Real Estate Talk:
Opportunities to sell

When do market and personal factors align to favour selling a property?

By Joseph Marovitch

June 11, 2026

I am asked this question many times, especially at the beginning of summer. Three answers come to mind immediately, from the simplest to the most complicated. Generally, the standard optimal conditions for selling are low interest rates and inflation, a stable market, and high demand. This is a seller’s market. Using this as a base, the question remains: when is a good time to sell in a good or bad market?

The first answer is that any time is a good time to sell if one must. Examples of reasons one must sell include financial reasons, employment relocation, medical reasons, the arrival of an unexpected child, and the need for more room. Whether markets are balanced or uncertain, with experience and/or guidance, as long as certain rules are followed, property can be purchased in any market. The following rules apply in all markets, especially in uncertain and difficult ones.

Rule 1: Only purchase at market or less by comparing average sales of similar property in the area.

Rule 2: Only purchase what you can afford. Do not overpay. Have a thorough inspection to avoid unexpected, unaffordable expenses. Nothing ages one more quickly or causes more stress than taking on more financial responsibility than one can handle.

Examples of reasons one must sell include financial reasons, employment relocation, medical reasons, the arrival of an unexpected child, and the need for more room.

That being stated, let’s discuss the best months to sell. It is because of the summer months that the question is asked. There are windows in the year when the market picks up. The reasons for these windows are presentation and audience.

Window 1: April to Mid-July
This is an excellent time to show property. Homes appear best in the warm summer with abounding greenery and flowers. During the warm months, people are out and about. They are not slushing through the cold winter with heavy boots and thick coats. With the combination of freedom and spring/summer excitement, buyers tend to be more focused and intent. There is also an audience of potential buyers in the city.

Window 2: Mid-September to November
Potential buyers are returning to work from summer vacation and the construction holidays, which shut everything down from mid-July to the end of August. Potential buyers who have been talking about a move all summer now have the time to implement their plans.

Window 3: February to March
From December to the end of January, people are on vacation and do not want to start the selling process unless they must. Therefore, December is a winding down for work and winding up for family get-togethers and vacations. January vacation is in full gear. When February arrives, work and plans go into motion and the market spikes.

All the in-between periods also provide opportunity. Whether the market slows down for holidays, pandemics, global conflicts, or crazy politics, demand is still there and rising, with nowhere to go. Therefore, when the slow periods end, all the pent-up demand is released like a cork from a champagne bottle, bursting onto the market. Increased demand has an outlet, which in turn leads to multiple offers and higher property values.

The information in these articles is a summary. Should you have questions, comments or wish to discuss further, please refer to the comments section at the bottom of the page or contact me directly. To view past articles, click here.

STATE OF THE MARKET

The Canadian real estate market is affected by external global factors such as conflict, politics, pandemics, and other issues that slow or accelerate the supply chain and the economy, including interest rates and inflation. In a national or provincial market update, items include how many sales took place in a particular municipality, which homes are moving, single homes, condos, multi-residential, income property, office space, retail space, and there is always a note on interest rates. In this column, we try to view the market from a global perspective, as global issues indicate the broader picture of where the market and the world are headed.

The market has had ups and downs over the years, but this year is different, and it is difficult to predict where things are headed with any certainty. The U.S. administration under Trump has had positive effects for some and negative effects for most. Many of the policies, such as closing USAID, the Education board, defunding the air traffic controllers, firing most of the FBI and CIA staff, firing seasoned and experienced generals from the Army, Airforce and Navy, defunding FEMA, restructuring the board of Health under people who are not doctors or experts in the field of medicine, are now coming to fruition in terms of the results.

‘The U.S. decision currently affecting the entire global economy is to start a war without a plan, exit strategy, or understanding of the opponent.’

The effects of these policies have contributed, if not actually caused, the spreading of Ebola and a surge of measles, airline accidents and slow waiting times, slow reaction times and little resources for environmental disasters, and general U.S. vulnerability to foreign aggression due to lack of experienced generals and soldiers. Lastly, the level of educated citizens is decreasing.

The U.S. decision currently affecting the entire global economy is to start a war without a plan, an exit strategy, or an understanding of the opponent. The leader of the U.S. is a transactional person who believes everything can be solved with money or a stick. The Middle East mentality does not work this way and should have been known before going to war. This week, the U.S. attacked Iran in retaliation for the shooting down of two helicopters. The U.S.then attacked again, killing civilians because, the president stated, “they are not making a deal fast enough.”

VP Vance stated the missile attack was to bring the Iranians to an agreement that Trump would like. This developer does not understand that the U.S. is up against 2000 plus years of pride and preservation. The more threats and violence that are heaped on Iran, the more resolute Iranians will be to not back down. The Iranians are aware they have the upper hand by being able to choke the world economies by closing the Straits of Hormuz. Eventually, this conflict will hit Canada hard unless tactics are changed.

A conflict that harms the populations of all countries is one that draws all to war. We are not there yet, and there appears to be change approaching over the horizon. There are opportunities, and there is risk. Remember, the downtime presents an opportunity to meet rising pent-up demand. Therein lies the opportunity once peace comes.

The information in this article is derived from the CMHC, the Financial Post, other verifiable news outlets, and interpreted by this writer to provide an informed opinion and facts.

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Joseph Marovitch has worked in the service industry for over 30 years. His first career was working with families from Westmount and surrounding areas, hosting children between the ages of 6 to 16 as the owner and director of Camp Maromac, a sports and arts sleep-away summer camp established in 1968. Using the same strengths he used caring for families, such as reliability, integrity, honesty and a deep sense of protecting the interests of those he is responsible for, Joseph applies this to his present real estate broker career. Should you have questions, feel free to contact Joseph Marovitch at 514 825-8771 or at josephmarovitch@gmail.com