Halton Market Analysis
The Toronto Real Estate Board tracks statistics using geographic boundaries called MLS areas. These areas typically correspond quite closely to counties or regions. In the case of Halton, it is basically the Regional Municipality of Halton, commonly called Halton Region. With just under 550,000 residents, Halton includes Oakville, Burlington, Milton and Halton Hills.
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Below you’ll find the latest statistics on what’s going on in the Halton area and our take on what it means. We do that by answering three questions for you.
Let’s get started.
Let’s review the big picture before we get into the details below. In April, sales in Halton rose by about 24% compared to March. At the same time, the average sale price rose by about $120,000. On the supply side, new listings rose by about 19% compared to March. When we put it all together, April looked like a busier and more active market, with more buyers and sellers stepping in and prices moving higher.
Here’s the latest charts for each of the three big categories (number of sales, average sale price and number of new listings), going back month by month for the last two years.
Let’s begin by looking at the number of sales that happened in the last month. This is a fundamental stat as it tells us how many deals are actually taking place in the market. We’re particularly focused on how busy this month was compared to the last month as well as any trends we see in the number of sales that have been taking place recently. It’s also interesting to see if this a typical month in terms of sales, which we do by looking at the chart below and seeing how it compares to the same time last year and the year before.
When we review the number of sales in Halton, we see that there were 700 sales in April, compared to 566 sales in March. That was a big increase, with sales up about 24% from March, or 134 sales higher month over month. Compared to April of last year, sales were up about 7%, or 46 sales higher.
The average sale price tends to fluctuate month by month and there are definitely seasonal variability. Using the chart below, we can look for any recent market trends in terms of pricing rising or dropping for a number of months and look back at the same time last year and two years ago to see what sort of annual appreciation we’ve been seeing for sale prices.
While how many sales took place is important, the big question is what happened to the average sale price in Halton in April? In March, the average price was approximately $1,131,000, and in April, it was about $1,251,000. That was a big increase, with the average price up about 11% from March, or $120,000 higher month over month. Compared to April of last year, the average price was up about 1%, or roughly $18,000.
The final indicator of what’s happening in the market is the number of new listings that came on the market. Again, we look for trends to see if the number are steadily increasing or decreasing, whether this month saw more or fewer new properties get listed and of course how it compares to this time of year by looking at this time a year ago and two years ago.
Turning to the supply side, when we review the number of new listings that came onto the market in Halton in April, we see that there were 1,906 new listings, compared to 1,604 new listings in March. That was a big increase, with new listings up about 19% from March, or 302 new listings higher month over month. Compared to April of last year, new listings were down about 10%, or 203 new listings lower.
To understand how it felt to buy or sell in Halton in April, we can look at how quickly homes were selling and how close sellers were getting to their list price. Homes were selling somewhat faster than in March, so the market would have felt somewhat faster. At the same time, sellers were getting a very similar share of their list price, so the market would have felt about as competitive as it did in March. Let’s get into the details below.
Here’s the latest charts for these two categories (average days on market and average sale to list price ratio), going back month by month for the last two years.
One of the best indicators of how a market feels is how long homes remain on the market. The quicker they fly off the market, the more frantic and stressful it can be for both sides. While it may seem like that is always positive for sellers, make no mistake, it can be stressful when sellers receive lots of attention or offers quickly. The fear of making a mistake and pressure to decide quickly is hard on both buyers and sellers.
Here’s the latest data on how many days on market it took for homes to sell in Halton.
One of the clearest indicators of how it felt to be buying or selling in Halton in April is how long it took for a home to sell. The average days on market in Halton in April was 31 days, compared to 35 days in March. That was a modest decrease, with average days on market down about 11% from March, or 4 days lower month over month. In practical terms, the market would have felt somewhat faster. Compared to April of last year, average days on market was up about 17%, or 4 days higher.
The other statistic that gives us a good idea of how it feels to buy and sell in this month’s market is the sale to list price ratio. This is a percentage that tells us how close to the price the sellers wanted they actually received from buyers. If the sale to list price ratio is 100%, it means buyers paid exactly what the sellers were asking for the property. If it’s under 100%, then the buyers negotiated a discount and if it’s over 100%, then the sellers got even more than they were asking for as a sale price.
Now that we’re clear on the meaning, here’s the average sale to list price ratio each month for the last couple of years.
The average sale-to-list price ratio (how much of their list price sellers are actually getting when they sell) in Halton in April was 97.3%, compared to 97.4% in March. That was essentially unchanged from March, with a difference of just 0.1 percentage points. While this stat is influenced by sellers listing below market value and setting offer dates, in practical terms, that monthly movement was too small to suggest the market felt noticeably more or less competitive. Compared to April of last year, the sale-to-list price ratio was down 1 percentage point.
To forecast where prices may go next in Halton, we’ve reviewed three predictive stats: the sale-to-new-listing ratio, active listings, and months of inventory. Together, the indicators lean in one direction and suggest moderate downward pressure on average prices in May. Our prediction is that the average price in Halton in May will fall by about 1% to 2%. In dollar terms, using the midpoint of that range, that would mean a drop of somewhere around $19,000 from April’s average price. That would put the May average price in Halton at about $1,233,000.
Here’s three charts for our predictive stats, looking at the Sales to New Listing Ratio, number of Active Listings and Months of Inventory. It is interesting to see fluctuations over the past two years but we’re particularly focused on the most recent month as that is the best predictor of what is coming next.
Let’s start with an acronym! The Sales to New Listing Ratio (SNLR) tells us how many of the sales we saw this month were new listings in the month versus existing listings that had been on the market from previous months. It’s considered a strong predictor of what happens in the next month because it tells us if inventory is sticking around or selling quickly.
- If the SNLR is around 50%, we have a balanced market, with sales equal to half the number of new listings coming on the market. A good amount of sales and a good amount of new options means reasonable price increases.
- Over 50% is heading towards a seller’s market, as we have sales outpacing the new inventory coming on the market. In extreme cases, we can have an SNLR of over 100%, which means we saw more sales in a month than inventory came on the market, meaning next month is very likely to see a price increase.
- Under 50% tells us that the we are headed towards a buyer’s market. The lower the SNLR, the more of a net increase in properties available the following month. This means prices typically drop as buyers react to having lots of choices by pushing down the price they are willing to pay.
Let’s look at the latest SNLR in to see where we’ve landed and what sort of market we start next month with in Halton.
The first of our three predictive stats is the sales-to-new-listings ratio, or SNLR, which compares the number of sales to the number of new listings coming onto the market. In April, Halton’s SNLR was 37%, up 2 percentage points from 35% in March. That puts Halton in a buyer’s market, where new supply is outpacing demand. On its own, the SNLR is pointing to some downward pressure on prices heading into May.
As we turn to active listings, we need to be clear about what that means. The number used for active listings is the number of actual, currently for sale properties at the end of the month. This number is therefore comprised of the older listings already on the market at the start of the month, plus any new listings that didn’t sell in the month, less any older or new listings that did sell before the end of the month.
Fewer active listings tend to indicates that prices will rise as buyers battle for the properties on the market. Let’s take a look at the latest numbers.
The second predictive stat is active listings, which tells us how many properties buyers had to choose from at the start of May. In Halton at the end of April, there were 2,754 active listings, compared to 2,447 at the end of March. That was a meaningful change, with active listings up about 13% from March, or 307 listings higher month over month. Compared to April of last year, active listings were down about 12%, or 363 listings lower. Looking at the last two years, the current level of active listings is normal. Overall, the number of active listings predicts that prices should drop in May.
Finally, let’s look at the Months of Inventory in Halton.
This statistic tracks how long it would take for all houses on the market in Halton to sell if we stopped having any new listings. The higher the MOI, the more of a buyer’s market, the lower the MOI, the more of a seller’s market. Somewhere between three to four months is considered a balanced market.
How is Halton doing in terms of months of inventory? Remember that the lower the levels of inventory, the more likely it is that prices will rise.
The third predictive stat is months of inventory, which tells us how long it would take to sell through the available listings at the current pace of sales and, as a result, gives us a useful read on whether buyers are gaining or losing leverage. In Halton at the end of April, there were 3.9 months of inventory, which was down about 9% from March, or 0.4 months lower month over month. This April’s level was lower than April of last year by 0.9 months, or about 19%. That puts the current months of inventory between the last two April levels, with April 2024 at 1.9 months and April 2025 at 4.8 months. As such, we’d say that supply conditions are normal for this time of year. Broadly speaking, with 3.9 months of inventory available for buyers, this stat does not clearly point to prices rising or falling in May.
There is a lot of information in the above charts and analysis and it’s worth taking a step back to summarize what happened and to understand what it all means.
April saw stronger sales, higher prices, and more new listings.
Overall, April was a better month than March in terms of activity, although sales are still below what we saw two years ago. Sales rose 24% month-over-month (566 to 700, about 134 more), which is above April 2025 (654) and below April 2024 (854). For condo apartments, sales fell 5% (88 to 84, just 4 fewer).
The average sale price rose 10.6% ($1.13M to $1.25M, about $120,000 higher). For condo apartments, the average price fell 10.3% ($650,000 to $590,000, about $70,000 lower).
New listings rose 19% overall (1,604 to 1,906). For condo apartments, new listings rose 8% (308 to 332). For condo apartments, the balance is less favourable because new listings increased faster than sales did.
Halton felt somewhat faster paced, but not meaningfully more competitive.
Overall, April was faster than March. Average days on market fell to 31 days from 35 (down 4 days or about 11%).
That is a modest improvement. Compared with the last two April levels, the overall market is slower than April 2025, when homes took 27 days on average to sell, and slower than April 2024, when homes took 21 days on average to sell. For condo apartments, days on market fell to 46 days from 50. Compared with the last two April levels, that is slower than April 2025, when condo apartments took 39 days on average to sell, and slower than April 2024, when they took 31 days on average to sell.
Sale-to-list shows a different story between the overall market and condo apartments. Overall, it was basically flat at 97.3% (compared to 97.4%). For condo apartments, sale-to-list was down at 96.7% (down from 97.3%). That tells us the overall market moved faster, but sellers did not gain much negotiating leverage.
May prices will drop in Halton, with condo apartments also facing strong downward pressure.
When we review three predictive stats (the sale to new listing ratio, active listings, and months of inventory), we see that the SNLR rose to 37% from 35%, active listings rose to 2,754 (up 13%), and months of inventory moved to 3.9 months. Taken together, the indicators are giving a clear signal of strong downward pressure on average prices in May. Our prediction is that the average price in Halton in May will fall by about 1% to 2%. In dollar terms, using the midpoint of that range, that would mean a drop of somewhere around $19,000 from April’s average price. That would put the May average price in Halton at about $1,233,000.
For condo apartments, conditions are weaker. The SNLR was 25%, active listings were 619 (up 6%), and months of inventory moved to 7.4 months. For condo apartments, these stats are pointing pretty clearly in one direction, with strong downward pressure on average condo prices. Based on that, our prediction is that the average condo price in Halton will fall by about 4% to 6% in May. In dollar terms, using the midpoint of that range, that would mean a drop of somewhere around $29,000 from April’s average condo price, putting the May average at about $557,000.
We hope you found this review and analysis of Halton helpful and check back in near the start of the next month for the latest update on what is happening in Halton!
We hope you found this review of the latest market stats helpful! Within the Refined team we work throughout the GTA and we often partner with local agents we know and trust to make sure our clients get the best of both worlds. If you’re considering buying or selling and want to work with people who understand your market, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us. Otherwise, check back near the start of next month to see the latest Halton market analysis!
