With a properly permitted, code-built suite, a paying tenant under The Residential Tenancies Act, 2006 is straightforward income a lender can credit at full value, so keeping the property occupied through the sale generally supports a stronger offer from an investor buyer than an empty second unit would.
Because Willowgrove's suites tend to be documented rather than decades-old undocumented conversions, the usual older-home risk, a lender discounting income from an unpermitted unit, matters less here. That makes the vacant-versus-occupied decision closer to a straightforward income question than a compliance question.
Confirm the suite's permit status with the City of Saskatoon before you decide either way, since even newer construction occasionally has finishing work done after possession that never reached a permit file. Joel Dyck's hand-reviewed valuation checks that record and prices the building on what is verified.
Get your hand-reviewed valuation from Joel Dyck.