B.C., Montreal home sales fall in September as prices split

Home sales fell in both British Columbia and the Montreal area in September, but the two markets moved in opposite directions on price: B.C.’s average price slipped while Montreal’s medians held steady or edged up, according to figures from the provinces’ real estate bodies reported by The Canadian Press on Oct. 14.

The British Columbia Real Estate Association (BCREA) said just over 5,250 homes sold through the MLS in the province in September, down about nine per cent from September 2025 and about 26 per cent below the 10-year average for the month. Sales volume totalled $4.9 billion, down 11 per cent from a year earlier. The average MLS price fell 2.4 per cent to just over $924,000.

September sales fell year over year in every region of the province except South Peace River and the Kootenays, the association said. For the year to date, about 51,000 homes have sold in B.C., down about six per cent from the same period in 2025.

Rate speculation weighs on B.C. buyers

The BCREA said the September drop followed an encouraging summer in which the province showed signs of recovery. Brendon Ogmundson, the association’s chief economist, said rising oil prices have fuelled speculation about whether the Bank of Canada will raise interest rates, according to the Canadian Press report. The report attributes the market’s weakness to that speculation.

The Bank of Canada’s next rate announcement is scheduled for Oct. 28, according to the central bank’s schedule. Our earlier coverage of Metro Vancouver condo sales falling 18.6 per cent and RBC’s finding that September resales fell in 11 Canadian markets points the same way.

Montreal: fewer sales, but sellers keep the edge

In Quebec, the Quebec Professional Association of Real Estate Brokers (QPAREB) counted 3,082 residential sales in the Montreal census metropolitan area in September, down 11.6 per cent from 3,486 a year earlier.

New listings rose 7.2 per cent to 7,494, and total inventory climbed 19.9 per cent to 21,793 units for sale. Even so, the association said residential markets across Quebec remain “a long way” from balancing inventory and demand. Senior economist Hélène Bégin said competition among buyers has eased from last year in the single-family market, but sellers “remain in a strong negotiating position” across the province.

Prices were slightly higher overall. The median price of a plex rose 2.5 per cent to $861,000, the median single-family home price rose 0.5 per cent to $635,000, and the median condominium price was flat at $430,000.

What the split shows

The two reports measure price differently, so the dollar figures should not be compared directly: the BCREA reports an average MLS price across the province, while QPAREB reports medians by property type for the Montreal metropolitan area. A province-wide average can also be pulled around by the mix of what sells.

The direction is still clear. Sales are down by roughly a tenth in both places, yet B.C. prices are slipping while Montreal’s are holding. In Montreal, inventory is growing by almost a fifth but is still not enough, in the association’s view, to shift negotiating power to buyers. In B.C., sales are well below the 10-year norm and buyers are waiting on the central bank.

Neither report says how many September sales were affected by rate expectations specifically, and the BCREA’s attribution rests on its economist’s reading of market sentiment. The Oct. 28 Bank of Canada decision, along with October board data due in November, will show whether the pullback continues.

Sources: The Canadian Press reports of Oct. 14, 2026 on B.C. and Montreal September sales, citing the British Columbia Real Estate Association and the Quebec Professional Association of Real Estate Brokers (via BNN Bloomberg and BNN Bloomberg).