Peggy’s Cove, St. Margarets Bay
The Nova Scotia housing market, month by month
Nova Scotia Association of REALTORS® / CREA monthly statistics, kept here month by month: the provincial average, sales, inventory and the seven regions, from January 2026 to August 2026.
What is the Nova Scotia housing market doing right now?
In August 2026 the Nova Scotia average sale price was $467,585, unchanged year over year, on 997 sales, down 7.1%. Months of inventory stood at 5.7 against 4.6 a year earlier, and the MLS HPI benchmark was $435,000, up 1.6%. NSAR publishes by region, not by town.
August 2026, the latest month
The provincial figures from NSAR’s August 2026 report. Year-over-year comparisons are against August 2025.
August 2026: the provincial figures, and the seven regions by average price
Average residential sale price, Nova Scotia
- 997Residential sales-7.1% from August 2025
- 5.7 monthsMonths of inventoryAgainst 4.6 in August 2025
- $435,000MLS HPI composite benchmark+1.6% year over year
Nova Scotia Association of REALTORS® / CREA monthly statistics, August 2026 report; added to this site September 20, 2026. NSAR publishes by region, not by town.
The seven regions, August 2026
| Region | Sales | Year over year | Average price | Year over year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Halifax-Dartmouth Halifax Regional Municipality | 441 | -7.0% | $592,675 | -1.9% |
| Annapolis Valley Kings, Annapolis and West Hants | 159 | +5.3% | $394,019 | +1.7% |
| Cape Breton Cape Breton Island | 89 | +2.3% | $289,859 | +15.3% |
| South Shore Lunenburg and Queens | 105 | -16.0% | $455,127 | +0.9% |
| Northern Nova Scotia Colchester, Cumberland and East Hants | 144 | -11.7% | $332,251 | -1.3% |
| Highland Region Pictou, Antigonish and Guysborough | 41 | -14.6% | $367,859 | +14.1% |
| Yarmouth Yarmouth, Digby and Shelburne | 18 | -28.0% | $313,944 | -4.4% |
5.7 months of inventory in August 2026
Months of inventory is active listings divided by the month’s sales: how long the current supply would take to sell at the current pace. NSAR quotes a long-run average for each month beside its figure; this site does not restate it. The 8-month range on this page runs from 4.5 (June 2026) to 6.7 (January 2026).
January 2026 to August 2026
| Month | Sales | Average price | HPI benchmark | Active listings | Months of inventory |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 2026 | 997 -7.1% | $467,585 0.0% | $435,000 +1.6% | 5,643 | 5.7 |
| July 2026 | 1,075 -5.9% | $465,412 +1.5% | $429,100 0.0% | 5,653 | 5.3 |
| June 2026 | 1,190 -1.6% | $481,384 -1.6% | $431,700 -1.3% | 5,405 | 4.5 |
| May 2026 | 1,093 -5.0% | $498,955 +0.9% | $441,400 +0.9% | 4,999 | 4.6 |
| April 2026 | 822 -19.2% | $515,846 +7.6% | $440,800 +2.4% | 4,444 | 5.4 |
| March 2026 | 747 -8.3% | $478,667 +0.2% | $437,200 +3.6% | 3,601 | 4.8 |
| February 2026 | 624 -8.2% | $467,926 +3.6% | $423,700 +1.4% | 3,297 | 5.3 |
| January 2026 | 496 -10.3% | $435,387 -3.3% | $417,700 +0.6% | 3,315 | 6.7 |
Go deeper
The detail, if you want it
What it means for a borrower
Inventory is above last year: 5.7 months against 4.6. That is negotiating room, and time to write a financing condition into an offer instead of waiving it.
Prices diverge by region. In August 2026, Cape Breton and Highland Region were up double digits (+15.3%, +14.1%), while Halifax-Dartmouth, Northern Nova Scotia and Yarmouth were down (-1.9%, -1.3%, -4.4%). A pre-approval sized on the Halifax-Dartmouth average of $592,675 says nothing about Cape Breton at $289,859; size it on the region you are buying in.
Whatever the market does, a federally regulated lender qualifies you at the greater of the contract rate plus 2% and 5.25%, not at the contract rate. Price the payment at the stress test first. Affordability calculator →
Rates and rules this month
The Bank of Canada policy rate is 2.25%, set September 2, 2026; the next scheduled decision is October 28, 2026. Chartered-bank prime is 4.45% and the 5-year posted rate 6.09%, both as of September 16, 2026. This site publishes no mortgage rates.
- Sep 16, 2026, Rates: Reference rates published: prime 4.45%, posted 5-year 6.09%. Chartered-bank prime and the conventional posted rates for 1-, 3- and 5-year terms, as reported to the Bank of Canada, now appear on the rates page with their weekly observation date. Example lender rates are added only when confirmed from the day’s rate sheet. Source · The page this affects
- Sep 2, 2026, Rates: Bank of Canada policy rate held at 2.25%. Next scheduled decision 28 October 2026. The policy rate sets prime, which sets variable-rate mortgage payments. Source
- Aug 31, 2026, Market: August 2026 Nova Scotia housing statistics published. Provincial average sale price $467,585, MLS HPI benchmark $435,000, 5.7 months of inventory. Every town and region page recomputes from these figures. Source · The page this affects
- Aug 31, 2026, Market: Monthly housing market history added, January to August 2026. Eight months of NSAR figures — sales, average price, HPI benchmark, active listings, months of inventory and all seven regions — kept on this site because NSAR removes older reports from its own. Source · The page this affects
- Aug 7, 2026, Nova Scotia: Non-resident deed transfer tax windows extended. The proof-of-residency window went from six months to one year, and the refund window from one year to two. Source · The page this affects
How to read NSAR’s numbers
Average versus benchmark. The average sale price is every sale in the month added up and divided: $467,585 in August 2026. A handful of expensive sales moves it. The MLS HPI benchmark, $435,000, tracks a typical home’s value and moves less; when the two disagree, the benchmark is the steadier read.
Regions, not towns. NSAR reports seven regions. Halifax-Dartmouth covers Halifax Regional Municipality; Annapolis Valley covers Kings, Annapolis and West Hants; Cape Breton covers Cape Breton Island; South Shore covers Lunenburg and Queens; Northern Nova Scotia covers Colchester, Cumberland and East Hants; Highland Region covers Pictou, Antigonish and Guysborough; Yarmouth covers Yarmouth, Digby and Shelburne. No town-level average exists, so none is printed on this site.
Timing. Each report is published in the first week of the following month, and each restates earlier months. NSAR removes older PDFs from its site, which is why the 8 months since January 2026 are kept here, each with the report it came from.
Why a broker
Licensed, independent, paid by the lender
- Licensed in Nova Scotia Associate broker 3001134, verifiable on the provincial register
- $0 broker fee On a standard residential mortgage the lender pays, not you
- Banks, credit unions, monolines One application, one credit check, placed with the lender that reads your file best
- Every part of the province Bedford office, remote process: Yarmouth to Sydney, the same four steps
Questions people ask
Are Nova Scotia house prices falling?
Not on the provincial figure. In August 2026 the average sale price was $467,585, unchanged from August 2025, and the MLS HPI benchmark was $435,000, up 1.6%. The year-to-date average was $479,667, up 1.2%. The regions pull apart: Yarmouth was down 4.4% while Cape Breton was up 15.3%.
Which part of Nova Scotia is cheapest to buy in?
By NSAR region, Cape Breton had the lowest average sale price in August 2026 at $289,859, then Yarmouth at $313,944. Halifax-Dartmouth was the highest at $592,675. NSAR publishes by region only, so no town-level average exists; a town’s figure on this site is its region’s.
Is it a buyer’s market in Nova Scotia?
The August 2026 numbers point that way without settling it. Months of inventory were 5.7, against 4.6 in August 2025; active listings were 5,643, up 13.6%; sales were 997, down 7.1%. More supply and fewer sales than a year earlier means more time for a financing condition, not necessarily a lower price.
When are the next Nova Scotia housing statistics published?
NSAR’s report for September 2026 is published in the first week of the following month, and this page updates when it is. The record here runs January 2026 to August 2026, 8 months, each on its own page. The Bank of Canada’s next scheduled rate decision is October 28, 2026.
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The regional figure, applied to your file
Send the region you are looking in and a rough income. You get back what the current average supports at the stress-test rate, in writing, within a business day.
(902) 298-0218 · Monday to Friday, 9:00 am to 5:00 pm Atlantic