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Every year, the Canadian real estate market gears up for the spring surge. It’s the season most people associate with buying and selling — the lawns look greener, the weather is warmer, and open houses feel more inviting. Because of that, many homeowners naturally assume spring is the “best” time to list their property.
But that assumption overlooks one of the most important forces in real estate: competition.
Spring isn’t just when more buyers enter the market — it’s also when the largest number of sellers decide to list. And when everyone waits for the same moment, the advantages of spring can quickly get diluted. Buyers have more homes to choose from, attention gets split across competing listings, and sellers suddenly find themselves working harder for the same level of interest they might have captured more easily just a few months earlier.
Heading into 2026, there’s a strong argument that listing ahead of the spring wave may deliver a better outcome — particularly as economic conditions begin to shift.
If rate cuts are announced this spring, we could see an acceleration of that trend as more buyers re-enter the market.
Importantly, buyers don’t wait for the perfect season. They respond to affordability. If a slightly lower rate makes the monthly payment work, that’s often enough to get them off the sidelines — no matter what the calendar says.
Why Being Early Matters
If those buyers begin showing up in February and March, homeowners who waited until April, May, or June could miss the moment when demand begins to build and inventory is still low. One of the most overlooked dynamics in real estate is that the best negotiating conditions don’t always happen at peak activity. They happen when demand increases faster than supply.
Early in the year, that imbalance tends to work in a seller’s favour. There are fewer comparable listings, buyers spend more time on each property, and serious buyers have fewer options to pivot to if they miss out. By the time the spring floodgates open, those conditions often reverse. More inventory gives buyers leverage, not sellers.
There is no question that spring brings volume. More open houses, more showings, and more energy can feel exciting. But volume and pricing power are not the same thing. When similar homes hit the market at the same time, sellers can end up competing on price, presentation, and closing terms simply to stand out.
None of this is to say spring is a bad time to sell — historically, it has been one of the strongest. The point is that timing is more nuanced than the conventional wisdom suggests, especially in a year where monetary policy and affordability are in transition.
If you’re considering selling, it may be worth asking whether it makes sense to be early rather than just in time with everyone else. Getting ahead of the spring market doesn’t just mean listing sooner — it means capturing motivated buyers while competition is still manageable, while headlines are improving, and while the market is beginning to move in your favour.
If you’d like to explore what timing could look like for your property, I’d be happy to discuss your options, provide valuation insights, and help you build a strategy tailored to the coming market rather than the last one.
Subodh Sharma, Broker
Skill Realty Inc., Brokerage
416-675-6300
