Canada's slow housing market recovery grinds to a halt

Canada's housing market ended its summer winning streak in August, with national home sales falling and BMO Economics warning that the pipeline for a meaningful recovery has effectively closed, at least for this stage of the rate cycle.

Existing home sales were down 6.9% year over year in August, according to the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA), ending a run of modest monthly gains that had held since April.

On a seasonally adjusted basis, sales edged only slightly lower from the prior month, a signal of stagnation rather than collapse.

The national sales-to-new listings ratio slipped to 49.1% from 51.1% in July, while months' supply of homes on the market edged up to 4.8, close to the long-run average.

The national MLS Home Price Index was down 3.0% year over year, though the pace of decline has levelled off.

The benchmark price was flat on a month-over-month basis in seasonally adjusted terms, a trend now holding for four consecutive months.

Robert Kavcic, director and senior economist at BMO Capital Markets in Toronto, wrote in the report that the market is "working to turn over the homes that need turning over, and not much more — speculation is gone, investors are absent, and prices are holding flat alongside low and stable volumes."

Rate ceiling takes hold

The harder news for mortgage brokers and their clients is what the report implies about rate direction. Higher long-term bond yields are keeping fixed mortgage rates elevated, and BMO Economics observed that markets are now pricing in approximately 100 basis points of Bank of Canada tightening over the next year.

BMO's view is that this pricing is too aggressive, but even if it proves wrong, the analysts concluded it looks as though all the rate relief available at this stage of the cycle has already been delivered.

That framing aligns with what BMO's economists have been signalling to the mortgage industry throughout 2026. Doug Porter, chief economist at Bank of Montreal, told Canadian Mortgage Professional in July that the economy and businesses appear to be "learning how to adapt to this new reality," but cautioned that whether this translates to housing depends heavily on the central bank holding the line on rates rather than reversing course. 

Regional splits narrow, but don't disappear

Ottawa recorded the sharpest year-over-year sales decline of any major market tracked in the report, down 19.3%, according to BMO Economics' August data.

Montreal sales fell 13.1% year over year, while Edmonton was down 10.8% and Calgary dropped 11.0%.

Vancouver, by contrast, recorded a 9.7% month-over-month jump in sales in August, though it remains down 5.6% year over year and continues to rank among Canada's weaker markets, with prices still fading on a monthly basis.

Toronto sales fell 2.1% year over year, with BMO noting that some pockets — particularly larger ground-oriented properties — show signs of firming. The condo segment, however, remains saturated.

Southern Ontario more broadly has little traction, though BMO characterised the tentative stabilisation as meaningful progress from recent trends.

Alberta markets, meanwhile, remain relatively firm despite year-over-year softening, with Calgary and Edmonton both recording sales-to-new listings ratios that have recently slipped below 60%.

Atlantic Canada and Québec remain comparatively tight, though price gains have moderated.

Construction mix shifts further toward rentals

New listings rose 3.3% in August month over month, but were down 3.2% from a year ago. That's a dynamic that is helping maintain balance, though BMO noted a likely shadow inventory of unsold listings that could re-enter the market.

On the construction side, ownership-oriented and condominium starts are down approximately 25,000 units from a year ago, while purpose-built rental activity is up nearly 30,000 units.

The 12-month average for total housing starts is running at approximately 251,000 units. 

Kavcic described the decline in ownership-oriented construction as "recession-like," but said it reflects the market correcting after a period of stretched activity and valuations, rather than a structural breakdown.

The rental build-out is masking the ownership-side contraction in aggregate start figures, a distinction brokers working with developer and investor clients will need to communicate clearly.

Source: Canadian Mortgage Professional