HRM & East Hants Market Update: September 2026

Every month I dig into the numbers so you don’t have to. September 2026 confirmed what many of us have been feeling across HRM, and this East Hants market update shows the market has shifted. Buyers have more choice and more time, and sellers need to be sharper on price and presentation than they’ve had to be in years. That isn’t bad news. It’s a more balanced market, and balanced markets reward people who make good decisions.

Here’s what the data says.

The Big Picture: Supply Is Building

The single biggest story right now is inventory. As of October 13, 2026, there were 1,660 residential listings on the market in the Halifax-Dartmouth (HD) region, according to Paragon MLS. On the same date in 2025 there were 1,248, and in 2023 there were 977. That’s about a third more homes for sale than a year ago, and roughly 70% more than three years ago.

Months of inventory, as of October 13, sits at 4.07, up from 2.88 on the same date last year. Year-to-date residential sales in the HD region reached 3,887 by October 13, compared with 4,242 at the same point in 2025, down about 8%.

More listings and fewer sales means buyers can take a breath, compare options and negotiate. It’s the most choice we’ve seen in this market in several years.

Prices: Softening, Not Sliding

Prices have eased, but this is a gentle correction, not a collapse.

• CREA’s MLS® Home Price Index (HPI) composite benchmark for Halifax-Dartmouth was $541,700 in September 2026, down 4.1% from September 2025. Over five years, that same benchmark is still up 20.5%, and over three years it’s up 3.8%.
• By property type in September 2026: single family $557,300 (-4.4% year over year), one-storey $496,300 (-2.6%), two-storey $609,400 (-5.7%), townhouse $528,900 (-1.6%) and apartment $423,500 (-5.3%).
• On a trailing six-month basis to October 13, 2026, the HD region’s average sale price was $599,699, versus $601,706 for the same period a year earlier: essentially flat at -0.3%. For comparison, a year ago that same measure showed 3.5% appreciation.
• The list-to-sale ratio over that same six-month window was 98.24%, down from 99.25% a year earlier and 101.89% in 2024. Average days on market rose to 37, up from 31 last year.

Translation: well-priced homes are still selling close to asking, but the days of routinely selling well above list are behind us for now. Bungalows and townhouses have held their value best over the past year.

East Hants: Steady, With More Time on Market

For those of us in Enfield, Elmsdale, Lantz, Shubenacadie and the surrounding communities, East Hants (NSAR area 105, Hants County East) continues to look steadier than the city on price.

In September 2026, single-family homes in East Hants:

• Closed sales: 24, down from 30 in September 2025
• Median sale price: $467,000, up 1.5% year over year
• Average sale price: $492,921, up 2.9%
• Percent of list price received: 96.0%, versus 95.7% a year earlier
• Days on market: 51, versus 53
• Inventory: 123 homes, up 7.0%, which works out to 4.3 months of supply (3.8 a year ago)

Year to date through September 2026, East Hants recorded 253 single-family sales (down 7.3% from 273 in the same period of 2025), with a median price of $505,000 (up 2.0%). Days on market year to date stretched to 57, up from 43.

Pending sales are worth watching: 25 in September 2026 versus 39 in September 2025. That points to a quieter October and November for closings out here, which can mean opportunity for buyers who are ready to move.

A quick note on monthly numbers in smaller areas: with only a couple of dozen sales a month, one or two unusual sales can swing a percentage quite a bit. I always look at the year-to-date figures alongside the monthly ones.

Over-Ask: Still Happening, But It’s the Exception

Royal LePage Atlantic’s September 2026 summary of HRM sold residential listings tells the story clearly. Of 422 firm sales in September:

• 105 (25%) sold at or above list price
• 40 sold right at asking
• 65 sold over asking, most of them (51) by $25,000 or less
• Only 3 sales went over list by $75,000 or more
• 317, roughly three out of four, sold below asking

Among the homes that did sell above list, the average premium was $12,455. Median days on market for September sales was 26.

So yes, the right home in the right spot at the right price can still draw competition. But three out of four buyers in September negotiated something off the asking price.

Supply and New Listings

Sellers are adjusting. There were 170 price changes on HRM listings in September 2026, according to the same Royal LePage Atlantic summary. In East Hants, 38 new single-family listings came on in September 2026, compared with 41 in September 2025, so new supply out here is not flooding in; it’s the slower pace of sales that’s letting inventory build.

What This Means For You

If you’re buying:

• You have leverage you haven’t had in years. Conditions for financing, inspection and (where it applies) well and septic are back on the table, and you should use them.
• Don’t assume list price is the number. With most September sales closing below asking, do your homework on comparable sales before you write an offer.
• Get your financing in order now. Rates and lender terms have been moving, and a solid pre-approval lets you act quickly when the right home appears.

If you’re selling:

• Price it right from day one. In a market with more than four months of inventory, an overpriced listing sits, and 170 price changes in a single month show how often sellers end up chasing the market down.
• Presentation matters more than ever. Buyers are comparing more homes, so clean, well-lit, well-photographed listings win.
• Be ready to negotiate. Think ahead about what matters most to you: price, closing date or conditions.

The Bottom Line

The Halifax and East Hants markets are more balanced than they’ve been in years. Prices have softened modestly over the past 12 months but remain well above where they were five years ago, and prices in East Hants have been steadier than the region-wide benchmark. Buyers have choice and time; sellers who price realistically and present well are still getting results.

Every neighbourhood and every property is different, and averages only tell part of the story. If you’d like to know what these numbers mean for your home, or what you can expect to pay in the community you have your eye on, give me a call at (902) 225-0892 or reach out to The McCooeye Group. I’m always happy to talk it through, no pressure. I’ll have the next East Hants market update out in November.

Data Sources & Methodology

• NSAR Local Market Update, 105-Hants County East, September 2026 (single family and condo; monthly and year to date through September 2026). Current as of October 3, 2026. Data from the Nova Scotia Association of REALTORS®; report by ShowingTime Plus.
• CREA MLS® Home Price Index, Halifax-Dartmouth benchmark prices, September 2026, with comparisons to 1, 3, 6 and 12 months and 3 and 5 years earlier (via NSAR).
• Royal LePage Atlantic “September Stats” summary: MLS® data for HD Region sold residential listings, September 2026 (firm sales, sales relative to list price, median days on market, price changes).
• Royal LePage Atlantic “Weekly Stats Residential,” October 13, 2026: Paragon MLS, HD Region, residential. Total listings, year-to-date sales and months of inventory are as of October 13 of each year shown; average days on market, list-to-sale ratio, average sale price and appreciation are a trailing six-month period to October 13.

Year-over-year comparisons compare the same period in each year. Monthly figures for smaller areas can swing on a small number of sales. Figures do not account for sale concessions. Statistics are provided for general information and are not a valuation of any specific property.

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By Don McCooeye, CD, BA, MA, SRES, CIPS | Royal LePage Atlantic