Buying · Varennes · QPAREB Q2 2026 figures
A $630,000 median and 22 days to decide: how to buy a house in Varennes in 2026 without overpaying.
Buying a house in Varennes in 2026 means buying in an area where the median house sells at $630,000 (0% over one year, 49% over five years) in 22 days, with 157 houses listed and a condominium at $391,000. The budget starts around $520,000 and runs to $900,000 depending on the street, the year built and the condition. The method does not change: written pre-approval before the first showing, area chosen on closed sales rather than asking prices, offer documented by the last three comparable sales on the street, pre-purchase inspection and a full read of the certificate of location and the declarations by the seller before conditions come off. The assessment roll value is not a pricing tool.
The QPAREB's Sainte-Julie/Varennes area sold its median house at $630,000 in the second quarter of 2026 (0% over one year, 49% over five years), in 22 days, with 157 houses actively listed; a condominium there trades at $391,000. The South Shore as a whole sits at $648,500 in 30 days and the North Shore runs at a comparable pace.
| Area (QPAREB, Q2 2026) | House, median | 1 year | 5 years | Days on market | Active listings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sainte-Julie/Varennes | $630,000 | 0% | 49% | 22 days | 157 |
| South Shore, overall | $648,500 | 2% | 39% | 30 days | 1 |
| Price range | Months of inventory | Market |
|---|---|---|
| Under $310,000 | 2.0 months | Seller's market |
| $310,000 to $470,000 | 1.9 months | Seller's market |
| $470,000 to $780,000 | 1.7 months | Seller's market |
| $780,000 to $940,000 | 3.9 months | Seller's market |
| $940,000 and up | 8.3 months | Balanced |
| Purchase price | Minimum down payment | Monthly payment at 4.24%, 30 years (CMHC premium included) | Gross household income required (approx.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| $520,000 | $27,000 | $2,508 | $113,000 |
| $590,000 | $34,000 | $2,829 | $127,000 |
| $640,000 | $39,000 | $3,058 | $137,000 |
| $750,000 | $50,000 | $3,561 | $159,000 |
| $900,000 | $65,000 | $4,248 | $188,000 |
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.
Vieux-Varennes, on the river around the basilica and Parc de la Commune, sells the character houses with the view and the bike path: that is the top of the market. The 1980s to 2010s neighbourhoods, west of Route 132, carry the family volume. The northern sector, near the industrial and technology hub, offers new construction. Varennes shares its QPAREB area with Sainte-Julie, but its market leans toward the river and its housing stock is a little older.
The riverfront: flood zones and shoreline buffers to check before you offer, with the renovation constraints that come with them. The old houses of Vieux-Varennes: foundations, humidity, insulation. The northern industrial hub and its odours depending on the wind, worth checking on site. And Varennes's welcome tax, 3% above $500,000 but payable in four 30-day instalments beyond $1,000, one of the most flexible schedules on the South Shore.
For the tax, the welcome tax in Varennes; to compare, Sainte-Julie.
Roughly $113,000 of gross household income for $520,000, $137,000 for $640,000 and $188,000 for $900,000, on a 30-year amortization with the stress test at 6.24%.
At a 22-day median, a house priced at its street's level gets its offers quickly. But the gap between two streets in the same area can exceed $150,000: always document your offer on comparable closed sales, never on other offers and never on the municipal assessment.
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.
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.
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.
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.