Selling · Pricing strategy
It is no longer an admission of failure. It has become a normal step, and the data even says when it arrives.
The figures, as published
In its 4 September 2026 release on the Quebec City CMA, the QPAREB reports that one transaction in four closed following at least one price revision, against one in five a year earlier.
More precisely, the first change to the asking price averages -3% for condominiums and -4% for single-family homes, with an average delay before that first revision of 41 days for condominiums and 35 days for single-family homes.
QPAREB economist Helene Begin reads it as a sign of a maturing market: sellers now adjust the asking price downward more quickly when it is necessary, which she says illustrates their ability to adapt their strategy to market signals.
The calendar these numbers draw
Thirty-five days for a house. Forty-one for a condo. That is when, on average, a Quebec seller with no offer faces facts.
Our reading: if you have neither an offer nor a second showing after five weeks, the market has already answered you. Waiting twelve weeks to make the same move costs you three months of carrying and a listing that is ageing.
By how much, and why not less
The observed average is 3% to 4%. That is not an accident: it is roughly what it takes to cross a search bracket.
A buyer searching "up to $500,000" never sees a property at $519,000. Cutting it to $509,000 changes nothing, it stays invisible to them. Cutting to $499,000 puts it in front of a whole new audience.
That is why a timid cut is worse than no cut at all: it spends your margin without buying you any new buyers.
One clear cut, not three small ones
Three successive 2% reductions tell the market a story: this seller will cut again. Buyers then wait for the next one, and you negotiate against yourself.
A single, sufficient revision says the opposite: the price has been corrected, and it is now right.
What a price cut never fixes
A price fixes a price. It does not fix dark photos, a listing without a floor plan, a smell in the basement or showings that are impossible to book. Before cutting 4%, check that the problem really is the price. Often the ratio of showings to clicks answers that better than any opinion.
What we review with a seller in week five
- The number of showings since listing, and the trend.
- Feedback from buyers' brokers, especially anything that repeats.
- Comparables sold since, not the ones used to set the original price.
- Competing listings added since, which change your position without you doing anything.
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 before cutting the price?
In the Quebec City CMA the average delay before a first revision is 35 days for a single-family home and 41 days for a condominium.
By how much should I cut?
The observed first revision averages -4% for single-family homes and -3% for condominiums. What matters is crossing a search bracket.
Are several small cuts better?
No. Successive reductions signal to buyers that more are coming, which encourages them to wait.
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.