October home sales down from last year, but more activity expected in 2026: CREA

The Canadian Real Estate Association says the number of residential properties that changed hands in October was lower compared with a year ago as prices also fell.

There were 42,068 home sales across the country last month, down 4.3 per cent from October 2024.

But home sales ticked up 0.9 per cent on a month-over-month basis, marking the sixth such increase over the past seven months.

The actual national average sale price of a home sold in October was $690,195, down 1.1 per cent from a year ago.

CREA senior economist Shaun Cathcart says that with interest rates now “almost in stimulative territory,” he expects housing markets across Canada to become more active heading into 2026, albeit tempered by persistent economic uncertainty.

The association says new listings were down 1.4 per cent month-over-month and there were 189,000 properties listed for sale across Canada at the end of October, up 7.2 per cent from a year earlier.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 17, 2025.