Quebec Housing Market July 2026: Supply Moves Faster

The province recorded 7,407 residential sales in July 2026, down 6% year over year. In the same month, active listings reached 41,166, up 19%. Hold on to that ratio: supply is growing three times faster than demand is falling. It is that difference in speed, rather than the sales decline itself, that best describes the Quebec market this summer. For the metropolitan detail, see our review of Montreal home sales in July 2026.

A slowdown under way since April

July's 7,407 sales are not an isolated blip: QPAREB places the start of the slowdown in April. A 6% year-over-year decline is moderate taken alone, but it sits inside a sequence, and the sequence is what matters to anyone preparing a fall listing. Comparing your situation to a first-quarter seller's means comparing two different markets.

41,166 listings: the real move of the month

The number to take from July is not the sales figure, it is active listings: 41,166, up 19% year over year. An active listing is not a new listing, it is a property available at a given moment. When that stock grows by nearly a fifth while sales fall only 6%, it means properties are piling up: they come in faster than they go out. A buyer sees that as choice. A seller sees it as competition.

Prices by segment: three trajectories

The single-family median stands at $505,000 across the province, a steady level. The condominium sits at $396,504, slightly lower, and it is the only tracked segment whose median gives ground that month. QPAREB also notes that single-family and plex prices continue to rise. The two statements do not contradict each other: the first describes the level reached in July, the second describes a direction. A median can hold steady in a given month inside a rising trend, simply because the mix of sales that month changed.

For a seller, the practical consequence is clear: the provincial median is a context marker, not an asking price. It blends every region and every property type. The price that matters remains that of recent comparable sales in your area, for your type of property.

What CMHC revised on July 22

Two weeks before the July figures, CMHC published revised forecasts for Canada as a whole: 457,200 sales expected in 2026 against 470,314 in 2025, a national average price of $675,200 against $679,543, and 241,400 housing starts against 259,028. Three declines, and above all a downward revision from the February forecasts, which had called for higher sales and prices instead. CMHC cites economic uncertainty, slower population growth and borrowing costs.

For Quebec, CMHC expects more modest gains in a balanced market. That wording is worth pausing on: "more modest gains" is not "decline," and "balanced market" is not "buyer's market." It is exactly what the July figures describe, with supply rebuilding and prices holding.

What it changes for a seller

With 41,166 properties available, your home is no longer scarce by default. How it presents on day one matters more than it did last spring: a price anchored on comparables, careful photography, genuine availability for showings. The cost of a poor initial position is not zero, it is paid in weeks on the market, then in a reduction conceded under pressure. A fair price from the start remains the cheapest decision in the whole process.

What it changes for a buyer

Choice widens in very concrete terms, and the pressure to decide on a single viewing has eased. But prices are not collapsing: the single-family median is steady, the condo slips only slightly. In other words, this market rewards selection rather than aggressive negotiation. Take time to compare several properties in the same area, require an inspection, and keep in mind that a long-listed property offers more room than a well-priced new listing.