We've spent a lot of time over the last couple of years talking about declining prices, higher inventory and buyers having more negotiating power.
But we've also seen some signs this year that the market may be starting to stabilize. So what happened in August? Let's take a look.
August was kind of a mixed bag of numbers. The volume of Sales in August dipped after 5 months of increases in 2026.
For the most part, the number of new listings has been dropping all year and across Simcoe County new listings coming on the market are down 12 percent. But the number of sales is just down 1%. That difference is something to pay attention to.
August is traditionally a slower month. People are busy trying to cram in the last of the summer activities and selling their house or buying a house doesn’t really register with a lot of people. New listings will pick up in September.
Simcoe County:
Let's start with the big picture. Across Simcoe County, 657 properties sold in August — that's up 1% from last year, so sales held steady. To me, 1% difference is not anything worth paying attention to. Whether it is 1% change in price, number of listings or number of sales. But the average price came down 6% and the number of new listings is off by 12%.
Detached Houses in Barrie:
Now let's zoom into Barrie proper, starting with detached houses — because this is actually the strongest segment in the city right now. 108 homes sold, up 5% from last year. Average price came in at $740,325, down 5%. But inline with the numbers we have been seeing throughout 2026. And here's the key number: months of inventory dropped to 4.8, down almost a full month. That's the tightest inventory of any Barrie housing type we're covering today.
Detached homes are the closest thing to a seller's market in Barrie right now — sales are up and inventory is shrinking.
Townhouses in Barrie
Townhouses tell a different story. Sales were down almost a third to 20 units, while average price dipped 2% to $582,445. What stands out here is new listings — up 29% to 66. More sellers listed, but fewer buyers closed, which pushed months of inventory up to 5.3, an increase of 1.7 months. Days on market also rose to 30, up 5 days.
Townhouses shifted toward buyers in August but I don't think that will last. Townhouses have always been an easy thing to sell in Barrie. Let’s wait and see what the numbers will be in September. I bet they will be back to normal.
Condominiums
And this brings us around to condos. I thought maybe condos were coming out of their slump last month because both the price and number of sales were up in July but that doesn’t seem to be the case as both of those numbers have fallen back down below last year’s levels. Condos went the opposite way from detached houses in Barrie.
The number that really tells the story is months of inventory: 9.6, up 2.4 months from last year. Interestingly, days on market actually dropped 6 days to 40 — so the condos that ARE selling are moving a bit faster, but overall demand has clearly pulled back."
If you're a condo buyer, you are still in the driver’s seat. If you're selling, pricing and presentation matter more than ever.
Innisfil Detached
As prices dropped in Innisfil, buyers seemed to come out of the woodwork with sales volume up and DOM dropping 14 days. That means the well priced and well presented houses are selling fast once they come on the market and the houses that are priced for 2022 are lingering. A big 15% drop in price sure helps the buyers too.
Oro-Medonte
Oro-Medonte took it pretty hard in August. Probably the weakest market in the area today. Prices were down. Sales were down. But DOM dropped by over a week, so again, buyers are out there and good houses sell fast.
Springwater
Springwater was on fire for sales in August jumping 37% to 22 homes, and average price climbed 13% to over $1,061,000 — now the highest average price of any area we're covering. Higher priced homes generally take longer to sell. The buyer pool is smaller for a $1,200,000 house than it is for a $600,000 house so they do sit on the market longer.
Essa
Essa saw a big boost in both the average price and the number of sales. Well 3% increase in the average price isn’t exactly a huge amount but when you compare it to all the other areas, Essa was the big winner in August. Even with an over 50% increase in new listings, the Months of Inventory still dropped. Essa was the active market in August.
What Does This Mean If You're Thinking of Selling?
And this is probably the most important part for homeowners.
If you're thinking about selling your home this fall, I wouldn't make the decision based on one statistic—or one headline you see in the news.
I'd want to know what's actually happening with homes similar to yours, in your neighbourhood, and how much competition you're going to be facing. Because even in a slower market, properly priced homes are selling.
If you're thinking about selling, or you're considering downsizing and you're wondering what your options look like, feel free to get in touch with me.
I'd be happy to give you an idea of what your home is worth and explain what's happening in your particular part of the market.
Comments:
Post Your Comment: