine. It’s not for everyone. If you need to see a space to picture it and understand how it flows, buying resale is for you.
Xerxes Bharucha, Broker, Team Rajpal
Resale can also be the better fit if you want an established neighbourhood with mature trees, or a specific street outside Seaton.
How does buying pre-construction work?
- Register with your agent on your first visit to any sales office.
- Get early access: brokerage allocations usually come before the VIP list and the public.
- Choose your lot and floor plan.
- Have a lawyer review the agreement before you sign.
- Pay your deposit instalments on the dates in your schedule.
- Pick your finishes at the décor studio.
- Watch it get built, and take the pre-drywall walkthrough if it’s offered.
- Do your pre-delivery inspection (PDI).
- Close, get your keys, and file your 30-day Tarion warranty form. Read our Tarion warranty guide.
Should you go to a builder’s sales office on your own?
No. When you walk into a builder’s sales office and sign in alone, you generally give up having an agent for that whole purchase, along with the preferred pricing, the preferred lots and anyone reading the contract on your side. The builder pays for your agent, so it costs you nothing, but only if you register with us on your first visit.
What makes a good builder?
Price and finishes are easy to compare. These are the things that matter once you’ve moved in:
- They stand by their product. A good builder doesn’t haggle with you over small warranty items, and tries to make your vision come true as best they can.
- They have a good warranty team. You’ll deal with them for years after closing, so this matters as much as the sales office.
- They’ve been in business a long time. A long track record means they’ve stood the test of time.
- They have few chargeable conciliations. That’s when Tarion steps in on a warranty dispute and finds the builder should have fixed the problem. It’s public, through the Ontario Builder Directory at obd.hcraontario.ca, and we’ll show you how to look it up.
Our biggest tip: talk to someone who bought a home from that builder, in that community, and ask how it really went. We can put you in touch with buyers who have closed with these builders.
What are the biggest mistakes new-build buyers make?
These are the five we see most often in Seaton:
- Saying it’s for personal use, then renting it out. If you tell the builder the home will be your own home, the HST rebate is usually credited to you on that basis. Rent it out instead and you were never entitled to it: builder agreements require you to pay it back in cash on closing, and the Canada Revenue Agency can come after you too. Buying to rent? Tell us and your lawyer before you sign. There’s a separate rebate for rental properties.
- Walking into a sales office without representation. Sign in alone and you usually can’t add an agent later, so you lose the preferred pricing, the preferred lots and someone reading the contract on your side.
- Thinking all lots are the same. They aren’t. A corner lot, a walk-out, a lot backing onto green space instead of a road, the grading, and what will be built behind you all change the value. Premium lots cost more and can raise your deposit too.
- Not knowing which streets get sidewalks. The builder’s site plan shows which side of each street gets a sidewalk. It affects how much room you have on your driveway, and many buyers care a lot about it once they move in. Ask to see it before you pick a lot.
- Assuming what they can do with the house later. A basement apartment, for example, needs a separate entrance, building permits and fire code approval, and not every lot has the side yard for a side door. Ask before you sign, not after you close.
Why work with Team Rajpal on a new build?
- We’re the only real estate team with an office in Seaton, at 2460 Brock Road. We hear when a phase releases or an incentive changes.
- We’ve read all nine builders’ agreements, not just their brochures.
- Preferred pricing and lots: brokerage allocations come before the public list.
- We’ve done it ourselves. Xerxes bought his own Mattamy home in Seaton Whitevale, so he’s been through every step as a buyer too.
- Real references: we can connect you with buyers who closed with these builders.
- We’ll tell you which builder not to buy from if a deal doesn’t make sense for you.
If you’re looking for a realtor in Pickering who knows every builder in Seaton, call us before you visit a sales office.
Call or text Team Rajpal · 647.372.2997
New construction homes in Pickering: FAQ
Who is building new homes in Pickering?
Nine builders are selling in Seaton in 2026: Mattamy, Brookfield, Aspen Ridge, Fieldgate, OPUS, DECO, Arista, TowerHill and Sundial.
How much is a new home in Pickering?
In Seaton this fall, 3-storey townhouses start in the $600,000s, 2-storey townhouses in the $700,000s, semi-detached homes in the $800,000s and detached homes in the low $900,000s. Prices change with each release.
How much deposit do I need for a new home in Pickering?
About 7% to 12% of the price, paid in instalments over 4 to 12 months depending on the builder.
Is new construction cheaper than resale in Pickering?
In Seaton, often yes. With nine builders competing, it’s common to find new homes priced about 8% to 12% below the market value of similar resale homes. That’s unusual: in many other areas, new construction still costs more.
How long does it take to close on a new home in Seaton?
It depends on the home. Many close in 90 to 120 days, while pre-construction homes can take 2 to 3 years.
Can I rent out a new home I bought with the HST rebate?
Not if you told the builder it was for your own use. The rebate is usually credited on that basis, and builder agreements require you to repay it in cash on closing if you rent it out instead. Investors should tell their agent and lawyer before signing, because there is a separate rental property rebate.
Should I buy pre-construction or resale in Pickering?
In Seaton, timing no longer decides it: many new homes close in 90 to 120 days and are often priced below resale. The real difference is comfort: if you need to walk through a space to picture how it flows, resale is the better fit. Not everyone is comfortable buying off a floor plan, and that’s perfectly fine.
How do I check a new home builder’s track record in Ontario?
Look up the exact company name on your agreement in the Ontario Builder Directory (obd.hcraontario.ca). It shows the builder’s licence, how many homes they’ve enrolled and any chargeable conciliations. Then talk to someone who bought from that builder in the same community.
Do I need a realtor to buy new construction?
You don’t have to, but it costs you nothing because the builder pays, and you usually have to register your agent on your first visit.
Is there a cooling-off period on a new home in Ontario?
Only for new condos, which get 10 days. A new freehold home has none unless the builder wrote one into your agreement.
Do I pay HST on a new home?
Yes, but rebates can bring it down to zero for many buyers. Most builders include HST in the price and credit the rebate at closing.
What is the deadline for the Ontario HST rebate on new homes?
To get the enhanced Ontario rebate as a repeat buyer, your agreement must be signed by March 31, 2027.
Is Seaton part of Pickering?
Yes. Seaton is a new community in north Pickering, planned for about 61,000 residents.
Source: Team Rajpal, The Ultimate Seaton Builder Comparison Guide (October 2026), built from each builder’s published agreements, features lists and price lists. Rebate amounts and deadlines are set by the Canada Revenue Agency and the Government of Ontario and can change. Team Rajpal is not affiliated with any builder named here; builder logos are shown for identification only.
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