Canadian Home Sales Edge Higher in April

OTTAWA, Ontario, May 14, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The number of home sales recorded over Canadian MLS^® Systems was up 0.7% on a month-over-month basis in April 2026.

“While home sales were up only modestly from March to April, the small increase reflected a slow start to the month with a stronger handoff into May, alongside falling days on market and stabilizing prices,” said Shaun Cathcart, Senior Economist with the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA). “This latest bout of global economic uncertainty and higher mortgage rates means the previously expected rebound in housing markets this year will continue to be muted, but it does not mean there will be no upward momentum at all.”

April Highlights:

• National home sales edged up 0.7% month-over-month.
• Actual (not seasonally adjusted) monthly activity came in 4% below April 2025.
• The number of newly listed properties jumped 4.1% on a month-over-month basis.
• The MLS^® Home Price Index (HPI) edged down 0.1% month-over-month and was down 4.2% on a year-over-year basis.
• The actual (not seasonally adjusted) national average sale price was up 2.2% on a year-over-year basis in April 2026.
  

New listings jumped 4.1% on a month-over-month basis in April 2026, marking the traditional starting point for the spring market.

With the gain in new supply outpacing sales within the month of April, the national sales-to-new listings ratio eased to 45.6% compared to 47.1% in March. That said, this could reflect a timing issue between when properties are listed and when they eventually sell. The long-term average for the national sales-to-new listings ratio is 54.8%, with readings roughly between 45% and 65% generally consistent with balanced housing market conditions.

“While many buyers remain in a wait and see mode, the April national housing numbers did move in the right direction across the board,” said Garry Bhaura, CREA Chair. “With the spring listings now coming onto the market, sales were up, days on market were down, and prices continued to stabilize. The data trends suggest more of the same for May, so if you’re ready to get into the market as a buyer or as a seller, start working with a local REALTOR^® today.”

There were 187,647 properties listed for sale on all Canadian MLS^® Systems at the end of April 2026, up 2.2% from a year earlier but 6.1% below the long-term average for that time of the year.

There were 5.2 months of inventory on a national basis at the end of April 2026, up slightly from February and March due to the influx of new spring listings. This remains very close to the long-term average for the measure of five months. Based on one standard deviation above and below that long-term average, a seller’s market would be below 3.6 months, and a buyer’s market would be above 6.4 months.

The National Composite MLS^® Home Price Index (HPI) edged down just 0.1% on a month-over-month basis in April, the smallest decline since October 2025. This aligns with sale-to-list price ratios that have been tightening up and days on market that have been edging lower in recent months. Price stabilization is an important milestone necessary for buyers to eventually start re-entering the market in larger numbers.

The non-seasonally adjusted National Composite MLS^® HPI was down 4.2% compared to April 2025, the smallest year-over-year decline so far in 2026.

Regionally, prices remain down on a year-over-year basis in British Columbia, Alberta, and Ontario, offsetting gains in other provinces.

The non-seasonally adjusted national average home price was $695,412 in April 2026, up 2.2% from the same month last year.

The next CREA statistics package will be published on Tuesday, June 16, 2026.

PLEASE NOTE: The information contained in this news release combines both major market and national sales information from MLS^® Systems from the previous month.

CREA cautions that average price information can be useful in establishing trends over time but does not indicate actual prices in centres comprised of widely divergent neighbourhoods or account for price differential between geographic areas. Statistical information contained in this report includes all housing types.

MLS^® Systems are co-operative marketing systems used only by Canada’s real estate boards to ensure maximum exposure of properties listed for sale.

The Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) is one of Canada’s largest single-industry associations, representing more than 155,000 REALTORS^® through 61 real estate boards and associations.

Further information can be found at http://CREA.ca/statistics.

For more information, please contact:
Pierre Leduc, Media Relations
The Canadian Real Estate Association
Tel.: 613-237-7111 or 613-884-1460
E-mail: pleduc@CREA.ca

An infographic accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/7e4ccb33-dcdb-4f02-9ba3-62ad11e26153

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