Selling · Co-ownership
This is the category where rebalancing shows up fastest. A condo no longer sells like a house.
The three timelines, side by side
QPAREB data, Montreal CMA, August 2026:
- Single-family: 42 days, one day more than a year earlier.
- Condominium: 62 days, twelve days more.
- Plex: 52 days, four days fewer.
The condo is the only category that clearly deteriorates. Condominium listings are up 19% year over year, against 17% for single-family homes and 15% for plexes.
Why condos absorb it first
Because they are the most substitutable product. Two houses are never identical: lot, orientation, street, layout. Two condos in the same building often are. When a buyer can choose among eight comparable units within three streets, price becomes almost the only remaining differentiator.
QPAREB's Camille Laberge, on the hardest-hit sectors, notes that downtown Montreal and the Sud-Ouest borough show the highest listing levels ever recorded in the system, with condominium prices flat there for several quarters.
What actually sets a condo apart
Since square footage and room count are easily matched, what remains lies elsewhere, and it is rarely put forward:
- The syndicate's financial health. A solid contingency fund and an up-to-date maintenance log are worth money, because they lower the buyer's risk of a special assessment.
- Common expenses, explained. A buyer who understands what the fees cover compares them better.
- Work already done and paid for. Roof, windows, elevators: what the buyer will not have to finance.
- What the declaration allows. Pets, rentals, storage. Every clear answer removes one hesitation.
The file that shortens the timeline
On a house, a buyer often decides at the showing. On a condo, they decide after reading. Preparing the declaration of co-ownership, recent minutes, financial statements, the contingency fund study and the maintenance log in advance avoids the week of silence during which a buyer visits another unit.
It is the only lever that acts on those 62 days without touching the price.
What these figures do not say
A regional statistic describes a market, not a property. Two houses on the same street, at the same price, can meet opposite fates depending on their condition, their preparation and the competition active at the exact moment of listing.
That is why we never set a price from an average. We start from comparable closed sales over the past three months, look at what is competing today, and adjust for real differences. The statistic is background, not method.
Three habits in the current market
- Price to be found, not to keep room. Buyers search by bracket, and built-in room drops you out of their search.
- Set a revision date in advance. Deciding at week five, before listing, avoids deciding emotionally at week twelve.
- Prepare the file before the showings. Documents, certificate of location, invoices for work done. What answers fast converts better.
Related
Frequently asked
How long does it take to sell a condo?
In the Montreal CMA in August 2026, the average is 62 days, against 42 for a single-family home.
Why do condos sell more slowly?
They are more substitutable, and their inventory is growing faster, up 19% year over year.
How can I shorten it without cutting the price?
By preparing the syndicate documents in advance, since that is what a condo buyer reads before deciding.
Sources: Quebec Professional Association of Real Estate Brokers (QPAREB) releases of 4 September 2026 covering the Montreal CMA and the Quebec City CMA, August 2026 data. The price-revision and overbidding statistics come from the Quebec City CMA release; the Montreal CMA release does not publish those measures for the same month. Figures consulted 13 September 2026.
Published by the Loaa & Manseur team, number one team at RE/MAX Platine in 2024 and 2025. Tell us about your project.