Should I buy or sell in the summer?

Typically, spring and fall are the busiest seasons for real estate. A lot of people check out over the summer. Kids are off school, families are heading to the cottage or traveling, and they generally aren’t in the headspace to be buying a new place. Plus, even if they are planning to buy, the intensity of the spring market can lead to buyer fatigue.

With a smaller pool of buyers out there, fewer sellers are motivated to list their properties. So if you’re thinking about selling, you may want to wait until early September. On the other hand, maybe note: with fewer listings in the market, yours can really stand out. 

There are always people looking to buy and sell. 

Those who have been waiting for the perfect property to pop up always have an eye on the market. Great listings can come up anytime, and buyers who are paying attention have the advantage. So while there are fewer listings to choose from in the summer, there’s also a higher chance you can land the property you want if you don’t have to fight a bunch of other bidders for it. 

The market decides. 

The question of summer being a good or bad time to buy is completely dependent on what’s happening in the market. Right now, there’s a serious shortage of inventory, so competition is pretty fierce out there. With so many buyers and so few properties, demand may not decrease as much as you might expect. On the other hand, with the Bank of Canada raising rates again, that may cool things off a little.