Market update · OREB release of 2026-11-05
Ottawa Housing Market, October 2026
1,048 homes sold through the MLS® System in Ottawa in October 2026, down 10.7% from October 2025, at an average residential price of $678,512, according to the Ottawa Real Estate Board (OREB). New listings fell 18.6% from September, and months of inventory eased to 4.4.
Sales
What sold in Ottawa in October 2026
Sales rose 3.8% from September, when 1,010 homes sold. OREB noted that sales increased in five of the previous ten September-to-October periods and fell in the other five, so this year’s rise was within the usual range. Every major type still sold less than a year earlier:
| Property type | Sales | vs October 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Single-family | 558 | down 12.5% |
| Townhouse | 350 | down 3.0% |
| Apartment | 115 | down 23.3% |
This is the second of our monthly Ottawa housing market updates, each built from one OREB release. The September 2026 report has the month before.
Prices
What prices did: average, median and benchmark
- Average residential sale price: $678,512, down 4.5% from a year earlier and down 1.0% from September. OREB noted it had held within a narrow range from July through September before this month’s dip.
- Median sale price: $622,000, down 3.9% year over year and down 0.5% from September.
- MLS® Home Price Index composite benchmark: $616,900, down 1.3% from October 2025 and down 1.1% from September.
The benchmark by property type
| Type | Benchmark | vs a year earlier | Months of inventory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single-family | $699,200 | down 0.8% | 4.0 |
| Townhouse | $539,800 | down 4.3% | 3.6 |
| Apartment | $377,500 | down 5.3% | 7.4 |
The apartment benchmark also fell 0.9% from September; the release gives no monthly change for the other two types. OREB called apartments “the clearest pressure point, a trend seen throughout 2026”: their months of inventory reached 7.4, against 7.3 in September and 5.8 a year earlier.
Reading the figures
Why the benchmark suggests price declines slowed
Average and median prices move with the mix of homes that sell in a month. The MLS® Home Price Index tracks a representative home with consistent characteristics, so OREB leans on it to read underlying price change.
The benchmark fell 1.1% from September before adjustment. After seasonal adjustment it fell about 0.5%, compared with a decline of 1.5% in September, which OREB read as “suggesting the pace of price declines had slowed”. In September, by contrast, the 2.2% unadjusted drop was the largest August-to-September decline in a series that dates to 2005.
Supply
How much choice buyers had: listings and inventory
- New listings: 2,382, down 1.2% from a year earlier and down 18.6% from September. Even so, it was the third-highest October count since 2016, 26.1% above the previous ten-year October average of 1,889.
- Active listings: 4,582, down 4.8% from September and up 6.4% from October 2025: the second-highest October level since 2016, behind only October 2016’s 5,075.
- Sales-to-new-listings ratio: 44.0%, up from 34.5% in September; it was 48.7% in October 2025.
- Months of inventory: 4.4, down from 4.8; it was 3.7 a year earlier.
- Selling speed: homes sold for an average of 97.5% of list price, unchanged from September (97.9% a year earlier), and the median time on market was 25.5 days, against 27 in September and 25 last October.
New listings by type of home
Single-family new listings totalled 1,202, up 1.3% from a year earlier and down 22.3% from September, the second-highest October count since 2016. Townhouses reached 740, up 1.9% year over year and down 11.8% from September, the highest October total over the same period. Apartment new listings fell 10.9% from last year and 18.1% from September, to 367.
OREB said much of the month’s relief came from fewer new listings, alongside a modest increase in sales. New listings fell 18.6%, against a median drop of 14.6% across the previous ten September-to-October periods, every one of which also saw a decline.
Submarkets
Where in Ottawa the sales happened
OREB splits Ottawa into seven submarkets. Its three suburban submarkets accounted for 753 sales, or 71.9% of the city’s total, and all three sold less than in October 2025.
| OREB submarket | Months of inventory | Sales-to-new-listings |
|---|---|---|
| Ottawa Suburb West | 3.7 | not stated |
| Ottawa Suburb East | 3.5 | 51.0% |
| Ottawa Suburb South | 4.1 | not stated |
| Ottawa Centre | 6.6 | not stated |
| Ottawa Rural South | 4.1 | not stated |
| Ottawa Rural East | 7.3 | not stated |
| Ottawa Rural West | 4.4 | not stated |
Suburb East had the lowest months of inventory of the seven. Rural East’s rose from September, so the city-wide easing did not reach every area. OREB cautioned that Rural South and Rural West recorded only 57 and 66 sales, so their monthly changes should be read carefully. These are OREB’s submarkets, not neighbourhoods; for the areas themselves, see our Ottawa neighbourhood pages.
Month over month
October against September, figure by figure
Each figure below is from OREB’s release for that month, published 2026-11-05 and 2026-10-05:
| Figure | October 2026 | September 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Homes sold | 1,048 | 1,010 |
| Average residential sale price | $678,512 | $685,640 |
| Median sale price | $622,000 | $625,000 |
| MLS® HPI composite benchmark | $616,900 | $623,500 |
| New listings | 2,382 | 2,927 |
| Active listings | 4,582 | 4,813 |
| Months of inventory | 4.4 | 4.8 |
| Sales-to-new-listings ratio | 44.0% | 34.5% |
| Median days on market | 25.5 | 27 |
Year to date
Ottawa’s year to date, January to October 2026
Through the first ten months of 2026, 11,335 homes sold in Ottawa, down 7.3% from the same period of 2025. Dollar volume was about $7.9 billion, down 8.0%, and new listings reached 25,352, up 3.4%.
What OREB said about October
OREB’s president, Tami Eades, called October “some welcome relief for sellers”, and added that “buyers continue to have considerable choice, and market conditions remain softer than a year ago”. She said the board would be “watching closely to see whether October’s improvement carries through into the coming months”.
For your move
How to use these figures if you are buying or selling
OREB itself pointed out that recent sales and competing listings “in the same neighbourhood and property type are essential to setting realistic prices, preparing offers and judging how long a sale may take”. A city-wide figure is the backdrop:
- Selling: start with a home evaluation and read how we sell. To work out what commission and HST come to at a given sale price, read our guide to real estate commission in Ontario.
- Buying: with active listings at their second-highest October level since 2016, there is more to compare before you offer. See how we help buyers.
- Choosing a type of home: townhouses had the fewest months of inventory and apartments the most. Our guides to Ottawa townhouses and Ottawa condos cover each.
- Talking it through: our Ottawa real estate agents can go through what these figures mean for the home you are buying or selling. Ask for Megan Stagg, who leads our Ottawa team.
Every October figure on this page is from the Ottawa Real Estate Board (OREB)’s release “Ottawa Home Sales Edge Higher in October as New Listings Ease”, published 2026-11-05; the September figures are from its release of 2026-10-05. We do not publish forecasts.
Questions
Questions about the October 2026 market
How many homes sold in Ottawa in October 2026?
1,048 residential properties sold through the MLS® System, down 10.7% from October 2025 and up 3.8% from September, when 1,010 sold, according to the Ottawa Real Estate Board (OREB). OREB called it the third-lowest October total since 2016.
What was the average home price in Ottawa in October 2026?
The average residential sale price was $678,512, down 4.5% from a year earlier and 1.0% lower than in September. The median was $622,000, down 3.9% year over year.
What was the average condo price in Ottawa in October 2026?
OREB did not publish one. Its release reports apartments, not condos, and gives no average dollar price for them. The apartment benchmark price was $377,500, down 5.3% from a year earlier and down 0.9% from September. For condo buying in Ottawa, see our Ottawa condos guide.
Is it a buyer’s market in Ottawa?
OREB wrote that Ottawa’s housing market “continued to lean in buyers’ favour in October, although modestly stronger sales and fewer new listings eased some pressure on sellers”. Its president, Tami Eades, said that “buyers continue to have considerable choice, and market conditions remain softer than a year ago”. Months of inventory were 4.4, against 3.7 in October 2025.
Are Ottawa home prices still falling?
The MLS® HPI composite benchmark fell 1.1% from September, to $616,900. After seasonal adjustment the fall was about 0.5%, against 1.5% in September, which OREB read as “suggesting the pace of price declines had slowed”. We do not forecast where prices go next.
Will housing prices go up in Ottawa?
Nobody can say, and we do not forecast. In October 2026 the Ottawa Real Estate Board (OREB) reported the average residential price down 4.5% and the MLS® HPI composite benchmark down 1.3% from a year earlier. OREB said it would be “watching closely to see whether October’s improvement carries through into the coming months”. Each month’s figures are in our Ottawa housing market updates.
Is it a good time to sell my house in Ottawa?
That depends on your home and your plans, not on one month. What OREB reported for October 2026: homes sold for an average of 97.5% of list price, the median time on market was 25.5 days and the sales-to-new-listings ratio rose to 44.0% from 34.5%. Its president called October “some welcome relief for sellers”. For your own home, start with a home evaluation.
Talk to us
Talk through the market with us
Tell us whether you are buying, selling or both, and a member of the team will get back to you. Or call 613-704-6145.
The Reality Group, eXp Realty, Brokerage, 75D Colonnade Road North, Nepean, ON K2E 0A8.
Sources
Each source below was read on 2026-11-07.
- Ottawa Real Estate Board (OREB), Ottawa Home Sales Edge Higher in October as New Listings Ease (published 2026-11-05)
- Ottawa Real Estate Board (OREB), Ottawa Home Sales Hold Steady in September as New Listings Rise (published 2026-10-05)