Best month to sell · 50 cities · Centris 2016-2025
One page per city, same definitions, same source: home sales by month and the price obtained against the trend, over ten years, the peak, the trough, spring versus winter, the best-paying month and when to list.
Across the 50 cities tracked, 331,541 single-family houses sold from 2016 to 2025. March is the peak month (11.2% of sales, 1.3 times an average month) and January the trough (5.9%). Spring (March to May) concentrates 32% of sales, winter 21%. The peak falls in spring in 49 of 50 cities (March in 38 cities, May in 10 cities), the trough in winter in 45 (January in 33 cities, December in 12 cities). On the price side, homes sold in April go a median 2.2% above the year's trend, those sold in December 1.8% below: a median gap of 8.0 points between a city's best and worst month. The best compromise between buyers and price is March in 20 cities, April in 13 cities, May in 12 cities. Most pronounced seasonality: Dorval (2.9 times more sales at the peak than at the trough), Saint-Constant (2.8 times more sales at the peak than at the trough), Candiac (2.7 times more sales at the peak than at the trough); flattest: Sept-Îles (1.7), Trois-Rivières (1.7), Rimouski (1.6). Source: Centris (Matrix), compiled October 7, 2026.
Single-family houses sold on Centris from 2016 to 2025: peak month and its share of sales, trough month and its share, peak ÷ trough ratio, spring share (March to May), the month when the median price most exceeds the year's trend, and the best compromise between buyers and price.
| City | Peak | Trough | Peak ÷ trough | Spring | Highest price | Best month |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dorval | May (11.1%) | January (3.9%) | 2.9 | 32% | January (+16.6%) | March |
| Saint-Constant | March (13.8%) | January (5.0%) | 2.8 | 35% | February (+2.9%) | May |
| Candiac | March (12.5%) | January (4.6%) | 2.7 | 34% | August (+9.4%) | April |
| Kirkland | May (11.9%) | January (4.4%) | 2.7 | 33% | August (+4.5%) | April |
| L'Île-Perrot | March (11.7%) | December (4.4%) | 2.7 | 32% | July (+7.6%) | May |
| Sainte-Julie | March (12.7%) | December (5.0%) | 2.5 | 36% | November (+4.4%) | April |
| Westmount | May (12.1%) | January (5.1%) | 2.4 | 31% | January (+10.2%) | May |
| Dollard-des-Ormeaux | March (11.3%) | January (5.0%) | 2.3 | 32% | March (+2.4%) | March |
| Pointe-Claire | May (10.7%) | January (4.7%) | 2.3 | 32% | September (+2.9%) | March |
| Rosemère | March (12.1%) | January (5.2%) | 2.3 | 30% | May (+6.5%) | March |
| Rouyn-Noranda | May (11.0%) | December (4.9%) | 2.3 | 30% | February (+5.4%) | June |
| Saint-Lambert | March (11.1%) | January (4.8%) | 2.3 | 31% | May (+5.8%) | April |
| Val-d'Or | June (11.3%) | December (5.0%) | 2.3 | 30% | April (+2.9%) | April |
| Beaconsfield | May (10.9%) | December (5.0%) | 2.2 | 32% | April (+7.4%) | April |
| Blainville | March (11.2%) | January (5.2%) | 2.2 | 33% | September (+6.4%) | May |
| Châteauguay | March (11.9%) | January (5.3%) | 2.2 | 34% | June (+3.4%) | March |
| Gatineau | May (11.2%) | January (5.2%) | 2.2 | 31% | May (+4.9%) | May |
| Joliette | March (11.4%) | January (5.3%) | 2.2 | 32% | February (+5.8%) | February |
| Mirabel | March (12.3%) | January (5.6%) | 2.2 | 33% | June (+3.7%) | June |
| Terrebonne | March (12.7%) | January (5.9%) | 2.2 | 35% | August (+4.5%) | March |
| Varennes | March (11.7%) | January (5.3%) | 2.2 | 33% | September (+5.0%) | March |
| Drummondville | March (12.1%) | December (5.7%) | 2.1 | 33% | August (+4.7%) | March |
| La Prairie | March (11.9%) | January (5.6%) | 2.1 | 34% | June (+8.3%) | March |
| Magog | March (11.5%) | January (5.5%) | 2.1 | 30% | June (+9.8%) | June |
| Montreal | March (10.9%) | January (5.3%) | 2.1 | 32% | June (+1.9%) | May |
| Saguenay | May (11.5%) | January (5.5%) | 2.1 | 34% | June (+4.6%) | May |
| Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville | March (11.3%) | January (5.4%) | 2.1 | 33% | January (+4.3%) | April |
| Saint-Jérôme | March (11.9%) | January (5.8%) | 2.1 | 33% | March (+3.5%) | March |
| Sainte-Thérèse | April (11.8%) | January (5.6%) | 2.1 | 34% | January (+9.5%) | March |
| Chambly | March (11.8%) | January (5.9%) | 2.0 | 33% | July (+3.7%) | March |
| Laval | March (11.1%) | January (5.7%) | 2.0 | 33% | April (+2.0%) | April |
| Mascouche | March (12.4%) | January (6.1%) | 2.0 | 32% | June (+3.6%) | June |
| Saint-Hyacinthe | March (12.2%) | December (6.2%) | 2.0 | 32% | May (+5.4%) | May |
| Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu | March (11.7%) | December (5.8%) | 2.0 | 34% | May (+3.8%) | April |
| Beloeil | March (12.2%) | December (6.4%) | 1.9 | 33% | September (+5.0%) | May |
| Boisbriand | March (11.8%) | December (6.2%) | 1.9 | 33% | August (+4.1%) | March |
| Boucherville | March (10.7%) | January (5.7%) | 1.9 | 32% | July (+4.6%) | April |
| Brossard | May (11.4%) | January (5.9%) | 1.9 | 31% | May (+4.1%) | May |
| Granby | March (11.5%) | December (6.0%) | 1.9 | 31% | August (+3.7%) | May |
| Repentigny | March (12.0%) | December (6.3%) | 1.9 | 34% | May (+2.1%) | March |
| Sherbrooke | March (11.6%) | August (6.2%) | 1.9 | 31% | July (+3.0%) | March |
| Sorel-Tracy | March (11.3%) | January (6.0%) | 1.9 | 31% | June (+3.9%) | April |
| Vaudreuil-Dorion | March (11.1%) | January (5.9%) | 1.9 | 32% | June (+3.4%) | March |
| Victoriaville | March (12.0%) | July (6.2%) | 1.9 | 33% | September (+4.2%) | March |
| Quebec City | March (11.5%) | August (6.0%) | 1.9 | 31% | April (+2.2%) | March |
| Lévis | March (12.1%) | July (6.6%) | 1.8 | 31% | May (+2.8%) | March |
| Longueuil | March (11.2%) | January (6.4%) | 1.8 | 32% | April (+2.2%) | April |
| Sept-Îles | May (9.9%) | January (5.8%) | 1.7 | 28% | March (+7.3%) | March |
| Trois-Rivières | March (11.4%) | September (6.7%) | 1.7 | 32% | April (+3.3%) | April |
| Rimouski | March (10.5%) | January (6.5%) | 1.6 | 29% | February (+2.4%) | May |
The Quebec market has a clock and it is the same almost everywhere. Across the 50 cities, March is the month with the most home sales (11.2% of ten years of sales) and January the quietest (5.9%); between the two, the market turns a median 2.1 times faster. Spring concentrates 32% of sales, summer 24%, fall 23% and winter 21%. The peak is in spring in 49 of 50 cities and the trough in winter in 45. Prices follow a gentler curve: in median, homes sold in April go 2.2% above the year's trend and those sold in December 1.8% below, a gap of 8.0 points between the best and the worst month of the same city, and the premium falls in spring or June in 26 cities. In other words, the month changes the number of buyers a lot and the price a little. From January to September 2026, the 50 cities sold 25,516 houses against 26,337 over the same period of 2025 (-3%), up in 19 cities. Most pronounced seasonality: Dorval (2.9), Saint-Constant (2.8), Candiac (2.7); flattest: Sept-Îles (1.7), Trois-Rivières (1.7), Rimouski (1.6).
"Sales" counts the single-family houses sold on Centris by the month the sale was concluded (accepted offer to purchase), not the notary date. Each month's share is computed over the ten years 2016 to 2025 to smooth out the frenzy years and the quiet years; 2026 is left out. The "premium" compares the median price of the month's sales with the year's trend (a line drawn between the annual medians), giving more weight to the months with more sales: without this step, January would always look cheaper than December because of rising prices. In cities where fewer than 20 houses sell a month, the premium is an order of magnitude. The "best month" adds the share of sales and the price premium, each scaled between 0 and 1.
All series come from the Statistics module of Centris (Matrix), queried on October 7, 2026 with the same parameters for the 50 cities: Single-family category, whole municipality (boroughs or sectors combined for Montreal, Quebec City, Laval, Longueuil, Gatineau, Lévis, Sherbrooke, Saguenay, Terrebonne, Repentigny), sales and median sale price by month over ten years (129 months, January 2016 to September 2026). The yearly trend comes from the medians of the September 16, 2026 query (home prices by city). Only aggregates are published. The same cities have their days on market, homes for sale and inventory and buyer's or seller's market pages.
Not necessarily. Spring brings the most buyers, but also the most homes for sale: competition rises along with demand. A house ready in January, well listed, sells to motivated buyers who have little choice, and the spring price premium (+2.2% in median) does not make up for three months of taxes, mortgage and waiting. What matters is listing at the price of the latest comparable sales, whatever the month.
We publish the cities where the annual median price series is available since 2016. A broker from the team can pull the same statistics for any municipality or neighbourhood in Quebec.
Our other data series, all built from Centris listings:
Each series is recalculated from actual sales or leases, city by city, aggregates only.
The Loaa & Manseur team, led by Lotfi Manseur and Loaa Al Daow, is 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 of large residential teams according to the official RE/MAX ranking, computed on actual transactions. Its Google profile counts more than 220 reviews with a 4.9 rating. Its offices are at 55 avenue de l'Équinoxe in Brossard, one bridge from the island, and every broker's licence can be checked in the OACIQ public register. Three things to verify yourself before calling us, and to demand of any other broker.
Also available in French: version française de ce guide.
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.
Équipe no 1 de RE/MAX Platine en 2024 et en 2025, 6e au Québec, 15e au Canada et dans le top 50 mondial au classement officiel RE/MAX. Réponse en moins de 24 heures, sept jours sur sept.