How long does it take to sell a house? City by city

Days on market and inventory in 42 cities

DOM ("days on market"): average number of days between listing and sale. Months of inventory: how long it would take to sell every listed property at the current pace — THE thermometer of bargaining power. Ranked from fastest to slowest market; "—" = not published by the board.

Every figure comes from the city's real estate board, at the date shown. The verdict follows the boards' standard convention: under 4 months of inventory = seller's, 4 to 6 = balanced, over 6 = buyer's. Caution: boards measure DOM differently (average or median, active listing or cumulative) — compare a city with itself over time rather than two boards to the day.

The method, in full

Where the figures come from. Every DOM and months-of-inventory figure is COPIED from the statistical report of the city's real estate board (TRREB, QPAREB/Centris, CREB, local boards…), with its reference period. Payotte computes nothing here except the table's sort — when a board doesn't publish the figure, the cell shows "—", never an estimate.

The market verdict. It follows mechanically from months of inventory, per the convention used by CREA and the boards: under 4 months = seller's market (supply is short, sellers hold the power), 4 to 6 months = balanced, over 6 months = buyer's market (supply overflows, buyers negotiate). A convention, not a law — but it is the one the industry uses.

The limit of comparisons. DOM is not measured the same everywhere: some boards publish the average, others the median; some count only the active listing, others the cumulative time across relistings (PDOM). Orders of magnitude compare; single days don't. The most reliable read: follow the SAME city month over month.

Regeneration. These figures are refreshed continuously by our market-update cycle (last generated: July 30, 2026) — each city shows its figure's exact period, never an implied date.

How to read these figures

The national gap is spectacular. Between Winnipeg (9 days) and Edmonton (56 days), the average timeline varies by a factor of 6.2 depending on the city. A seller in Winnipeg gets offers before their counterpart in Edmonton has finished the photo shoot — the "right time to sell" is first a question of city, not season.

Inventory predicts bargaining power. 16 of 28 cities are seller's markets — above all in the Prairies (Saskatchewan and Alberta under 3 months of inventory) and Quebec (Quebec City under 2 months). At the other end, Vancouver gives buyers the edge: more choice, more negotiation.

For a seller, the local DOM calibrates everything: the list price (a fair price sells within the average; an inflated one "burns" the listing), the offer strategy, and the timing. A verified broker in your sector knows these numbers cold — and our price dossiers give each market's reference value.

Frequently asked questions