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Parry Sound Real Estate | Q1 2026 Report for Homes & Cottages
Q1 2026 Market Report
Sales held roughly steady in both waterfront and housing — but a large jump in new listings, rising days on market, and a termination count that has climbed sharply over the rolling year tell the fuller story heading into spring.
Waterfront Sales
24
+4% vs Q1 '25
Home Sales
56
+2% vs Q1 '25
WF New Listings
151
▲ +41% vs Q1 '25
Waterfront MOI
13.1
Up from 10.2 Q1 '25
WF Avg DOM
55
▼ Down from 63 Q1 '25
Housing Avg DOM
65
▲ Up from 54 Q1 '25
Stable Sales Numbers, But the Details Are Mixed
At first glance, the Parry Sound numbers for Q1 2026 look reassuring. Waterfront sales came in at 24, up slightly from 23 in Q1 2025. Housing sales were essentially flat at 56 versus 55. Neither segment collapsed. But the numbers behind those headlines are less comfortable.
New waterfront listings jumped 41% year-over-year in Q1, from 107 to 151. That's a significant supply addition into a market that is already running at 13.1 months of inventory. Months of inventory at that level means buyers are firmly in control, and they know it. The rolling 12-month termination count on the waterfront side has climbed from 36 a year ago to 184, a fivefold increase that reflects how many sellers have been unable to close a deal and pulled their listings.
The one genuinely positive data point is waterfront days on market, which fell from an average of 63 days in Q1 2025 to 55 in Q1 2026. That's a meaningful improvement and properties that are selling are finding buyers somewhat faster. But with MOI still elevated and listings surging, that needs to be kept in context. Sellers who are closing deals are the ones who have priced correctly from the start.
We're publishing a parallel report on the Muskoka market for the same period — the dynamics are similar in both regions, with a few notable differences worth understanding if you're considering either area.
Waterfront Cottages
Data covers Parry Sound detached waterfront freehold sales. Source: Habistat Analytics, multiple Ontario real estate boards.
| Metric | Q1 2025 | Q1 2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Sales | 23 | 24 | ▲ +4.3% |
| New Listings | 107 | 151 | ▲ +41.1% |
| Avg Months of Inventory | 10.2 | 13.1 | ▲ +2.9 mo |
| Avg Days on Market | 63 | 55 | ▼ –8 days |
| Avg Sale-to-List Ratio | 95.0% | 94.7% | ▼ 0.3 pts |
| Avg Median Sale Price | $777,667 | $842,083 | ▲ +8.3% |
| Rolling 12-mo MOI | 8.9 | 10.9 | ▲ +2.0 mo |
| Rolling 12-mo Terminations | 36 | 184 | ▲ +411% |
Waterfront: Monthly Sales & New Listings
Q1 2026 highlighted. Bars = sales, line = new listings.
Waterfront: 12-Month Rolling MOI
Rolling 12-month average. Above 6 = buyer's market.
Waterfront: Monthly Days on Market & Sale-to-List Ratio
Left axis: avg DOM (bars). Right axis: SP/LP ratio (line). Q1 2026 highlighted.
Reading the Waterfront Data
The sales number is holding up, which is better than the Muskoka waterfront market where Q1 sales fell 12%. But the supply side of the Parry Sound equation is the concern. A 41% jump in new listings in Q1 from 107 to 151 is a large move and it's arriving into a market where inventory is already deep. March alone brought 105 new listings against 12 sales. That's a ratio that doesn't resolve quickly.
The median sale price showing an apparent increase to $842,083 from $777,667 deserves a note of caution. With only 24 sales spread over three months with 6 in January, 6 in February and 12 in March, the data set is far to small to put any weight in it.. A handful of higher-priced transactions can shift the median significantly. The SP/LP ratio of 94.7% tells a more reliable story: sellers are accepting meaningful discounts to close deals.
The rolling termination number is the most striking figure in this data. Prior to 2024 the annual termination count in Parry Sound waterfront was negligible — the data shows near-zero for most of 2023. By the end of March 2026, the rolling 12-month total is 184. That's a large volume of failed listings building up in the wings, and much of it is likely to relist as the spring season opens.
The 41% increase in new listings is the number that most sellers need to understand going into spring. More supply coming on top of already elevated inventory means buyers have more choice, more time, and more negotiating leverage. In that environment, the properties that are priced correctly from day one are the ones that sell. The ones that test the market at aspirational prices are the ones that become termination statistics.
Residential Housing
Data covers Parry Sound detached non-waterfront residential sales. Source: Habistat Analytics, multiple Ontario real estate boards.
| Metric | Q1 2025 | Q1 2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Sales | 55 | 56 | +1.8% |
| New Listings | 121 | 131 | ▲ +8.3% |
| Avg Months of Inventory | 5.8 | 6.1 | ▲ +0.3 mo |
| Avg Days on Market | 54 | 65 | ▲ +11 days |
| Avg Sale-to-List Ratio | 98.0% | 97.3% | ▼ 0.7 pts |
| Avg Median Sale Price | $516,333 | $537,667 | ▲ +4.1% |
| Rolling 12-mo Sales | 375 | 364 | ▼ –2.9% |
| Rolling 12-mo Terminations | 45 | 182 | ▲ +304% |
Housing: Monthly Sales & New Listings
Q1 2026 highlighted in teal.
Housing: Monthly Median Sale Price
Monthly median. Q1 2026 highlighted.
Reading the Housing Data
The Parry Sound residential market is behaving somewhat differently from its Muskoka equivalent. Where Muskoka housing saw a 16% sales increase in Q1, Parry Sound was essentially flat with 56 versus 55 sales. That's not alarming on its own, but combined with a mild increase in MOI (from 5.8 to 6.1), rising days on market, and a rolling 12-month sales figure that is slightly negative, the market is moving in a softening direction rather than strengthening.
The median price increase to $537,667 from $516,333 is a more credible move than the waterfront price data — housing volumes are higher, so the median is more representative. That 4% increase on median price, combined with an SP/LP ratio still holding at 97.3%, suggests that well-priced residential properties in Parry Sound are still finding buyers at or close to asking.
The termination story in housing mirrors the waterfront market. The rolling 12-month termination count went from 45 a year ago to 182, a 304% increase. This is consistent with a wider provincial pattern where sellers are listing at prices the market won't support, then withdrawing rather than accepting realistic offers. Those properties don't disappear; they come back as relists, often with adjusted prices, and they add to the days-on-market stigma problem over time.
The SP/LP ratio of 97.3% in Parry Sound housing is notably stronger than on the waterfront side (94.7%). This reflects a meaningful difference in market dynamics between the two segments with home buyers in Parry Sound are still transacting close to asking price, while cottage buyers are negotiating harder. Both segments reward sellers who price realistically.
Rolling 12-Month Sales — Waterfront vs Residential
Both segments have held relatively steady on rolling sales, but the rolling termination counts tell a different story — both have moved sharply higher since mid-2024, reflecting a growing volume of listings that aren't closing.
Rolling 12-Month Sales: Waterfront vs Residential (Dec 2023 – Mar 2026)
Each point = rolling 12-month total sales. Left axis: waterfront. Right axis: residential.
Heading Into Q2
The Cottage Life Show and the May long weekend are the traditional kick offs for selling season. Having said that, there's still lots of ice on the lakes so we're a many weeks away from when things really start to move.
On the supply side, the 41% increase in Q1 listings is a signal that sellers who stayed patient through the winter are bringing properties to market. Combined with the backlog of relisted terminations, inventory is likely to climb considerably through April and May. If demand doesn't respond to match it, the MOI number will push higher still.
On the demand side, the tariff uncertainty that materialized in late January is the variable I'm watching most closely. Parry Sound waterfront is a discretionary market and buyers generally make large purchases with surplus capital. That behaviour is sensitive to economic confidence in a way that residential housing is not. Until the trade picture clarifies, some of the buyers who would normally be active in May and June may stay on the sidelines.
The residential market looks more stable. With MOI at 6.1 and SP/LP still near 97%, there's genuine buyer activity in the sub-$600K range that is driven by people who need to make a move, not just want to. Rate improvements from the Bank of Canada over the past year have made Parry Sound housing more accessible for this group, and that support should persist through 2026 regardless of what happens on the waterfront side.
For anyone considering selling waterfront this spring: the improvement in days on market this quarter suggests buyers are willing to transact, but the price has to reflect where the market actually is. The properties that are selling are not overpriced. The ones that are overpriced become terminations. That dynamic is not going to change this spring.
Previous Market Reports
Parry Sound Cottage Market — Year End Review & 2026 Outlook
Quarterly ReportParry Sound Real Estate — 2025 Q2 Update
Annual OutlookParry Sound Real Estate — Summer 2025 Outlook for Cottages & Homes
Related — MuskokaMuskoka Real Estate — Q1 2026 Market Report
Related — MuskokaMuskoka Cottage Market — 2025 Review & 2026 Forecast
Live ToolOntario Cottage Market Forecaster™ — Real-Time Signals
Waterfront data covers Parry Sound detached waterfront freehold sale transactions. Residential data covers Parry Sound detached non-waterfront freehold sales. Both datasets compiled by Habistat Analytics from multiple Ontario real estate boards. Transaction volumes in Q1 are seasonally low; monthly price figures — particularly on the waterfront side — should be interpreted with care given small sample sizes. The 12-month rolling figures provide a more reliable directional signal. Termination counts cover MLS terminations and do not capture private withdrawals. Questions: [email protected] | 705.783.7718
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