What Drives the Price | Freehold Premium
Do freehold homes cost more than strata
No strata fee, no strata council, no shared property. Buyers assume that commands a premium. The measured answer is more interesting than a simple yes, because the two groups are not built in the same places.
The short answer
245 of the 1,412 active newly built ground-oriented homes are freehold with no strata, and 1,158 are strata. The freehold homes list at a median of $1,359,000 and $756 per square foot, against $1,349,900 and $842 for strata. The freehold homes are also markedly larger.
- Freehold listings
- 245
- Strata listings
- 1,158
- Freehold per sq ft
- $756
- Strata per sq ft
- $842
The two groups side by side
| Freehold, no strata | Strata | |
|---|---|---|
| Active listings | 245 | 1,158 |
| Median list price | $1,359,000 | $1,349,900 |
| Median per sq ft | $756 | $842 |
| Median size | 1,993 sq ft | 1,576 sq ft |
| Monthly strata fee | None | $371 median, from 631 listings that state one |
| Who pays for the roof | You, in full, when it needs doing | The contingency reserve fund, built up from the monthly fee |
| Rules on pets and rentals | Yours to decide | Set by the strata bylaws, which can change by vote |
| Four bedrooms or more | 155 | 438 |
Why the headline number misleads
Freehold ground-oriented homes are not distributed like strata ones. They cluster in Abbotsford, Mission, Surrey, and the eastern suburbs, where land is cheap enough for a builder to sell without a strata. Strata homes cluster in Vancouver, Burnaby, and Richmond, where it is not.
So the regional comparison is measuring two different geographies as much as it is measuring two different tenures. The city table below is the honest version: compare freehold against strata inside one city, where the land cost is roughly the same for both.
Freehold against strata, inside the same city
Only cities with at least four active listings of each kind. The main columns are the freehold homes. The last column is the strata price per square foot in the same city, for direct comparison.
| City | Active | Median price | Per sq ft | Median size | Strata per sq ft |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vancouver | 78 | $1,688,000 | $1,010 | 1,563 | $1,119 |
| Surrey | 39 | $1,359,999 | $497 | 2,856 | $566 |
| Burnaby | 31 | $1,599,000 | $786 | 1,953 | $683 |
| Richmond | 7 | $976,000 to $1,962,800 | $711 to $971 | 1,628 | $900 |
| Langley | 23 | $1,200,000 | $492 | 2,449 | $591 |
| Abbotsford | 18 | $1,059,000 | $486 | 2,085 | $500 |
| Mission | 11 | $945,000 | $326 | 3,149 | $453 |
| Delta | 13 | $1,397,700 | $511 | 2,610 | $577 |
| Squamish | 4 | $1,349,900 to $1,513,000 | $769 to $851 | 1,771 | $806 |
| Pemberton | 8 | $1,099,000 | $785 | 1,400 | $756 |
| Port Coquitlam | 4 | $1,199,270 to $1,249,700 | $712 to $775 | 1,647 | $600 |
A dash means fewer than four active listings, which is too few to publish a figure for. Rows with four to seven listings show a range instead of a median.
Where the freehold homes actually are
This map is the argument the page has been making. Freehold ground-oriented homes cluster in the eastern suburbs and the Fraser Valley, which is why comparing them to strata homes region-wide compares two geographies as much as two tenures.
242 of 245 homes plotted. 3 listings have no coordinates in the feed and cannot be placed. Click a pin for the photo, the price, and a Street View link. Zoom with the plus and minus buttons or by pinching.
Freehold homes with no strata
$729,900
Freehold
58 30530 CARDINAL AVENUE
Abbotsford West · 3 bed · 1,429 sq ft
$798,000
Freehold
3 6831 SALISBURY AVENUE
Highgate · 2 bed · 1,039 sq ft
$848,800
Freehold
54 4337 BOUNDARY ROAD
Hamilton · 3 bed · 1,292 sq ft
$859,900
Freehold
8576 DUNBAR WAY
Mission · 4 bed · 2,233 sq ft
$859,900
Freehold
8548 DUNBAR WAY
Mission · 4 bed · 2,233 sq ft
$898,000
Freehold
2745 MCCALLUM ROAD
Central Abbotsford · 4 bed · 2,474 sq ft
$899,000
Freehold
1 46018 BONNY AVENUE
Chilliwack Proper East · 5 bed · 2,201 sq ft
$899,000
Freehold
11 7762 203 STREET
Willoughby Heights · 3 bed · 1,451 sq ft
$899,000
Freehold
32529 HIGGINBOTTOM COURT
Mission · 6 bed · 3,149 sq ft
$899,000
Freehold
32531 HIGGINBOTTOM COURT
Mission · 6 bed · 3,145 sq ft
$909,900
Freehold
2950 SERENDIPITY STREET
Abbotsford East · 4 bed · 2,349 sq ft
$915,000
Freehold
32539 HIGGINBOTTOM COURT
Mission · 4 bed · 2,687 sq ft
$919,900
Freehold
2958 SERENDIPITY STREET
Abbotsford East · 4 bed · 2,349 sq ft
$945,000
Freehold
32514 HIGGINBOTTOM COURT
Mission · 6 bed · 3,160 sq ft
$949,900
Freehold
32545 HIGGINBOTTOM COURT
Mission · 5 bed · 2,706 sq ft
$959,000
Freehold
34723 QUARRY AVENUE
Abbotsford East · 3 bed · 2,000 sq ft
$959,000
Freehold
34727 QUARRY AVENUE
Abbotsford East · 3 bed · 2,000 sq ft
$959,900
Freehold
34743 QUARRY AVENUE
Abbotsford East · 3 bed · 2,000 sq ft
$975,000
Freehold
32522 HIGGINBOTTOM COURT
Mission · 6 bed · 3,149 sq ft
$988,000
Freehold
74 2350 165 STREET
Grandview Heights · 4 bed · 1,577 sq ft
$998,800
Freehold
1 6328 KING GEORGE BOULEVARD
Queen Mary Park · 5 bed · 1,943 sq ft
$999,900
Freehold
32504 HIGGINBOTTOM COURT
Mission · 6 bed · 3,216 sq ft
$1,028,999
Freehold
18470 64 AVENUE
Cloverdale · 4 bed · 1,870 sq ft
$1,034,000
Freehold
2875 JERSEY PLACE
Abbotsford East · 3 bed · 2,085 sq ft
221 more active listings are not shown here. Search every active listing . Prices are the list price. Most new homes have GST added on top.
Common questions
What does freehold mean when buying a townhouse or duplex in BC?
It means you own the land and the building outright, with no strata corporation, no monthly strata fee, and no strata council deciding what you can do. In the MLS® feed this shows as "Freehold NonStrata". The alternative, "Freehold Strata", still gives you ownership but through a strata corporation that owns the common property.
Do freehold homes cost more than strata homes?
Per square foot, the difference in this market is 10% lower for freehold, at $756 against $842. That headline figure is misleading on its own, though, because freehold homes are concentrated in different cities than strata homes. Compare inside one city instead, using the table on this page.
Is freehold better than strata?
It is a trade, not an upgrade. No strata fee means you keep the monthly payment, but it also means no contingency reserve fund, so when the roof needs replacing the money comes entirely from you. No strata council means no one telling you about renovations or pets, but also no one managing the shared elements.
How do I tell whether a listing is freehold?
The ownership field on the listing says it, and any listing agent will confirm it in writing. Do not infer it from the property type: plenty of half duplexes are strata, and a row house sold as non-strata is freehold. The title search your lawyer runs is the definitive answer.
Are freehold homes bigger?
In this set, clearly yes. The median freehold home is 1,993 sq ft against 1,576 sq ft for strata. That reflects where they get built: freehold ground-oriented homes are mostly rebuilt suburban lots with room to spread out, while strata homes are more often built on assembled sites in denser town centres.
Who decides the rules on pets and rentals in a freehold home?
The owner decides, since there is no strata council or bylaws to answer to. In a strata home those rules are set by the strata bylaws, which the owners can change by vote, so a rule that allows pets and rentals today can change after you buy.
Which cities have the most freehold ground-oriented homes?
Freehold homes cluster in Abbotsford, Mission, Surrey, and the eastern suburbs, where land is cheap enough for a builder to sell without setting up a strata. Strata homes cluster in Vancouver, Burnaby, and Richmond instead, which is why comparing the two tenures region-wide compares different geographies as much as different ownership types.
Who pays for a roof replacement on a freehold home versus a strata home?
On a freehold home, the owner pays for the full roof replacement out of pocket when it is needed, since there is no shared fund. On a strata home, the cost is covered from the contingency reserve fund, which is built up over time from the monthly strata fee that every owner pays.
Where these figures come from
- VanPlex active listings, MLS® data
Active townhouses, half duplexes, and row houses built in the last two years across Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley.
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See the homes behind these numbers
Every figure on this page comes from listings you can open. Search the full set of newly built townhouses, half duplexes, and row houses, and filter by price, bedrooms, freehold or strata, pets, and parking.