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Is Now a Good Time to Sell in Markham?
The current read: 2026 has been a buyer's-leaning market on price, with GTA average prices down 2.7% year-over-year in August, but the supply side is tightening fast. New listings fell 14.1% and active listings 11.3% compared with a year ago, and prices have stopped falling month-over-month. For a Markham seller that means fewer competing listings this fall than last fall, and buyers who are still value-conscious. Well-prepared, accurately priced homes are getting attention and sometimes multiple offers; overpriced ones are not. Whether now is right depends on your neighbourhood, your home's condition, and your next move, not the citywide headline. Here is the data, and the framework to decide.
The Current Data
What the Market Is Doing Right Now
Timing questions deserve data, not gut feel. These are TRREB's August 2026 Market Watch figures for the Greater Toronto Area, released September 3, 2026. They change monthly; the Markham-level breakdown is in the market update for sellers.
| Indicator (TRREB, August 2026) | Reading | What it means for sellers |
|---|---|---|
| Home sales | 5,057, down 2.1% year-over-year | Demand is steady, not surging. Buyers are still selective. |
| New listings | 12,075, down 14.1% year-over-year | Far fewer homes coming to market than last year. Less competition among sellers. |
| Active listings | 24,482, down 11.3% year-over-year | The inventory glut of early 2026 is being absorbed. |
| Average price | $993,410, down 2.7% year-over-year, flat month-over-month | Prices have stopped falling but have not turned. The lag is the window. |
| Months of supply | About 4.8 months | Upper end of balanced. Not a seller's market yet; no longer a deep buyer's market. |
| Average days on market | 35 days (GTA); Markham median 28 | Correctly priced homes are moving in about a month; overpriced ones are the ones sitting. |
Source: TRREB Market Watch, August 2026. Figures are GTA-wide unless noted and change monthly. Markham's 33 communities each behave differently; check yours on the neighbourhood pages.
The Key Insight
Why Prices Trail the Real Story
Here is what most sellers miss. Price statistics report what has already closed, so they describe the market as it was two or three months ago. Listings and sales describe the market as it is today. When new listings fall 14% while sales hold, that shift shows up in the leading indicators first and in the average price months later.
That is exactly the shape of August 2026: supply tightening, demand steady, prices flat rather than falling. It is not yet a seller's market, and no one should list expecting 2021 conditions. But sellers who wait for the headline price to confirm a turn will be listing into the crowd that read the same headline. Sellers who move while competing listings are thin capture the window.
The practical version: in a market like this one, the first two weeks of a listing decide the outcome. Price to the current comparables, present the home properly, and launch with demand already built. Overpricing and waiting for the market to catch up remains the single most expensive strategy available.
TRREB's August 2026 figures show the market is not moving uniformly. Detached homes held up best, with average prices down only about 1.8% year-over-year and sales slightly higher than last year. Semi-detached homes were down about 5%, condo apartments about 3.8%, and freehold townhouses the most, at 6.8% or more.
- Detached in Markham: demand for family homes is resilient; timing is favourable for a well-prepared listing.
- Townhomes: the most price-sensitive segment; accurate pricing matters more than timing.
- Condos: more supply to compete with; presentation and building-level pricing decide it.
September to November is the GTA's second selling season, and this year it opens with 14% fewer new listings than last fall. If sales recover as buyers return from summer while inventory stays constrained, TRREB expects a firmer floor under prices. A listing that launches in early autumn meets that demand with less competition than it will face in spring.
Your Decision
The Real Question Isn't the Market. It's You.
Even in a favourable window, "should I sell now?" has three answers the data cannot give you.
Your neighbourhood's micro-market
Markham is not one market. A Berczy Village seller and a Cornell seller face different conditions this month, and a Unionville seller different again. Your street's sold comparables matter more than the GTA average. Check your community's current numbers on the neighbourhood pages.
Your home and your runway
A home that shows beautifully today can list now. One that needs paint, flooring, or decluttering usually nets more after two or three weeks of preparation than it does listed as-is into a value-conscious buyer pool. The condition-and-timeline question is personal, and a walkthrough answers it in twenty minutes.
Where you're going next
A move-up buyer selling and buying in the same soft-price market nets differently than a downsizer cashing out or a family relocating. Selling into softness and buying into softness can be a wash, or a genuine opportunity if the next home is in a segment that has fallen further than yours. Buy first or sell first?
If your home needs work you cannot do yet, if your next purchase is not lined up, or if your street has three comparable listings sitting right now, waiting can be the better call. A good agent will tell you that. The honest answer to "is now a good time?" always starts with two things: your home's current value, and a candid conversation about your goals.
“Michael's market knowledge of Markham is exceptional. He knew every neighbourhood deeply. When we found the home we wanted, his analysis told us exactly what to offer. The whole process felt controlled and confident from start to finish.”
Market Timing Questions
For a well-prepared, accurately priced home, autumn 2026 is a reasonable window. TRREB's August 2026 data shows new listings down 14.1% and active listings down 11.3% year-over-year, so sellers face less competition than last year, while prices have stabilized month-over-month after falling 2.7% year-over-year. It is not a seller's market, and buyers remain value-conscious, so overpriced homes still sit. Your neighbourhood, home condition, and next move matter more than the citywide headline.
Price statistics reflect sales that already closed, so they describe the market as it was two to three months ago. Sales and listings describe it as it is now. When supply tightens, that shows up in the sales-to-listings balance and days on market first, and in average prices months later. Strategic sellers watch the leading indicators rather than waiting for the headline price to confirm a turn.
It depends on your neighbourhood's micro-market, your home's condition and preparation timeline, and your next move. If your home shows well and your street has few competing listings, the fall 2026 window is favourable. If it needs work, if your next purchase is not lined up, or if several comparable homes are sitting on your street, waiting can be the better decision. Start with your home's current value and an honest conversation about your goals.
Historically, spring (March to May) and early fall (September to October) bring the most buyer activity in Markham, and family homes near school areas do best when a move can be timed for summer. But the best month is the one when your home is ready and competing listings are thin. In 2026 the fall market opens with far fewer new listings than last year, which offsets the usual seasonal advantage of spring.
For most Markham sellers in 2026, selling first is the safer sequence: you know what you have to spend, and you are not carrying two homes if your sale takes longer than planned. Buying first can work when the right home appears and you have bridge financing or savings to cover the gap. In a balanced-to-buyer's market the risk of a slow sale is real, so the decision deserves a proper conversation before you commit either way.
In a value-conscious market, two or three weeks of preparation usually nets more than listing as-is: fresh neutral paint, replacing worn flooring in high-traffic areas, deep cleaning, curb appeal, and decluttering are the changes with the best return. Major renovations before selling rarely recover their cost. Michael walks every property before listing and gives a prioritized list, so you spend where it counts and skip what does not.
Free Evaluation · Neighbourhood Data · Honest Timing Advice
Is It the Right Time for Your Home?
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Michael John Lau is a licensed REALTOR® with eXp Realty (Licence #4784577) serving home sellers in Markham and York Region, Ontario. Market data is drawn from TRREB's August 2026 Market Watch at the time of writing and changes monthly; nothing here is a prediction or guarantee of future performance. Not legal, tax, or financial advice.