👉 📖 View TheMarket – September 2026 Edition
More Homes for Sale Than Buyers Buying: What August’s Numbers Are Telling Us
August gave us a pretty clear picture of the York Region real estate market: there are still plenty of homes for sale, but far fewer are actually changing hands.
Across York Region, more than 5,000 homes were actively listed in August, while just 965 sales were recorded. Another number that stood out? 1,209 listings were terminated during the month, more than the number of completed sales.
Inventory has started to come down from earlier in the year, but that doesn’t necessarily mean the market is getting more competitive. Buyers still have options, and the August numbers suggest they’re being selective about which homes are worth making a move on.
And once we zoom into Newmarket, Aurora and East Gwillimbury, those differences become even clearer.
York Region: Fewer Listings, But Sales Remain Slow
York Region recorded 965 sales in August, down from 1,075 in July and 1,017 in August of last year.
At the same time, active inventory fell to 5,295 homes, down 8.3% from August 2025. New listings were also down nearly 7% year-over-year.
That combination is important.
Normally, falling inventory can help tighten a market. But in August, sales were falling alongside it. Nearly 77% of homes sold below their asking price, while the average property spent 37 days on market.
Prices, meanwhile, were relatively resilient at the regional level. The average sale price reached $1,188,119, up slightly from August 2025, although the year-to-date average remains almost 6% lower than last year.
So, while there are fewer listings than there were last summer, buyers aren't suddenly facing a shortage of choice. The pace of sales remains the bigger story.
Newmarket: Buyers Will Still Compete for the Right Home
Of our three local markets, Newmarket showed the strongest signs of competition in August.
There were 79 sales, almost unchanged from July's 81 and slightly higher than the 77 recorded last August. By longer-term August standards, however, sales activity remains relatively quiet.
Where things get interesting is how those homes sold.
Just over 25% of Newmarket sales went above asking, up significantly from 7.8% in August 2025. The average sale-to-list price also reached nearly 100%.
The average sale price was $1,022,831, while the median reached $960,000.
That doesn't mean every Newmarket home is attracting multiple offers. In fact, nearly three-quarters of August sales still closed below asking.
Instead, we're seeing a market where buyers can be selective but will still compete when the price, property and perceived value line up.
Aurora: Those Price Headlines Need Context
Aurora had perhaps the most eye-catching numbers of the month.
Only 49 homes sold in August, the lowest August sales total in more than a decade of the MLS market data we're looking at. More than 83% of those homes sold below asking, and the average days on market climbed to 44.
Then there are the prices.
Aurora's median sale price moved from $1.22 million in July to $935,000 in August, while the average fell from roughly $1.29 million to $1.07 million.
Those are dramatic month-over-month changes, but they need context.
With only 49 transactions, the mix of properties that happen to sell can have an outsized effect on a monthly average or median. If August includes fewer sales at the upper end of the market, for example, the overall number can fall sharply without every individual property losing that same percentage of its value.
For homeowners, this is exactly why a city-wide headline shouldn't be treated as an automatic estimate of what your home is worth.
East Gwillimbury: Buyers Have Plenty to Choose From
East Gwillimbury remained a particularly choice-heavy market in August.
Only 30 homes sold, down from 46 in July and 34 in August 2025.
Meanwhile, there were more than 220 active listings, representing roughly seven months of inventory.
For sellers, that's significant. Your home isn't simply competing with the property next door. It's competing with a substantial pool of other available options for a relatively small number of active buyers.
Prices also remained below last year's levels. The August average was $1,056,473, down about 11% year-over-year, while the median came in at $995,000.
With this much choice available, pricing correctly from the beginning, presenting the property well and understanding the immediate competition become especially important.
What Does This Mean If You're Selling?
August wasn't a market where simply putting a home up for sale guaranteed activity.
Across York Region, 1,209 listings were terminated during the month compared with 965 completed sales. A termination doesn't necessarily mean a home failed to sell permanently. A property can be relisted, repositioned or removed for any number of reasons. But the volume does show just how much movement and adjustment is happening within the current market.
For sellers, the question isn't simply “What are homes in my city selling for?”
It's also: What else is for sale around me, what has actually sold, and how does my home compare?
That competitive set can look very different from one neighbourhood and price point to the next.
What Does This Mean If You're Buying?
Choice remains one of the biggest advantages for buyers heading into the fall market.
Across York Region, almost 77% of August sales closed below asking. Aurora and East Gwillimbury were even higher, while Newmarket showed that certain properties can still generate stronger competition.
That means this isn't necessarily a market where every listing should be approached the same way.
A property that has been sitting for weeks with several nearby alternatives may offer room for negotiation. A well-priced home in a competitive pocket can be a completely different story.
The opportunity is in understanding which situation you're walking into before deciding how to offer.
One More Thing We're Watching This Fall
August's numbers only tell us where the market was. Since the Labour Day weekend, we've seen a surge of new listings come onto the market as sellers make another push into the fall season.
For many, this is an important window to get a home on the market and sold before the end of the year.
The question now is what buyers do with that new inventory.
If listings rise but sales don't follow, buyers could gain even more choice. If buyer activity picks up alongside the new supply, we could see a more active fall market.
That's the piece we'll be watching closely as September unfolds.
The Bottom Line
August wasn't one single York Region market.
Newmarket showed pockets of competition. Aurora's limited sales created dramatic headline price changes. East Gwillimbury continued to offer buyers substantial choice. And across York Region, sales remained slow despite inventory beginning to decline.
That's why the regional average can only tell you so much.
Whether you're thinking about buying, selling or simply wondering what your home may be worth, the market that matters most is the one immediately around your property.
Want to know what's happening in your neighbourhood? Connect with The Toombs Team for a closer look at the sales, competition and trends that actually affect your next move.
