Ottawa Home Sales, Prices and Inventory Remain Stable, but Buyers Have More Choice and Sellers Are Facing a More Selective Market

If you only looked at the July Ottawa real estate statistics, you might think the market had a pretty good month.

Ottawa home sales were virtually unchanged from last July, new listings declined slightly, inventory fell from June, and overall home prices remained relatively stable.

But there's another side to the story.

From what I'm seeing and hearing on the ground, the Ottawa housing market can still feel surprisingly slow—especially for some sellers.

And that's why I think we need to look beyond the headlines.

Ottawa Home Sales Held Steady in July

A total of 1,325 homes sold through the MLS® System in July, up just 0.2% from July 2025.

Sales declined 12.7% from June, but that's actually better than Ottawa's typical seasonal slowdown. Over the previous decade, the median June-to-July decline was approximately 20.7%.

There were 2,530 new listings, down 0.8% year-over-year, while active listings finished July at 4,678—9.3% higher than last year but 6.1% lower than June.

On paper, that points to an Ottawa real estate market moving toward better balance.

But statistics don't always tell us what it feels like to actually have a home on the market.

Some Orléans Sellers Are Experiencing a Very Different Market

I know of homes in Orléans that are listed in price ranges where we're seeing a relatively healthy number of sales, yet buyer activity has been surprisingly slow.

And it illustrates something important:

Homes can be selling in a neighbourhood while other well-positioned properties receive very little buyer traffic.

The two aren't contradictory.

Buyers Have More Choices

One reason may be inventory.

Although the number of homes available declined from June, Ottawa active listings remained 9.3% higher than a year ago.

More inventory means buyers can be selective.

Before booking a showing, they can compare price, location, condition, renovations, lot size, layout, days on market and competing properties.

Today's buyers can also learn an incredible amount about a property online.

Professional photography, video, floor plans and virtual tours can help buyers decide whether a home interests them before they ever walk through the door.

That can mean plenty of online views without necessarily producing plenty of showings.

Not Every Part of Ottawa Is Experiencing the Same Market

This is probably the most important thing to understand about the Ottawa housing market in 2026.

There really isn't one Ottawa market.

In July:

Single-family homes: 714 sales, up 5.0% year-over-year, with approximately 3.2 months of inventory.

Townhomes: 417 sales, down 4.1%, with approximately 3.0 months of inventory. The townhouse benchmark price remained 5.1% below last year.

Condo apartments: 169 sales, down 6.6%, with approximately 5.4 months of inventory. The apartment benchmark price was 5.2% lower than last year.

The condominium apartment market, particularly downtown, continues to be noticeably softer than many suburban markets.

That's why an Ottawa-wide statistic may have very little to do with what's happening to a particular home in Orléans, Barrhaven, Kanata, downtown Ottawa or another neighbourhood.

What Are Ottawa Home Prices Doing?

The average Ottawa residential sale price in July was $683,308, down 1.6% from July 2025.

But here's why I wouldn't focus on that number alone.

The median price was $635,000—unchanged from last year.

The MLS® Home Price Index composite benchmark was $634,000, down only 0.5% year-over-year and actually up 0.3% from June.

Taken together, those numbers point more toward price stability than a significant market-wide decline.

What Does This Mean If You're Selling a Home in Ottawa?

This isn't a market where homes aren't selling.

They are.

But buyers have choices, and getting their attention may require more patience than the headline sales numbers suggest.

Preparation, presentation, marketing and especially pricing relative to your current competition matter.

And when I'm looking at the value of a home, I don't just want to know what's sold.

I also want to know:

What's currently competing with it?

What's sitting on the market?

Which homes have reduced their prices?

How long are comparable homes taking to sell?

And what are buyers actually choosing?

Because your competition isn't the Ottawa average.

Your competition is what buyers see beside your home when they're deciding which properties are worth seeing.

So, Was the Ottawa Real Estate Market Strong or Slow in July?

I think the answer is:

Both.

Citywide, July held up reasonably well. Sales were essentially unchanged from last year, new listings eased, inventory declined from June and prices were relatively stable.

But that doesn't mean every seller experienced a busy market.

Some homes are selling while others—even in active price ranges—are seeing surprisingly few showings.

That's why I wouldn't make a buying or selling decision based on a headline saying the Ottawa real estate market is “up,” “down,” “strong” or “slow.”

If you're thinking about selling, buying, downsizing or rightsizing, let's look at your neighbourhood, your type of home, your price range and your competition.

That's where the real story of today's Ottawa real estate market begins.

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