OCTOBER 2026 MARKET REPORT
Your Neighbour's Home Sold. Would Yours?
More homes to choose from. Fewer sales. What does that actually mean for your home's value?
I reviewed September's Sudbury Real Estate Board figures. Buyers have more choices than a year ago, and fewer purchases are being completed. But the number that matters most to a homeowner isn't always the average selling price. It's how buyers would compare your home with everything else available today.
SUDBURY MARKET SNAPSHOT — SEPTEMBER 2026
HOMES SOLD
222
↓ 22.4% vs. September 2025
AVERAGE SALE PRICE
$475,260
↓ 7.4% vs. September 2025
BENCHMARK PRICE
$498,000
↓ 1.2% vs. September 2025
NEW LISTINGS
401
↓ 8.0% vs. September 2025
ACTIVE LISTINGS
826
↑ 10.1% vs. September 2025
MONTHS OF INVENTORY
3.7
Up from 2.6 months a year ago
MARKET COMPETITIVENESS
More Choice Changes the Conversation.
Sudbury ended September with 3.7 months of inventory, up from 2.6 a year earlier. At September's sales pace, that's how long the available homes would take to sell if no new properties were listed.
It points to a less tightly supplied market overall. But buyers don't shop the entire board area at once. They compare homes in a particular price range, neighbourhood and condition.
BUYER ACTIVITY
Where Did the Buyers Go?
September recorded 222 residential sales, down 22.4% from last year. That's fewer completed transactions, not proof that serious buyers have disappeared.
The difference for sellers is that a buyer who isn't convinced by one property may have several alternatives to consider. Being listed isn't enough; the home needs a compelling reason to be chosen.
SELLER COMPETITION
Your Home Isn't Competing With Last Year's Sales.
New listings totalled 401 in September, down 8.0% year over year. Yet 826 properties were active at month-end, up 10.1%.
Here's the distinction: past sales help establish a price range. Today's competing listings show what buyers can choose instead of your home.
THE BIGGEST SELLER MISTAKE
The Mistake Isn't Just Pricing Too High. It's Ignoring What Happens Next.
A listing's early response is valuable information. Are buyers booking showings? What are they saying? Which competing homes are they choosing?
When the feedback consistently points to a problem, waiting without adjusting the plan can cost valuable attention. The goal isn't to react to every quiet day. It's to recognize a pattern early enough to do something useful about it.
PRICING
Prices Fell. Did Your Home Lose 7.4%?
September's average sale price was $475,260, down 7.4% year over year. The benchmark price was $498,000, down 1.2%.
The average changes with the mix of properties sold; the benchmark tracks a more consistent typical home. Neither tells us precisely what one address is worth. That requires comparable sales, current competition and a close look at the property itself.
CHRIS'S TAKE
The Market Doesn't Decide Everything.
What catches my attention isn't simply that there are more homes for sale. It's the risk of pricing a home as though buyers still have very few choices.
Imagine a buyer comparing your property with three others this weekend. They don't know what you paid, and they aren't making their decision based on what your neighbour got last spring. They're looking at what feels like the best choice right now.
The market sets the conditions. The way your home is priced, prepared and presented can influence the result.
BUYER PERSPECTIVE
More Options. But Not Every Home Is a Bargain.
Higher inventory can create more time to compare homes and potentially more room to negotiate. But the opportunity depends on the individual listing, its condition and its competition.
For buyers: Get financing in order, study comparable sales and weigh the total cost of ownership. A good purchase is about finding the right property at a defensible price, not automatically offering less on every listing.
QUESTION OF THE MONTH
If My Neighbour Sold for $500,000, Is My Home Worth the Same?
Not necessarily. Two homes on the same street can attract different offers because of condition, layout, updates, timing and the alternatives buyers have.
The more useful question: If both homes were for sale today, which would buyers choose — and why?
MORTGAGE WATCH
What Happens to Rates Next?
The Bank of Canada's policy rate was 2.25% following its September 2 decision. Its next scheduled announcement is October 28, 2026.
Policy rates are not the same as individual mortgage offers. Buyers should compare actual fixed and variable financing terms and calculate affordability using the full monthly ownership cost, rather than waiting on a rate prediction.
WHAT THIS MEANS FOR YOUR HOME
A Good Home Still Needs a Good Launch.
Before listing, I'd want to know three things: Which homes will yours compete with? What makes yours worth choosing? And what will we do if the early response doesn't match expectations?
New Sudbury, the South End, Minnow Lake, Garson, Hanmer, Lively and the Valley can behave differently, as can different price ranges. The right strategy starts with the competition around your particular home.
WHAT I'M WATCHING NEXT
Will Buyers Gain Even More Leverage?
Inventory: Will the number of available homes continue rising or start to decline?
Sales: Will buyer activity pick up as we move through the fall?
Pricing: Will sellers respond to the competition, or will the gap between asking prices and buyer expectations persist?
The market doesn't determine whether your home stands out. It determines how hard you have to work to make it stand out.
Sources: Sudbury Real Estate Board / CREA, September 2026; Bank of Canada, September 2, 2026. Year-over-year comparisons refer to September 2025. Board-wide figures cover a larger geography than the City of Greater Sudbury. Market interpretation is editorial commentary.
Experience Behind
The System.
I’ve been helping Sudbury homeowners sell since 2008. After more than 700 home sales, I’ve learned that getting a strong result isn’t about simply putting a home on MLS. It’s about how you position it, launch it and create buyer demand.
It`s Not the Market.
It`s the Method
The market sets a range. The method decides
where in that range your home sells.