Welcome to 2026 - The Year of the Buyer

Welcome to .....

2026 - The Year of the Buyer!

Sorry Sellers, 2026 will be a buyers’ market particularly in the condo sector. The real estate market will not improve until the overall economy improves, and Canadians feel more secure and confident about their jobs and their future. The most recent federal budget did not deliver the much-needed economic stimulus we were expecting, and ongoing trade issues with our neighbours to the south have not been resolved greatly affecting some sectors of the Canadian economy. Economic uncertainty has certainly weighed on consumer confidence. However, for those with secure employment there is good news, interest rates are back down to levels which in historical terms can only be described as low and we expect them to drop another 50 basis points as we move through 2026. Buyers can now take advantage of much lower real estate prices with much lower mortgage rates, and the smart ones are taking action.

The problem for sellers right now is not an excess of inventory but rather a lack of buyers. Sure, in the condo sector inventory levels are higher than they were in peak market times but not by that much. Over the past three years, real estate sales across TRREB are down by a combined total of 100,000 units.

Once Canadians are convinced the job market is stable and the economy is improving you can expect the bulk of those buyers who have been sitting on the sidelines to jump right back into the real estate market. It will only take a small number of them to move us back into a Seller’s market, and it will happen fast.

To give you an understanding of inventory levels, we calculate condo inventory for sale and for lease in all downtown districts every Monday and have for the past 10 years. For those of you looking to make a condo purchase, this is vital information you will not find anywhere else, and we are happy to share it with our clients.

Condo inventory for the first week of January over the past 4 years.

Overall, there are approximately 2,600 more condos for combined sale and lease at this time than there were in the bustling sellers market of 2023 and those will disappear fast once the market turns back on. When that number gets to 1,800 units for sale, you can expect multiple offers to become the norm. We are already seeing bidding wars for one plus den units with parking under $750,000 in King West and as a result, prices are rising.

WE WANT OUR BUYERS TO BE THE MOST EDUCATED OF ALL BUYERS, CAPABLE OF MAKING WELL-INFORMED DECISIONS.

As a result, we will be running two seminars in February just for you.

The first will be for condo buyers and the second will be for those looking to purchase single family homes. Whether a first-time homebuyer or not, there is a lot of useful information which will make those who attend much more educated buyers.

Single Family Home Buyers Seminar

We take a deep dive into 100 year old homes and all of their major components. Each house has a story to tell but you have to know where to look. Top to bottom, outside to inside we will take you through all of the major structural components and systems which make up a home.

For those of you who like the stats: This is 2025 at a glance.

There were 62,433 sales in 2025 down 11.2% from 2024. New listings were up by 10.1% year over year at 186,753. With listings up and sales down, the average selling price in 2025 dropped 4.7% to $1,067,968 from $1,120,241 in 2024.

Thinking of Selling:

If you are planning on listing this year you have to price your property according to market conditions. With only a small portion of listings

selling each month, only the best priced, most well-prepared properties will sell. Ask us for a free property valuation and listing consultation.

Renting Your Property:

Find out how we can help you get the most for your property while avoiding bad tenants, tenant fraud and high-risk applicants.