Buyer's or seller's market in Quebec in 2026: months of inventory in 50 cities, month by month

Buyer's or seller's · 50 cities · Centris 2026

One page per city, same definitions, same source: how many homes are for sale, how many arrive, how many leave, month by month, and the verdict in months of inventory.

Of 50 cities tracked, 36 are in a seller's market (under 4 months of inventory, 12-month median), 13 balanced and 1 in a buyer's market; the median across cities is 3.1 months. But in August 2026, the last complete month, only 23 cities remain under 4 months and 8 exceed 6: inventory is rebuilding. Tightest: Beloeil (1.8 months), Quebec City (1.8 months), Lévis (2.0 months); loosest: Montreal (4.9 months), Beaconsfield (5.0 months), Westmount (9.2 months). 30,416 sales for 44,431 new listings, 70% absorption. Source: Centris (Matrix), compiled September 17, 2026.

The 50 cities, from the tightest to the loosest

Single-family homes on Centris: months of inventory as the median of the last 12 months (October 2025 to August 2026), months of inventory in August 2026, active homes at the end of August, sales over 12 months, share of new listings that sell, and the verdict on the usual scale (seller's under 4 months, buyer's above 6).

What the table says

Quebec in 2026 remains a seller's market in most cities tracked, but it is loosening: 36 of 50 cities are under 4 months on the annual median, only 23 on the month of August. The tightest markets are the Quebec City region and the near South Shore (Beloeil, Lévis, Quebec City), where homes sell in under a week at 100% of asking or more; the loosest are the expensive West Island cities (Westmount, Beaconsfield) and Montreal itself, where inventory exceeds 6 months in some months. Absorption (70% median) says the same thing differently: of ten homes that come to market, seven sell within the year, the other three are withdrawn, expire or wait.

How to read the table

Months of inventory divide the homes for sale at month end by the month's sales. It is a seasonal figure: January inflates it (few sales), April and May deflate it. The 12-month median describes the city's regime; the August figure says where it stands now. The QPAREB, which works at the scale of metropolitan areas, sets balance between 8 and 10 months; at the scale of a city, the 4- and 6-month thresholds better describe what sellers and buyers experience, and they are the ones brokers use.

Method

Every series comes from the Statistics module of Centris (Matrix), queried on September 16 and 17, 2026 with the same settings for all 50 cities: Single-family category, whole municipality, active and new listings by month, sales by month, median days to sell and sold-to-asking ratio by month. September 2026, the month in progress, is excluded from the medians. Only aggregates are published. The same cities have their page on ten-year prices, negotiation and withdrawn listings.

Frequently asked questions

Why does the QPAREB say "balanced" where this page says "seller's"?

Because the QPAREB measures whole metropolitan areas and sets balance between 8 and 10 months of inventory, a historical threshold that folds in slow-turnover rural regions. In a suburb where a home goes in ten days, 4 months of inventory is already a market where the seller chooses.

My city is not listed?

We add cities every month. 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:

• Real estate statistics by city, 50 cities, 12 indicators 2026
• From condo to house by city, 40 cities, ten years
• House appreciation by city, 50 cities, ten years
• Sales volume by city, 50 cities, ten years
• Average house price by city, 50 cities, ten years
• Expired listings by city, 50 cities, ten years
• Sold over asking by city, 50 cities, ten years
• Homes for sale and inventory by city, 50 cities
• Plex prices by city, 31 cities, ten years
• Home sales by city, 50 cities
• Days on market, 52 cities
• Condo prices by number of bedrooms, 42 cities
• House prices by number of bedrooms, 52 cities
• Bungalow prices by city, 51 cities

Each series is recalculated from the past twelve months of actual sales or leases, city by city, aggregates only.

Our proof, not our promises

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.