Legality is what separates a strong sale from a disappointing one. A permitted secondary suite with its own entrance, egress windows and fire separation is worth real money to a lender and an appraiser, while the same layout without a permit can be treated as unfinished space rather than legal square footage.
The buyer pool for this layout is genuinely wider than for a standard single-family home. Extended families wanting aging parents or adult children under one roof, and investors looking for permitted rental income, both compete for a well-documented multi-generational property, which supports demand even when the overall market is balanced.
What a listing needs to prove is that the extra living space is legal, not just built. Get your hand-reviewed valuation from Joel Dyck.