Buying · Plex · Sherbrooke · QPAREB Q2 2026
The plex in Sherbrooke: the median price, 10% financing, the region's real rents and your net share, calculated on a triplex at $538,500. Then the sectors, the pitfalls and the TAL rules.
Buying a plex in Sherbrooke in 2026 means paying a $538,500 median in the metropolitan area in the second quarter (+7% year over year, +84% in five years, 44 days on the market, according to the QPAREB), $48,500 more than a single-family house ($490,000). The Sherbrooke plex gained 84% in five years, carried by a university city where the vacancy rate remains at 2.7% (CMHC, October 2025) and where rents rose 9.3% in a year. On a triplex at the median with 10% down ($53,850) and two units rented at $1,200 (example, for illustration), the insured loan is about $499,674, the payment at 4.24% over 30 years about $2,444, and your net share about $44 a month before taxes, insurance and maintenance. The welcome tax in Sherbrooke on $538,500 is $6,765.50, of which $5,441.38 is refundable to a first-time buyer. The current leases, the TAL rate (3.1% in 2026) and repossession rules frame the rest.
The Sherbrooke metropolitan area sold its median plex for $538,500 in the second quarter of 2026, +7% year over year and +84% in five years, in 44 days, with 76 sales and 112 active listings: slower than the house ($490,000, 34 days), with more choice than in the other regions; the condo sells at $320,000 (-2%). On the rental side, CMHC measured in October 2025 a 2.7% vacancy rate in the region, with the average rent up 9.3% in a year; two universities and two CEGEPs keep the rental market turning. The Sherbrooke plex is the duplex and triplex of downtown, Vieux-Nord and the east (Fleurimont, around the CHUS hospital and the university), the student buildings near Bishop's University in Lennoxville, and the 1970s to 1990s duplexes of Rock Forest with a basement unit.
| Metropolitan area (QPAREB, Q2 2026) | Median price | 1 year | 5 years | Days | Sales in the quarter | Active |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plex (2 to 5 units) | $538,500 | +7% | +84% | 44 days | 76 | 112 |
| Single-family house | $490,000 | +5% | +70% | 34 days | 485 | 534 |
| Condominium | $320,000 | -2% | +57% | 50 days | 88 | 167 |
| 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 $538,500 (CMA median, Q2 2026) | Amount |
|---|---|
| Price | $538,500 |
| 10% down payment | $53,850 |
| CMHC premium 3.10% (added to the loan) and 9% tax on the premium (at the notary's) | $15,024 and $1,352 |
| Insured loan | $499,674 |
| Payment, 4.24% fixed, 30 years | $2,444 |
| Rents from two units at $1,200 (example, for illustration) | $2,400 a month |
| Owner's net share (mortgage minus rents) | ≈ $44 a month |
| Municipal and school taxes, insurance, maintenance (2% to 3% of value per year) | ≈ $898 to $1,346 a month, two thirds deductible on the rented part |
| Welcome tax in Sherbrooke | $6,765.50, of which $5,441.38 is refundable to a first-time buyer (credit reduced above a $750,000 base) |
The $1,200 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 Sherbrooke.
Downtown, Jacques-Cartier and Vieux-Nord are the heart of the plex in Sherbrooke: 1900s to 1950s brick buildings rented to students and young workers, at market rents and with turnover every July 1. Fleurimont, around the CHUS and the health campus, sells 1950s to 1980s duplexes and triplexes to owner-occupants. Lennoxville sells the student buildings of Bishop's University, on an academic calendar. Rock Forest and Saint-Élie sell recent duplexes with a basement unit above the median. Magog and the periphery sell fewer plexes, at higher prices. Our pages real estate broker in Sherbrooke and buying a house in Sherbrooke complete this guide.
The academic calendar: a building near the campuses rents from September to April and empties in summer; 12-month leases signed in April avoid the gap, and the lender counts annualized rents. Radon, high in the Eastern Townships: a 90-day test and a mitigation system to plan on a building with basement units. Pre-1950 downtown buildings: structure, electrical, plumbing, galleries. A non-compliant basement unit counts for zero with the lender. Sherbrooke's welcome tax, 3% above $500,000: $6,765.50 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 Sherbrooke; for the tax, the welcome tax in Sherbrooke; 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 $538,500 median price in the Sherbrooke metropolitan area in the second quarter of 2026 (+7% year over year, +84% in five years), against $874,000 in Montreal and $690,000 across Quebec. A Fleurimont duplex sells under the median, a Vieux-Nord building above.
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 $538,500 median, 10% is $53,850.
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 $1,200 rent in our example is an illustration, not a statistic. With 2.7% vacancy (CMHC, October 2025) and rents up 9.3%, a vacant unit rents again at market within weeks.
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 Sherbrooke 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.