Buying · Plex · Saguenay · QPAREB Q2 2026
The plex in Saguenay: the median price, 10% financing, the region's real rents and your net share, calculated on a triplex at $373,500. Then the sectors, the pitfalls and the TAL rules.
Buying a plex in Saguenay in 2026 means paying a $373,500 median in the metropolitan area in the second quarter (+9% year over year, +89% in five years, 28 days on the market, according to the QPAREB), $3,500 more than a single-family house ($370,000). The Saguenay plex is the cheapest among the metropolitan areas, at $373,500, and the one that rose the most in five years after Trois-Rivières (+89%), in the tightest rental market in Quebec: a 1.3% vacancy rate in October 2025 (CMHC), with rents up 11.2% in a year. On a triplex at the median with 10% down ($37,350) and two units rented at $1,000 (example, for illustration), the insured loan is about $346,571, the payment at 4.24% over 30 years about $1,695, and your net share about $-305 a month before taxes, insurance and maintenance. The welcome tax in Saguenay on $373,500 is $3,713, of which $3,713 is refundable to a first-time buyer. The current leases, the TAL rate (3.1% in 2026) and repossession rules frame the rest.
The Saguenay metropolitan area sold its median plex for $373,500 in the second quarter of 2026, +9% year over year and +89% in five years, in 28 days, with 64 sales and 63 active listings: under three months of inventory, and a plex that costs barely more than a single-family house ($370,000); the condo sells at $290,000. On the rental side, CMHC measured in October 2025 a 1.3% vacancy rate in the region, the lowest among Quebec's large regions, with the average rent up 11.2% in a year: a vacant unit rents again within days. The Saguenay plex is the duplex and triplex of downtown Chicoutimi and Jonquière, the 1940s to 1960s buildings of Kénogami and Arvida, and the 1970s to 1990s duplexes with a basement unit, bought by owner-occupants and by workers of the large industrial projects who house their colleagues.
| Metropolitan area (QPAREB, Q2 2026) | Median price | 1 year | 5 years | Days | Sales in the quarter | Active |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plex (2 to 5 units) | $373,500 | +9% | +89% | 28 days | 64 | 63 |
| Single-family house | $370,000 | +8% | +71% | 33 days | 381 | 360 |
| Condominium | $290,000 | +4% | +71% | 42 days | 35 | 33 |
| Building | Minimum down payment (buyer lives in it) | CMHC premium | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duplex | 5% up to $500,000, 10% above (price under $1.5M) | 4.00% (under 10% down), 3.10% (10% to 14.99%) | 30-year amortization for a first-time buyer or a new build |
| Triplex, fourplex | 10% | 3.10% | Insured loan up to 90% of value |
| Not owner-occupied (1 to 4 units) | 20% | No premium (conventional) | Rents counted more cautiously; rate sometimes higher |
| 5 units and more | 15% to 25%, commercial or CMHC multi-unit financing | Depends on the program | Analysis on the building's net income |
Depending on the lender, 50% to 100% of gross rents are added to your income, or deducted from the mortgage payment in the ratio calculation (39%/44% at the 6.24% stress-test rate). The unit you live in does not count as income; a unit vacant at purchase is counted at market rent by the appraiser.
| Triplex at $373,500 (CMA median, Q2 2026) | Amount |
|---|---|
| Price | $373,500 |
| 10% down payment | $37,350 |
| CMHC premium 3.10% (added to the loan) and 9% tax on the premium (at the notary's) | $10,421 and $938 |
| Insured loan | $346,571 |
| Payment, 4.24% fixed, 30 years | $1,695 |
| Rents from two units at $1,000 (example, for illustration) | $2,000 a month |
| Owner's net share (mortgage minus rents) | ≈ $-305 a month |
| Municipal and school taxes, insurance, maintenance (2% to 3% of value per year) | ≈ $622 to $934 a month, two thirds deductible on the rented part |
| Welcome tax in Saguenay | $3,713, of which $3,713 is refundable to a first-time buyer (credit reduced above a $750,000 base) |
The $1,000 rents are an example; the real rents of the current leases, often lower in an older plex, are the ones that count, and the TAL limits their increase. The return calculation details the cap rate and cash flow; the method is the same in Saguenay.
Chicoutimi (downtown, Rivière-du-Moulin, the streets around the Université du Québec à Chicoutimi and the CEGEP) is the heart of the plex in Saguenay: older buildings and duplexes rented to students and health workers, at market rents and fast turnover. Jonquière (downtown, Kénogami, Arvida) sells 1940s to 1970s duplexes and triplexes under the median, with old leases. Chicoutimi-Nord and La Baie sell recent duplexes with a basement unit. The periphery (Saint-Honoré, Larouche) sells small village buildings well under the median. Our pages real estate broker in Saguenay and buying a house in Saguenay complete this guide.
Old leases: in a market at 1.3% vacancy, the gap between an old rent and the market is wide, and it only closes when the tenant leaves, never through an increase beyond the TAL; the calculation is made on the real leases. Pre-1960 buildings in Arvida and Kénogami: structure, electrical, plumbing, foundations. The constraint zones drawn after the 1996 flood along the rivers: mapping and insurability before the offer. A non-compliant basement unit counts for zero with the lender. Saguenay's welcome tax: $3,713 on the median, not deductible.
Leases follow the building: you inherit the tenants, their rents and their renewals. The annual increase follows the method of the Tribunal administratif du logement (a 3.1% base in 2026 for leases renewed after April 1, plus a share of major work, taxes and insurance); a tenant can refuse and the TAL sets the rent. Repossessing a unit to live in it or house a close relative requires a six-month notice before the end of the lease and good faith; it is forbidden against a tenant aged 65 or more who has lived there ten years with a modest income, with exceptions (see repossession by the buyer of a plex). Evictions for enlargement or change of use are suspended until June 2027. Read the leases, the increase notices and the rent statements before the offer, not after.
The rented part is rental income: rents minus expenses (interest, taxes, insurance, maintenance, prorated to the rented area). On sale, the capital gain is taxable on the rented part; the principal residence exemption covers only your unit. The welcome tax is calculated on the whole building and is not deductible.
The plex file: plex forecasts 2027 (French), welcome tax on a plex (French) and the RénoPlex grant.
For the budget of a house, first-time buyer in Saguenay; for the tax, the welcome tax in Saguenay; for the general method, buying an owner-occupied plex.
The Loaa & Manseur team, led by Lotfi Manseur and Loaa Al Daow, is the number 1 team at RE/MAX Platine in 2024 and 2025, 6th RE/MAX team in Quebec, 15th in Canada and in the global top 50 of large residential teams according to the official RE/MAX ranking, computed on actual transactions. Its Google profile counts 221 reviews with a 4.9 rating. Its offices are at 55 avenue de l'Équinoxe in Brossard, one bridge from the island, and every broker's licence can be checked in the OACIQ public register. Three things to verify yourself before calling us, and to demand of any other broker.
A $373,500 median price in the Saguenay metropolitan area in the second quarter of 2026 (+9% year over year, +89% in five years), the lowest among the metropolitan areas, against $874,000 in Montreal and $690,000 across Quebec.
5% on an owner-occupied duplex (10% above $500,000), 10% on an owner-occupied triplex or fourplex, 20% if you do not live in it, price under $1.5 million for an insured loan. On the $373,500 median, 10% is $37,350.
Those of the current leases, first: the rent statement and the signed leases are required by the lender. For a vacant unit or your own, ask the broker for the rents of recent leases in the sector; the $1,000 rent in our example is an illustration, not a statistic. With 1.3% vacancy (CMHC, October 2025), a vacant unit rents again quickly at market.
Yes, with a six-month notice before the end of the lease and in good faith, except for a protected tenant (65 or older, 10 years of occupancy, modest income). The rule is provincial: it applies in Saguenay as in Montreal.
Also available in French: version française de ce guide.
Published September 7, 2026 by the Loaa & Manseur team, the number 1 team at RE/MAX Platine in 2024 and 2025, 6th RE/MAX team in Quebec, 15th in Canada and in the global top 50 according to the official RE/MAX ranking. Tell us about your project.
Équipe no 1 de RE/MAX Platine en 2024 et en 2025, 6e au Québec, 15e au Canada et dans le top 50 mondial au classement officiel RE/MAX. Réponse en moins de 24 heures, sept jours sur sept.