CostCanadian housing market updates — 2026
Rates, policy changes, and city-by-city conditions — every claim dated and sourced, reviewed regularly so it doesn't go stale.
The Bank of Canada Held at 2.25%: What It Means for Your Mortgage
The policy rate has sat at 2.25% since October 2025, well below its 5.0% peak — but fixed and variable mortgage holders are feeling that differently.
PolicyThe New GST/HST Rebate for First-Time Buyers of New Builds
A federal GST/HST rebate aimed specifically at first-time buyers of new construction is now available under the existing new housing rebate framework.
PolicyThe Stress Test in 2026: Still Here, Still Binding
Despite lower rates, OSFI's mortgage stress test hasn't been relaxed or removed, and it's still the main reason approved amounts run below what a buyer's take-home pay might suggest.
Market dataCanadian Home Prices in 2026: What Actually Happened
National price trends mask a lot of regional divergence in 2026 — the GTA has softened noticeably while other markets have held up better.
Market dataToronto Housing Market in 2026
Toronto's price decline in 2026 is real, but it's concentrated: condos have fallen further than detached homes, and the causes for each differ.
Market dataVancouver Housing Market in 2026
Vancouver remains Canada's most expensive major market by a clear margin in 2026, even as conditions have cooled from their earlier peak.
Market dataCalgary Housing Market in 2026
Calgary has been one of the more resilient major markets through 2026, part of a broader pattern of Prairie markets outperforming Ontario and BC.
AffordabilityHas Affordability Actually Improved in 2026?
Rates are down and some prices have softened, but affordability hasn't improved as much as those two facts alone would suggest.
RatesRenewing in 2026 After a 2021 Mortgage: The Payment Shock, Sized
A mortgage locked in during 2021's record-low rates is now hitting its 5-year renewal — and even with rates down from their 2023 peak, the increase is real.
PolicyHow the 2026 Rental-Property Lending Change Affects Investors
A change to how lenders assess rental income specifically affects borrowers who rely on rent for more than half of their qualifying income.
PolicyBuild Canada Homes: What It Funds and What It Changes
A federal initiative funded in the 2025 budget aims to increase housing supply directly, rather than only through demand-side buyer incentives.
PolicyImmigration Targets Cut to 380,000: The Housing Demand Effect
A significant reduction in federal immigration targets is one of the more direct policy levers affecting housing demand in 2026, alongside supply-side and rate changes.
PolicyMunicipal Development Charge Changes and What They Add to a New Build
A significant, often underestimated cost on new construction: municipal development charges, which fund the infrastructure a new development requires.
Market dataMonths of Inventory Explained, and What It Is Telling You Now
One number does more to tell you whether you have real negotiating leverage than almost anything else in a market update — and it's simpler than it sounds.
Market dataOttawa Housing Market in 2026
Ottawa's housing market has generally been steadier than Toronto's through 2026, anchored by a large, relatively stable public-sector employment base.
RatesAre Variable-Rate Trigger Rates Still a Risk at 2.25%?
Trigger rates dominated headlines during the 2022-2023 hiking cycle. With rates down significantly since, here's who still needs to watch theirs.
RatesWhat a 0.25% Move Actually Does to Your Monthly Payment
Every Bank of Canada announcement gets outsized attention, but a single 0.25% move changes a typical payment by less than most people expect.
Market dataMontreal Housing Market in 2026
Montreal's market has generally been steadier through 2026 than Ontario and BC's largest cities, with its own distinct tax structure and buyer pool.
Market dataEdmonton Housing Market in 2026
Edmonton continues to offer some of the most accessible pricing among major Canadian cities, benefiting from the same Prairie resilience as Calgary.
RatesBond Yields, Tariffs and Why Fixed Rates Moved Up in Spring 2026
Fixed rates moved against the direction most people expect from a rate-holding central bank — the explanation lives in the bond market, not the policy rate.
RatesShould You Still Be Waiting for Lower Rates?
Waiting for rates to fall further was a reasonable bet in 2023. In 2026, with the policy rate holding steady, it's a different, less certain wager.
Market dataHalifax Housing Market in 2026
Halifax has absorbed years of strong population and demand growth while still offering meaningfully more accessible pricing than Ontario or BC's major markets.
PolicyEvery Federal Housing Measure Now in Force, in One List
Federal housing policy touches rates, taxes, buyer programs, and supply all at once — here's every active measure gathered in one place.
PolicyProvincial Housing Measures Introduced in 2026
Below the federal layer, provinces have kept adjusting their own housing measures independently — and those provincial rules often matter more day-to-day than federal ones.
AffordabilityWhat Changed for First-Time Buyers Between 2025 and 2026
A year is enough time for several real changes to stack up for first-time buyers — here's what's actually different now versus a year ago.
Market dataBuyer's Market or Seller's Market? Reading the Numbers Yourself
Two numbers, read together, tell you more about your actual negotiating position than any single headline or general impression.
Market dataWhy Sales Volumes Stayed Low Even as Affordability Improved
The math for buying has genuinely improved in some markets, yet transaction volumes haven't rebounded as much as that improvement alone would predict.
Market dataThe Regional Split: Prairies and Atlantic vs Ontario and BC
The clearest single pattern in Canadian housing through 2026 isn't a national trend at all — it's a widening gap between two groups of provinces.
Market dataIs the Condo Investor Exodus Over?
A wave of investor-owned condos hitting the resale market reshaped the GTA condo segment specifically — here's where that dynamic stands now.
Market dataPre-Construction Assignments in a Falling Market
Assignment sales are usually discussed assuming a profit — a falling market flips that assumption, and the mechanics matter differently when the number is negative.
Market dataHamilton and the Golden Horseshoe in 2026
Hamilton and the wider Golden Horseshoe region, which absorbed years of spillover demand from Toronto, has generally softened alongside the GTA itself in 2026.
Market dataWinnipeg Housing Market in 2026
Winnipeg continues to offer some of the most accessible pricing among Canada's major cities, with generally stable conditions through 2026.
Market dataVictoria Housing Market in 2026
Victoria carries its own distinct market character as BC's capital — expensive relative to most of Canada, but with dynamics genuinely different from Vancouver's.
Market dataQuebec City Housing Market in 2026
Quebec City offers a genuinely different affordability picture than Montreal, anchored by its own provincial government employment base.
Market dataSaskatoon and Regina in 2026
Saskatchewan's two largest cities combine some of Canada's most accessible pricing with no land transfer tax at all — a genuinely different cost equation.
Market dataClosing Costs in 2026: What Has Gone Up
Individual closing cost line items have each moved somewhat in 2026 — none dramatically on their own, but worth knowing before you use an old estimate.
Market dataProperty Tax Increases Across Canadian Cities in 2026
Municipal budget pressure has pushed property tax rate increases across many Canadian cities in 2026, adding an often-overlooked ongoing cost increase for owners.
Market dataHome Insurance Costs and Why They Keep Climbing
Home insurance premiums have kept climbing, driven by factors largely outside any individual homeowner's control.
Market dataCondo Fees in 2026: The Reserve Fund Problem
Many condo corporations are raising fees to catch up on reserve funds that fell behind rising repair costs — a trend worth understanding before you buy.
Market dataRents in 2026: Where They Fell and Where They Did Not
Rent trends in 2026 haven't moved uniformly — some segments have genuinely softened while others have held firm or even continued rising.
Market dataWhat $500,000 Buys Across Canada Right Now
The same half-million-dollar budget can mean a small condo in one city and a full detached family home in another — a useful, concrete way to see the affordability gap.