Best month to buy · Montreal · Centris 2016-2026
The month when sellers in Montreal wait the longest and accept the lowest against their asking price, and the opposite month, over ten years of Centris sales: the margin the season gives the buyer, season by season, and what it is really worth against the offer price. Centris figures, not estimates.
In Montreal, the month most favourable to the buyer is January: houses sold that month waited 46.8 days on average at the median and went for 97.0% of the asking price, against 25.4 days and 98.4% in April, the tightest month. Between the two, 21.4 days of delay and 1.4 point of ratio: that is the margin the season gives to or takes from the buyer in Montreal, in line with the 50 cities tracked (median gap 21.4 days). January combines both signals: the longest delay of the year and the lowest ratio. Source: Centris (Matrix), compiled October 14, 2026.
The short answer
In Montreal, the month most favourable to the buyer is January: houses sold that month waited 46.8 days on average at the median and went for 97.0% of the asking price, against 25.4 days and 98.4% in April, the tightest month. Between the two, 21.4 days of delay and 1.4 point of ratio: that is the margin the season gives to or takes from the buyer in Montreal, in line with the 50 cities tracked (median gap 21.4 days). January combines both signals: the longest delay of the year and the lowest ratio.
Days on market and sold-to-asking ratio by month in Montreal, ten years
| Month of sale | Median days (avg. 2016-2026) | Sold ÷ asking (avg. 2016-2026) | Season |
|---|---|---|---|
| January (best to buy) | 46.8 | 97.0% | winter |
| February | 32.9 | 98.1% | winter |
| March | 25.7 | 98.0% | spring |
| April (tightest) | 25.4 | 98.4% | spring |
| May | 30.0 | 98.0% | spring |
| June | 28.0 | 97.8% | summer |
| July | 30.6 | 97.6% | summer |
| August | 37.3 | 97.4% | summer |
| September | 30.3 | 97.5% | fall |
| October | 26.6 | 97.6% | fall |
| November | 30.9 | 97.4% | fall |
| December | 35.9 | 97.2% | winter |
Caveat: ten-year averages of monthly values (2016 to 2026, 2026 up to September), computed by Centris on closed sales; seasonality describes the past and guarantees nothing for next month; a month's ratio rests on that month's sales only, and the monthly median price is noisy in cities where few houses sell.
What ten years of seasons tell the buyer in Montreal
- By season in Montreal: winter (December to February) 38.5 days and 97.4%, spring 27.0 days and 98.1%, summer 32.0 days and 97.6%, fall 29.3 days and 97.5%. The season most favourable to the buyer is winter; the tightest, spring.
- Winter versus spring: +11.5 days of delay and -0.7 point of ratio for the winter buyer. Spring is the season when the seller holds the price; winter, the one when they listen.
- Slowest month: January (46.8 days); fastest: April (25.4 days), a gap of 21.5 days. Over the year, the average median delay is 31.7 days and the ratio 97.7%.
- Lowest ratio: January (97.0%); highest: April (98.4%), a gap of 1.4 point. A gap under 2 points: on a $500,000 house, under $10,000 between the best and the worst month.
- No month exceeds 100% of the asking price on average over ten years in Montreal: even in spring, the typical house goes below its listed price.
- The month with the most home sales in Montreal is March (10.9% of ten years of sales, see the best month to sell in Montreal): more choice for the buyer, but April remains the tightest month. The sales trough falls in January: fewer houses to visit, but sellers who are waiting.
- Across the 50 cities tracked, the month most favourable to the buyer is January in 42 cities, December in 5 cities; the tightest, March in 20 cities, April in 16 cities. The median delay is longest in January (47.6 days) and the ratio lowest in January (97.8%).
What it changes when buying in Montreal
Buying in Montreal in January means visiting houses listed since the fall, whose sellers have watched 46.8 days go by without an offer: the price conversation is open, and the 97.0% ratio confirms it. The flip side: there are fewer houses for sale (5.3% of the year's sales in January against 10.9% in March), so less choice, and you have to be ready to decide on what is there. Buying in April is the opposite: the most houses to visit, but sellers who receive several offers, a 25.4-day delay and a 98.4% ratio. The seasonal margin stays modest: it is worth less than a solid pre-approval, a serious inspection and an offer at the price of the latest comparable sales, whatever the month.
How to read these figures
One delay and one ratio per calendar month for all of Montreal, averaged over ten years to smooth out the frenzy years and the quiet years. The delay is a median within the month (half the sales faster, the other half slower), then averaged from one year to the next. The ratio compares the sale price with the asking price at the time of sale; it does not see earlier price cuts, which our page on the original price in Montreal tracks separately. The seasonality of delays is robust; that of ratios is finer and noisier in cities where fewer than 20 houses sell a month. The seller's counterpart is the best month to sell in Montreal.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best month to buy a house in Montreal?
January: 46.8 days of median delay on average and 97.0% of the asking price, the best compromise of the twelve months for the buyer. Winter as a whole gives 38.5 days and 97.4%.
What is the worst month to buy in Montreal?
April: 25.4 days and 98.4% of the asking price. Houses go fast and close to the listed price: negotiating room is at its lowest.
How much does the season save the buyer in Montreal?
21.4 days of delay and 1.4 point of ratio between January and April. On a $500,000 house, under $10,000: useful, not decisive. The offer price matters more than the month.
Source: Centris (Matrix), Statistics module, query of the night of October 13 to 14, 2026 for the municipality of Montreal: Single-family category, median days on market and sale price vs asking price (ratio) by month over ten years, averaged by calendar month; compiled by the Loaa & Manseur team, aggregates only. The best month to buy in 50 cities hub compares the 50 cities; the best month to sell in Montreal is the seller's counterpart.
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Published September 7, 2026 by the Loaa & Manseur team, the number 1 team at RE/MAX Platine in 2024 and 2025, 6th RE/MAX team in Quebec, 15th in Canada and in the global top 50 according to the official RE/MAX ranking. Tell us about your project.