Buying a house in Saguenay in 2026: the budget, Chicoutimi, Jonquière and La Baie, the steps and the pitfalls

Buying · Saguenay · QPAREB Q2 2026 figures

The lowest price among the large cities, an 8% rise in a year, three boroughs that do not look alike: here is how to buy a house in Saguenay in 2026.

Buying a house in Saguenay in 2026 means buying in one of the cheapest markets among Quebec's large cities, but no longer a slow one: a $370,500 median in the city (+8% year over year, +67% in five years), 34 days on the market, 293 houses active for 332 sales in the quarter, and a seller's market in the common ranges. The budget starts around $300,000 for a 1960s to 1980s bungalow in Jonquière or Arvida (about $1,450 a month with the minimum down payment, household income of about $67,000), passes $385,000 for a cottage in Chicoutimi or La Baie ($1,861, $85,000) and reaches $450,000 to $550,000 for a recent house or a property on the fjord ($2,417, $109,000). The method is the same as elsewhere: pre-approval, sector chosen on closed sales, offer documented with the street's comparables, inspection. Here are the budget, the sectors, the steps and the pitfalls.

The Saguenay market in 2026, from the buyer's side

The City of Saguenay sold its median house for $370,500 in the second quarter of 2026, +8% year over year and +67% in five years, in 34 days, with 293 houses active for 332 sales in the quarter. By borough: $385,000 in Chicoutimi (40 days, 101 houses active), $360,000 in Chicoutimi-Nord and Canton Tremblay, $348,250 in Jonquière (24 days, the fastest, 113 houses active), $385,000 in La Baie (+31% on only 41 sales, a figure to read with caution) and $334,500 in the periphery (Saint-Honoré, Saint-Fulgence, Larouche, 24 days). The quarterly picture is on the Saguenay real estate market in 2026.

City of Saguenay: months of inventory by price range (12 months to Q2 2026)

Under 4 months of inventory, the seller leads and a fairly priced house goes in three weeks; above 8 months, the buyer leads and the delay is counted in months.

What it costs per month in Saguenay

Assumptions: 4.24 % five-year fixed rate, stress test at 6.24 %, 5 % down 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, $1,800 a year in heating, 39 % gross debt service ratio. Your file may give a different result.

Which sector to buy in in Saguenay

Chicoutimi (downtown, Université du Québec à Chicoutimi, Rivière-du-Moulin, Talbot) is the most expensive and slowest borough, $385,000 in 40 days, with recent houses in the northern sectors and renovated older houses near the Saguenay River. Jonquière (Arvida and its heritage garden-city houses, Kénogami, central Jonquière) sells the fastest, 24 days, at $348,250: it is the sector of the first-time buyer and of 1950s to 1970s bungalows. Chicoutimi-Nord and Canton Tremblay, on the north shore, sell the larger lots at $360,000. La Baie (Ha! Ha! Bay, the cruise ship terminal) saw its median jump to $385,000 on few sales: compare on the street's sales, not on the median. The periphery (Saint-Honoré, Saint-Fulgence, Larouche, Saint-David-de-Falardeau) sells at $334,500 with a well and a septic system. Our pages on Chicoutimi and Jonquière detail each borough.

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 (about 1 % to 2 % of the price, refundable up to $5,875 for a first-time buyer), tax adjustments and moving. Since Finances Québec's Information Bulletin 2026-2 (April 2026), this credit is reduced by 2.35 % of the portion of the price above $750,000 and disappears at $1,000,000: $4,700 at $800,000, $2,350 at $900,000.
2. The written pre-approval, with the rate guaranteed 90 to 120 days; without it, no serious offer in a sector that sells in under a month.
3. Choosing the sector on closed sales, not on asking prices: two or three sectors compared on price, days on market and commute.
4. The viewings, grouped on the first weekend of the listing when the market is the seller's.
5. The offer 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 with the street's last three comparable sales.
6. The pre-purchase inspection and the reading of the seller's declaration, the certificate of location and, outside the urban perimeter, the well and septic reports.
7. Financing confirmed and conditions lifted, 10 to 15 days after acceptance.
8. The notary, 30 to 60 days after acceptance: that is when the property changes hands.

The pitfalls specific to Saguenay

Flood zones and constraint zones: after the 1996 flood, the city mapped the at-risk sectors along the Chicoutimi, aux Sables and Ha! Ha! rivers; check the map and insurability before the offer. Foundations and drainage of 1950s to 1970s houses in Arvida and Kénogami: the inspection and the seller's declaration are essential. Small samples: a La Baie median on 41 sales moves 31% in a year, which says nothing about a specific house. The city's assessment roll is not market value. In the periphery, the well, the septic system and the heating (oil, wood) are documented before conditions are lifted. And Saguenay's welcome tax, 2.5% from $500,000 to $1,000,000: on a $385,000 house, count $3,885.50, fully refundable to a first-time buyer.

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 221 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.

For the budget, first-time buyer in Saguenay; for the tax, the welcome tax in Saguenay; for the market, the Saguenay market in 2026; for the team, real estate broker in Saguenay.

Frequently asked questions

What budget do you need to buy a house in Saguenay?

About $67,000 of gross household income for a $300,000 house with the $15,000 minimum down payment, $85,000 for $385,000 (the Chicoutimi median) and $109,000 for $500,000, with a 30-year amortization and the stress test at 6.24%.

Should you offer above the asking price in Saguenay?

In Jonquière, at 24 days, often: a house priced at its street's value gets several offers in the ranges under $400,000. In Chicoutimi and La Baie, at 40 days, the buyer has time to visit twice and to negotiate on a listing that has aged. In both cases, the offer is documented on closed sales, not on the borough's median.

Is it a good time to buy in Saguenay?

Published forecasts (Desjardins, QPAREB, CMHC) expect stable to moderately rising prices in 2027 and a policy rate around 2.75 %; waiting does not lower the price. The right time is when your budget, your pre-approval and your sector are ready; in a seller's market, the ready buyer beats the buyer who waits.

How much does a broker cost the buyer?

Generally nothing: the buyer's broker's compensation is provided for in the seller's brokerage contract and paid at the sale. The purchase brokerage contract states what happens if the seller provides none; we explain it before signing. See our fees (in French).

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.