ENFIELD: A surge in housing inventory and more cautious buyers are reshaping the spring real estate market across the Halifax Regional Municipality and East Hants, according to local realtor Don McCooeye of the McCooeye Group with Royal LePage Atlantic.
McCooeye said the second quarter of 2026 is showing signs of a market that is balancing out after several years of intense competition and limited supply.
“There’s significantly more inventory than in the last few years,” McCooeye said, noting residential listings across HRM were up 31 per cent year-over-year as of late April.
At the same time, monthly sales activity has slowed, with average days on market climbing to 46 days, compared to 39 days at the same time last year.
Despite the increase in available homes, prices have remained stable.
The six-month average sale price across HRM sits at approximately $601,433, up 2.4 per cent from last year.
In East Hants, the average sale price dipped slightly to $516,857, down 1.3 per cent year-over year.
McCooeye said that shift reflects changing buyer behaviour.
“When pricing gets more competitive in HRM proper, we see the outskirts get more attention,” he said. “Now, as there’s more opportunity for buyers in HRM, they’re not looking outside as much.”
He added that this year’s spring market also arrived later than usual, potentially due to the long winter, but activity has picked up sharply in recent weeks.
“In the last three weeks, it has gotten incredibly busy,” McCooeye said. “The phones have been ringing a lot.”
In East Hants specifically, 49 new listings hit the market in April across all property types, while pending sales climbed 17.2 per cent year-over-year to 34.
McCooeye said today’s buyers are taking more time and doing more research before making decisions, a stark contrast from the fast-paced market conditions of recent years.
“The fear of missing out is gone,” he said. “Buyers are willing to wait until they see something they like.”
That means sellers need to price homes accurately from the start, he said.
“If your strategy is going to be throwing a number out there and hoping someone negotiates you down, buyers are just going to bypass you,” McCooeye explained.
To help homes stand out, McCooeye said his team has increasingly been encouraging sellers to complete pre-inspections, septic inspections, and water testing before listing properties.
He said the extra transparency is helping homes sell faster in a more competitive environment.
“One of our recent listings had the septic pre-inspected and water tests completed, and we had an offer in five days,” he said.
McCooeye also pointed to broader affordability concerns impacting buyer confidence, including rising grocery costs, higher fuel prices, and increasing utility rates.
“People just don’t have the consumer confidence to spend money on large ticket items,” he said.
Still, he believes conditions currently favour buyers more than they have in several years.
“It is still technically a seller’s market based on inventory levels, but it doesn’t feel like that,” McCooeye said.
“If you’re a buyer, you’ve got a good selection.”