From the founders: waiting for prices to drop? Watch the listings, not the headlines

A quick hello: because you closed with Ownright, you're now on Realty Check, our biweekly read on the Ontario market. Here's the latest.

Home sales across Ontario have climbed for four straight months, even with prices still soft. If you're holding off on a move until prices fall further, here's the part the headlines miss: the real squeeze right now isn't price, it's supply. New listings keep thinning out, and the better homes are getting picked over fast.

That puts anyone waiting for a deal in a tricky spot. On paper, waiting feels safe. In practice, the window you're waiting for is quietly narrowing, because it's scarce inventory, not falling prices, setting the floor.

None of this means rush. It means watch the right signal. The buyers and sellers who do well in a market like this aren't the boldest ones, they're the ones who understand what's actually happening before they act.

We've always believed your move should start with a clear picture, not a guess. If you're weighing one this year, that clarity is the most useful thing you can have.

The library: resources worth a read

Plain-language explainers for the questions that come up during a purchase or sale, worth a read whether you're buying or selling.

Blog: real estate lawyer fees in Ontario, what's included. Breaks down what an Ontario lawyer's flat fee actually covers versus the disbursements layered on top, with all-in ranges for a purchase, sale, or refinance, so you know what a quote really includes.

Blog: how does a virtual real estate closing work? Walks you through the five stages of a digital closing, what happens on closing day, and how it differs from closing in an office, useful if you've never closed remotely.

Blog: HST rebate on a new home in Ontario. Explains the standard rebate, the expanded 2025 to 2027 relief worth up to $130,000, how it's credited at closing, and the mistakes that cost buyers the refund.

Hot off the press: Ownright in the news

Our 2026 Operators Report, a survey of 1,000+ Canadian real estate professionals, kept driving national coverage this month:

Canadian Press – Selling your home without a Realtor saves money, but can be a demanding task. Ownright on the real costs of selling without an agent, picked up by ~40 outlets including the Toronto Star and Yahoo Finance.

Ottawa Business Journal – Why real estate is the last major transaction without a safety net. Cited our finding that more deals are now collapsing over buyer financing.

Canadian Mortgage Professional – Bank of Canada urges calm amid Canada's technical recession label. Cited our finding that economic worry, more than interest rates, is keeping buyers and sellers on the sidelines.

Market snapshot: sales keep grinding higher on thin supply

Our take: A fourth straight monthly gain is genuine momentum, but it's running against listings down nearly 13%, so the lift is as much about scarce supply as renewed demand. With prices still soft and the Bank holding rates, this is a market tightening on thin inventory, not a broad rebound. Expect competition for the good listings and quieter conditions elsewhere.

Client spotlight: in their words

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