Toronto real estate market bracing for fall pickup as inventory tightens across GTA

Toronto's real estate market could see a seasonal boost in activity this fall, as buyers and sellers return following a relatively quiet summer, though economic uncertainty threatens to keep some sidelined.

The spring and fall have traditionally been the busiest seasons for Toronto real estate. But after several years of significant market swings — and now a Canada-U.S. trade war — seasonal trends have become less predictable. Still, some industry experts are expecting a busier September.

New listings in the Toronto real estate market dropped 17.8% year-over-year to 14,484 in July 2026 compared to July 2025, according to the Toronto Regional Real Estate Board's July 2026 Market Watch released on August 6. Ravi Singh, a real estate agent with RE/MAX Hallmark Realty, says his brokerage is seeing more bidding wars than it did at this time last year — a possible sign that some buyers believe the market may have already hit its bottom.

"We are feeling it in our own pipeline and in our conversations at the office that this fall should be busy," Singh said. He notes the market is now more selective and pricing remains critical. "If you're priced even a hair too high, you could end up sitting while people wait on the sidelines," he said. Well-maintained, updated properties in desirable neighbourhoods are once again attracting significant interest — and, in some cases, bidding wars.

Jordan Nanowski, lead economist for the Greater Toronto Area housing market at the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, says the market has been picking up recently. "We have been seeing that the market transitioned from a buyers market to more of a balanced market," he said. Nanowski says he's seeing a particular uptick in purchases by millennials entering the housing market in areas like Mississauga. "They're the ones who are waiting on the sidelines and waiting to get that more affordable low-rise housing in the 905," he said.

Fewer listings could create more competition. Jason Mercer, chief information officer at TRREB, says new listings have been consistently lower throughout 2026. If inventory remains constrained while more buyers return to the market, competition could increase, potentially putting a floor under declining prices. "That'll be an important signal as more buyers and different neighbourhoods start to see that prices are solidifying and potentially even starting to move upwards," Mercer said.

That could encourage more buyers to enter the market, particularly those who have been waiting for signs that home values are likely to rise over time. But economic uncertainty from the Canada-U.S. trade war poses a threat to a stronger fall market. As HighOnCity reported in June, GTA home sales had begun to rise but prices kept falling through the early summer.