Buying a house in the east end in 2026: the budget, the streets, the steps and the traps

Buying · Rivière-des-Prairies and Pointe-aux-Trembles · QPAREB Q2 2026 figures

A $577,500 median and 31 days to decide: how to buy a house in the east end in 2026 without overpaying.

Buying a house in the east end in 2026 means buying in an area where the median house sells at $577,500 (4% over one year, 37% over five years) in 31 days, with 179 houses listed and a condominium at $345,000. The budget starts around $450,000 and runs to $850,000 depending on the street and the property type. On the island of Montreal the question of type matters as much as the question of price: a large share of what looks like a house is in fact a plex or a divided co-ownership, and the minimum down payment is not the same. The method does not change: written pre-approval before the first showing, area chosen on closed sales, offer documented by the last three sales on the street, inspection and a full read of the documents before conditions come off.

The Rivière-des-Prairies and Pointe-aux-Trembles market in 2026, from a buyer's point of view

The QPAREB's Pointe Est de l'Île area sold its median house at $577,500 (4% over one year, 37% over five years), in 31 days, with 179 houses actively listed; a condominium there trades at $345,000. For comparison, the island of Montreal as a whole sits at $834,250 for a single-family house and $483,000 for a condominium. The monthly picture is in our August 2026 review of the island market (French).

Pointe Est de l'Île: balance of power by price range (condominium)

What it costs per month in the east end

Assumptions: five-year fixed rate of 4.24%, stress test at 6.24%, down payment of 5% up to $500,000 and 10% on the portion above, CMHC premium added to the loan, municipal and school taxes at 0.9% of the price, heating at $1,800 a year, gross debt service ratio of 39%. Your own file may produce a different result.

Which area to buy in in the east end

Rivière-des-Prairies, in the north along the river, sells the 1970s and 1980s bungalows and cottages on generous lots that make up most of the volume. Pointe-aux-Trembles, in the south along the St. Lawrence, sells the older village stock plus the newer riverside developments that carry the top of the market. Between them, Montréal-Est is a separate town with its own tax rate. This is where the island still offers a detached house with a garage and a yard at a price the rest of the island abandoned years ago, and the trade-off is the commute.

The eight steps of a purchase, in order

1. The real budget: down payment, CMHC premium, notary fees ($1,500 to $2,500), inspection ($500 to $800), welcome tax (roughly 1% to 2% of the price, refundable up to $5,875 for a first-time buyer in Montreal), tax adjustments and moving.
2. The written pre-approval, with the rate held for 90 to 120 days. Without it, no serious offer in an area that sells in under a month.
3. Choosing the area on closed sales, not on asking prices: two or three areas compared on price, days on market and commute.
4. The showings, grouped into the first weekend on the market when it is a seller's market.
5. The promise to purchase, conditional on inspection and financing. Short and clean in a seller's market, negotiated in a buyer's market. The price is documented on the last three comparable sales on the street.
6. The pre-purchase inspection, plus reading the declarations by the seller, the certificate of location and, outside the urban perimeter, the well and septic reports.
7. Confirmed financing and the lifting of conditions, 10 to 15 days after acceptance.
8. The notary, 30 to 60 days after acceptance. That is when the property changes hands.

The traps specific to Rivière-des-Prairies and Pointe-aux-Trembles

The former petrochemical belt in the east: some lots carry an industrial history and a lender can require a soil characterization study. Odours and noise vary with the wind near the remaining installations, and that is worth checking on site at different times. Flood mapping along both the Rivière des Prairies and the St. Lawrence. The 1970s bungalows: drain, windows, insulation. And the distance: the trip downtown stays long in rush hour, and that shows up again when you resell.

For the neighbourhood, living in the east end; for the team, a real estate broker in Rivière-des-Prairies.

Frequently asked questions

What budget do you need to buy a house in the east end?

Roughly $98,000 of gross household income for $450,000, $129,000 for $600,000 and $178,000 for $850,000, on a 30-year amortization with the stress test at 6.24%.

Do you have to offer above asking in the east end?

It depends on the property type and the street. At a median of 31 days, a property priced at its street's level gets its offers quickly, but the gap between two streets in the same borough can exceed $200,000. Always document your offer on closed sales, never on other offers.

Is this a good time to buy in the east end?

Published forecasts (Desjardins, QPAREB, CMHC) point to stable to modestly rising prices in 2027 and a policy rate around 2.75%: waiting does not make the price go down. The right moment is the one where your budget, your pre-approval and your target area are ready. In a seller's market, the buyer who is ready beats the buyer who waits.

What does a broker cost for the buyer?

Usually nothing. The buyer's broker is paid out of the seller's brokerage contract when the sale closes. A buyer's brokerage contract spells out what happens if the seller does not provide for it, and we explain that before anything is signed. See our guide to real estate commission in Quebec.

Our sources

The median prices, days on market, active listings and months of inventory quoted here come from the Quebec Professional Association of Real Estate Brokers, for the second quarter of 2026, by area. The monthly payments come from our own calculation on the assumptions listed above. Market figures move every quarter: the date is on this page so you can tell whether you are reading something current.

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.