Durham Region Market Report: Q1 2026

Q1 2026 is in the books and the Durham Region real estate market looks meaningfully different than it did a year earlier. Here is what the TRREB data shows, and what it means for sellers and buyers making decisions right now.

Period covered: January to March 2026. Every figure below is the Durham Region row of the TRREB Market Watch report for March 2026 and is labelled as such. A regional average is a general guide, not a valuation of your specific home. For that, ask us for a free valuation, and for the live picture use our Durham Region market reports.

Source: TRREB Market Watch, March 2026. Source: TRREB Market Watch, December 2025.

Source: TRREB Market Watch, March 2026. That is the shape of a market with real choice in it: buyers are not forced, so well-prepared homes in strong locations sell for defendable prices while poorly-prepared homes sit. The full period-by-period record back to 2022 is in our Durham Region market retrospective.

Source: TRREB Market Watch, March 2026. Current city-level numbers for Oshawa, Whitby, Ajax, Pickering and Clarington, updated from TRREB MLS data rather than quoted from a quarter-old report, are on the market pages.

Preparation is the entire ball game in this market. The homes that sell are the homes that look finished, photograph well, and tell a story. Homes that list as-is, with iPhone photos, are sitting. If you are planning to list in Q2 or Q3 of 2026, budget seriously for preparation: paint, staging, professional photography, video, and a real marketing plan.

If the home needs work, ask for a preparation plan and decide what fits your budget and timeline.

You have leverage. Source: TRREB Market Watch, March 2026. Sellers of poorly-prepared homes are negotiable. If you have been waiting for a window with time in it, this is a reasonable one, especially if you have the flexibility to take a dated home and update it over time. Our buyer market insights page tracks the same measures month to month.

Get pre-approved, know your real budget, and work with an agent who will tell you when to walk away from a home, not just when to buy it.