The Great Market Misunderstanding: Why Good Homes Are Sitting

Let’s be honest. Right now, it feels like two completely different markets are happening at the same time.
You've got buyers convinced they can write offers for tens of thousands under asking because they heard inventory is up. On the flip side, you have sellers watching their homes sit, ignoring the data, and wondering why nobody loves their house at the price they feel it should sell for.
This disconnect? It’s costing everyone money and opportunity.
The Buyer's Choice: Smart Opportunity or Hardball Fail
Here’s the thing about the Calgary market in September: the frantic panic is over. But that doesn't mean it’s a clearance rack. It mean's balance.
Inventory hit 6,916 units in September, which is a huge 36.5% jump year-over-year. You finally have a chance to breathe, look around, and maybe skip the stress of a bidding war. The risk of multiple offers is nearly non-existent. The fall slowdown is a perfect time to find that spot.
But listen up: approaching every listing with a massive, hardball lowball offer? That’s going to make you miss out. Why? Because the overall market still shows homes are selling for around 97.71% of their list price.
A beautiful home that’s been priced right based on recent sales will still move quickly and won’t entertain those huge discounts. Buyers need to realize that the opportunity to go in "knives sharpened" only comes up when the seller makes the mistake we’re about to talk about.
The smart buyer knows the difference between a great deal and an insulting offer.
The Seller's Trap: Listing by Feelings, Not Facts
But buyers wouldn't have this lowball fantasy if sellers weren't feeding it.
Many sellers are actively hurting themselves right now. They’re choosing to list based on the record-breaking prices their neighbor got eighteen months ago—we call that pricing by feelings. If you list based on an unrealistic goal, what happens? Your listing turns into stale pizza. It sits there, gathers dust, and forces you into painful price drops later that signal desperation to the market.
Just look at the numbers. Homes that are selling took an average of 42 days to move in September. That’s over 50% longer than last year, but still way quicker than historical averages of 60-90 days. Properties that are priced well are moving, and those that aren't are sitting and fueling the buyer mindset of price reductions and desperate sellers.
This massive jump in Days on Market isn’t hitting every property type equally either. It’s hitting apartment condos and townhouses the hardest. Don't think though that because you're selling your detached, double car garage home that you're immune to racking up days on market, the homes that are overpriced right out of the gate, are sitting untill they price below the market.
The 5 Biggest Takeaways You Need to Kow
- Supply is the Story: Total residential inventory jumped by a massive 36.5% over last year to 6,916 units. More listings mean more options for buyers.
- Day's on Market tells 2 tales: The average for Day's on Market has jumped significantly to 42 days. While this is a significant change compared to last year, it is easy to think that 42 days is a long time, but in reality, it isn't. The increase tells us 2 things, the increase in inventory means buyers are taking their time, but it's also telling us that listing price is the single largest factor in a succesful sale or not. Price well and you're sold FAST, test the market and ignore the data and you'll be watching your time on market tick up like your blood pressure.
- The Apartment Segment is a Buyer's Market: With months of supply pushing up to nearly five months apartment prices have adjusted the most, dropping 6.4% to a benchmark price of $322,900.
- Detached Homes are Holding the Line: Despite the inventory surge, the detached benchmark price of $749,900 is down only a slight 1.0% year-over-year. This isn't the crash buyers are hoping for.
- You Still Can't Get Away with Massive Lowballs: The average home is selling for a strong 97.71% of its list price. This proves that while buyers have negotiation power, well-priced homes are still getting close to asking.
What's Your Next Smart Move?
The market isn’t a switch—it’s a dial. And right now, that dial is set to Smart & Strategic.
The core takeaway is simple: Strategy beats emotion every single time.
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For Buyers: Your winning move is to focus on where the inventory is stacking up IF you're looking for a deal. Buying an apartment? That's your opportunity window for negotiation. But for a detached home, stick to a data driven offer or you'll lose out.
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For Sellers: Get ahead of the trend, not behind it. Your only job is to list where the market is today, not where it was yesterday. You need a better launch strategy than waiting to be forced into a price drop.
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