30 Days vs 47 Days: Montreal's Two-Speed Market Between Houses and Condos in 2026

One market, two opposite realities: in the Montreal CMA in May 2026, a single-family home sells in an average of 30 days — 4 days faster than a year ago — while a condo takes 47, up 7. That 17-day gap, the most striking number in the May 2026 APCIQ statistics, is no statistical fluke: it reveals supply and demand dynamics that have been diverging for months.

Two segments, two trajectories

Single-family: 2,426 sales (−6%), a median price of $645,000 (+3%), moderate listing growth (+9%) and 30 days on market. Condos: 1,710 sales (−8%), a median of $430,000 (+1%), listings up 19% and 47 days on market. The plex sits in between: $875,000 (+6%) and 39 days. The hierarchy is clear: the more a segment depends on owner-occupants seeking space, the better it holds; the more it depends on investors and budget-constrained first-time buyers, the more it slows.

Why condos are slowing

Four forces are stacking up. Supply first: listings up 19% in a year, fed by resales and by new-project deliveries competing with each other. Investors next, less present with compressed rental yields. Carrying costs too: rising condo fees and insurance eat into the monthly budget buyers can devote to the mortgage. And on the Island of Montreal, where condo inventory is concentrated, the median price is already down 2% at $479,000.

Why single-family holds

Structural scarcity first: almost no new single-family homes are being built in the CMA, and current owners — often holding mortgages signed on favourable terms — rarely sell. Demographics next: millennial families are reaching the house stage with space needs condos cannot meet. The result: even with sales down 6%, the supply-demand balance still favours sellers, and well-priced homes keep drawing multiple offers in several sectors.

If you are trading the condo for a house

The classic condo → house move has become an exercise in asymmetry: you sell in the slow segment and buy in the fast one. Three precautions. Price your condo realistically — the 2024 price is no longer a reference in several downtown towers. Secure your sale before committing, or structure a solid conditional offer. And be ready to act fast on the purchase: a 30-day average means good houses will not wait for you.

Will the gap last?

As long as new single-family supply stays anemic and condo deliveries continue, the gap should persist — and may widen short term. The factor that could close it: improved affordability (rate cuts, first-time buyer programs) redirecting demand toward condos, the market's natural entry point. Until then, each segment demands its own playbook: selling a condo in 2026 is not planned like selling a house.