The Buyer's Window: Eastern Ontario Real Estate, August 2026

Ottawa's residential market held steady heading into the fall, and that steadiness is good news for anyone watching Eastern Ontario. The most recent figures available, OREB's July 2026 report, released August 6, show 1,325 homes sold across the region, essentially flat compared to July 2025, while new listings eased slightly and active inventory remained well above recent historical norms. In our June analysis, we showed how rural Eastern Ontario was outperforming the citywide averages. The latest numbers confirm the region is still holding up, and this time we're pairing them with a real look at what buyers can actually walk into right now.

What the Latest Numbers Actually Show

Source: Ottawa Real Estate Board (OREB), "Ottawa Home Sales Hold Steady as New Listings Ease in July," published August 6, 2026, independently confirmed against The Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) statistics for the Ottawa board.

Single-Family Homes Remain the Steadiest Segment

Single-family home sales rose 5.0% year-over-year to 714 transactions, and the single-family benchmark price was up 0.6% from a year earlier. Townhouse sales declined 4.1% and apartment-style properties were the softest segment, with a benchmark price down 5.2% year-over-year. For a team that works primarily in single-family, farm, and rural properties, this divide matters: the segment we know best is also the one showing the most price discipline right now.

CMHC's most recent rental market data adds useful context. Ottawa's overall apartment vacancy rate sat at 3.0% in 2025, within CMHC's estimated balanced range of 2.0% to 4.0% for the city, with asking rents easing gradually since Q2 2025. Ownership and rental data both point to the same story: more supply is reaching the market, but nothing points to a broad downturn.

What's Available Right Now Across Eastern Ontario

With more inventory on the market and single-family properties holding their value, this is a genuinely good window for buyers to move with confidence. Here is a sample of what is currently available through our exclusive listings.

A Range of Options at Every Price Point

• Vacant land under $350,000 in Lanark Highlands and Merrickville-Wolford for buyers looking to build
• Move-in-ready single-family homes between $599,900 and $869,500 across North Grenville and Montague
• Larger and estate-style properties above $1,000,000 in Mississippi Mills and Ottawa's rural fringe

What This Means If You Are Buying or Selling

If you are buying, the latest data supports moving with confidence rather than urgency. Inventory is elevated and single-family prices are holding, and the sales-to-new-listings ratio improving from 48.8% in June to 52.4% in July suggests demand is absorbing the new supply at a healthy pace.

If you are selling, particularly a single-family or rural property, the fundamentals remain in your favour, but pricing discipline matters more in a market with more competing listings. A property priced accurately for its specific community, rather than to a citywide average, will continue to move well.

FAQ

Whether you're watching the numbers from the sidelines or actively looking for the right property, this is a market where local knowledge makes the difference. Deb Driscoll, Jaime Peca, and Luke Geleynse and the rest of the team track these numbers community by community, not just city-wide. If any of the listings above caught your eye, or if you'd like a breakdown of what's happening in your specific community, reach out and let's talk about it before the fall market picks up.