January 2026 didn’t hint at a market shift — it confirmed it.
Halifax opened the year with 978 single-family homes available for sale, one of the highest inventory levels seen in recent years. And here’s the part sellers don’t love hearing: two-thirds of that inventory failed to sell during all of 2025. Those homes didn’t magically become more desirable just because the calendar flipped.
The Inventory Reality: 978 Homes, One Buyer Pool
January began with:
- 646 carryover listings from 2025 (homes that already failed to sell)
- 332 brand-new listings
- 978 total choices for buyers
Out of all that supply:
- 238 homes sold
- 67 went conditional
That’s a 31.2% absorption rate.
Translation? Roughly three-quarters of available inventory remained unsold heading into February.
Pricing Tells the Real Story (And It’s Not Kind to Sellers)
If you want one stat that defines January, it’s this:
68.9% of homes sold below asking price.
Only 22.3% sold over asking.
That’s a 3-to-1 imbalance in favour of buyers.
And the discounts weren’t symbolic:
- Average price reduction: $36,614
- Average premium (when achieved): $22,965
Sellers are conceding more than buyers are stretching — and that gap matters.
Even more telling? Active listings averaged $875,691, while sold homes averaged $609,854. That’s a $265,837 disconnect between expectations and reality.
Fast Sales vs. Stale Listings: A Brutal Divide
Here’s where January exposed the truth:
- Median days on market for sold homes: 14
- Average days on market for active listings: 99
Homes priced correctly sold almost immediately.
Homes priced aspirationally… just sat there.
And remember — 646 of those listings already sat through 2025.
Buyers Are Active — Just Ruthlessly Selective
One of the biggest myths right now is that buyers have “disappeared.” They haven’t.
January recorded:
- 6,190 showings
- 483 accepted offers
- 53 terminated deals
That’s an 11% deal failure rate — and that number matters.
Buyers are walking away during inspections, financing, or second thoughts because they can. With nearly 1,000 alternatives, there’s zero incentive to settle.
Accepted offer does not mean sold anymore.
Where the Market Is Actually Moving (District Breakdown)
Not all Halifax markets behave the same — and January proved that again.
Strongest Activity
- District 40 (Timberlea / St. Margaret’s Bay): 34 sales
- District 5 (Clayton Park / Fairmount): 27 sales
- District 26 (Beaver Bank / Upper Sackville): 19 sales
These areas combined reasonable pricing with livability — and buyers responded.
Fastest Absorption
- Eastern Passage: 12.6 days
- Beaver Bank: 20.1 days
Slowest Reality Checks
- Waverley / Fall River: 175 days
- Lawrencetown / Porters Lake: 97 days
Same buyers. Same month. Very different outcomes.
The $400K–$600K Sweet Spot Still Rules Halifax
Nearly half of all January sales landed in the $400K–$600K range.
This is Halifax’s core affordability band:
- First-time buyers
- Downsizers
- Entry-level move-ups
Homes here sell — if priced properly.
The luxury market ($1M+) actually moved faster than expected when value was obvious, proving that price sensitivity exists at every level.
Active Inventory Is the Opportunity (For Buyers)
The most important takeaway for buyers isn’t how much sold — it’s what didn’t. Active listings are still sitting at 43.6% above sold prices on average.
Some districts are far worse:
- Waverley / Fall River: +132% premium
- Kingswood area: +72%
- Bedford: +45%
These gaps don’t close gently. They close with price reductions or withdrawals. If you’re buying, patience is strategy.
What Sellers Need to Accept (Now, Not Later)
This market punishes hesitation.
- Overpricing doesn’t “test the market” — it brands your listing
- Price reductions don’t erase early mistakes
- Carryover inventory compounds stigma
Homes that sold in January were priced 5–10% below recent comps from day one. Everything else is still sitting there… aging.
If you’re selling in 2026, your competition isn’t just new listings — it’s every unsold house from 2025.
Bottom Line: Halifax Is Officially Buyer-Favourable
January 2026 wasn’t a warning shot. It was confirmation.
- Inventory is high
- Buyers are selective
- Pricing discipline matters more than marketing
- Accepted offers are no longer guarantees
The market rewards realism and punishes hope.
Authored by Sandra Pike, REALTOR®
The Pike Group, Royal LePage Atlantic
One of Halifax’s Top Resale Listing Agents Since 2016
Data-Driven Market Insights & Real Estate Commentary
Data sourced from the Nova Scotia Association of REALTORS® (NSAR). This analysis is informational and not investment advice.
Comments:
Post Your Comment: