Canadian Housing Market Paused In July

As of the end of July 2024, about 183,450 properties were listed for sale on all Canadian MLS® Systems, up 22.7% from a year earlier but still about 10% below historical averages of more than 200,000 for this time of the year.

New listings posted a slight 0.9% month-over-month increase in July. The national increase was led by a much-needed boost in new supply in Calgary.

With new listings up slightly and sales down slightly in July, the national sales-to-new listings ratio fell to 52.7% compared to 53.5% in June. The long-term average for the national sales-to-new listings ratio is 55%, with a ratio between 45% and 65% generally consistent with balanced housing market conditions.

There were 4.2 months of inventory nationwide at the end of July, unchanged from the end of June. The long-term average is about five months of inventory.

“While it wasn’t apparent in the July housing data from across Canada, the stage is increasingly being set for the return of a more active housing market,” said James Mabey, Chair of CREA. “At this point, many markets have a healthier amount of choice for buyers than has been the case in recent years, but the days of the slower and more relaxed house hunting experience may be somewhat numbered.

While prices were up slightly at the national level, they were held back by reduced activity in the largest and most expensive British Columbia and Ontario markets. Regionally, prices are rising in most markets.

The non-seasonally adjusted National Composite MLS® HPI stood 3.9% below July 2023. This primarily reflects how prices took off last April, May, June, and July – something that was not repeated over that same period in 2024. It’s mostly likely that year-over-year comparisons will improve from this point on.

The actual (not seasonally adjusted) national average home price was $667,317 in July 2024, almost unchanged (-0.2%) from July 2023.