We finished our basement in Riverview and it doubled our usable living space — was it worth the investment for resale?

Finishing a basement in Riverview is one of the strongest return-on-investment renovations you can make in the Greater Moncton area — and doubling your usable square footage is exactly the kind of upgrade buyers notice. In the current market, a well-finished basement in Riverview typically returns 70–80% of the project cost at resale, and in some cases more if the space functions as a bedroom suite or family room that genuinely expands the home's livable footprint.

Here's the honest picture on value: New Brunswick real estate appraisers generally count finished basement square footage at a lower per-square-foot rate than above-grade space — roughly 50–70% of the above-grade value — but the functional appeal to buyers often outweighs that technical distinction. A Riverview home with 800 sq ft of finished basement effectively becomes a 2,400 sq ft home in the eyes of a buyer comparing it to a 1,600 sq ft bungalow next door. That perception gap drives offers.

What makes the biggest difference to resale value is how the space was finished. Buyers in the Riverview/Moncton market respond strongly to:

• A legal bedroom with a proper egress window (minimum 0.35m² opening, no dimension less than 380mm per NBC requirements)
• A full or 3-piece bathroom rough-in that's been completed
• Proper ceiling height — anything under 7 feet starts to feel cramped and buyers notice
• Quality moisture management — Riverview's clay-heavy soils and proximity to the Petitcodiac mean basement moisture is a real concern buyers will ask about

If your basement has any of those features, you're in excellent shape. If the bedroom egress window or bathroom was done without permits, that's worth addressing before listing — unpermitted work can complicate a sale when the buyer's home inspector flags it, and the Town of Riverview's Development Services office can sometimes help regularize older work.

The timing also works in your favour. The Greater Moncton market — including Riverview — has seen sustained demand over the past several years, and finished basements are particularly attractive to young families and buyers priced out of larger homes. A finished basement that was done to code, with proper insulation (especially important given NB's cold winters), good lighting, and a functional layout will genuinely move the needle on your listing price.

One thing worth mentioning before you list: if you haven't already tested for radon, do it now. New Brunswick has some of the highest radon levels in Canada, and finished basements are exactly where exposure risk is highest. A long-term test kit runs $30–$50. If levels are elevated, a sub-slab depressurization system ($2,500–$5,000 installed) is a relatively modest fix that you can market as a selling feature — "radon mitigated" is increasingly something informed buyers look for.

Bottom line — yes, it was worth it. You gained the space while you lived there, and you've made your home meaningfully more competitive when it's time to sell. If you're planning to list soon and want to connect with contractors for any finishing touches or upgrades, browse the New Brunswick Construction Network directory to find local trades in the Riverview area.