January sales cool while prices hold firm in Chatham-Kent; inventory remains elevated
The number of homes sold through the MLS® System of the Chatham-Kent Association of REALTORS® totaled 74 units in January 2026. This was a decline of 14.9% (13 sales) from January 2025.
Home sales were 5.9% below the five-year average and 6.1% below the 10-year average for the month of January.
“January MLS® home sales were lower than a year ago, marking the slowest month we’ve seen since February 2025. The number of newly listed homes also slipped year over year, but we did see a modest post-holiday rebound from December, bringing supply more in line with seasonal norms,” said Carrie Patrick, President of the Chatham-Kent Association of REALTORS®. “Active listings remained elevated compared to long term averages for the month, which was welcome news for buyers looking to jump into the market, as it gave them more choice than they’ve usually have in a typical January. On the pricing side, the average price reached its highest level since January 2025 and ranked among the highest levels seen in any January on record. With rates appearing to hit bottom for now and the spring market right around the corner, we’re heading into 2026 with cautious optimism.”
The average price of homes sold in January 2026 was $449,774, down modestly by 3.2% from January 2025.
The dollar value of all home sales in January 2026 was $33.3 million, a big reduction of 17.7% from the same month in 2025.
The number of new listings saw a notable decline of 15% from January 2025. There were 153 new residential listings in January 2026.
New listings were 1.7% below the five-year average and 19.4% above the 10-year average for the month of January.
Active residential listings numbered 378 units on the market at the end of January, a modest gain of 1.6% (six listings) from the end of January 2025. Active listings haven’t been this high in the month of January in a decade.
Active listings were 32.1% above the five-year average and 64.1% above the 10-year average for the month of January.
Months of inventory numbered 5.1 at the end of January 2026, up from the 4.3 months recorded at the end of January 2025 and above the long-run average of 3.3 months for this time of year. The number of months of inventory is the number of months it would take to sell current inventories at the current rate of sales activity.
| Percentage change compared to | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly | Jan 2026 | Jan 2025 | Jan 2024 | Jan 2023 | Jan 2021 | Jan 2019 | Jan 2016 |
| Sales Activity | 74 | -14.9% | 13.8% | 29.8% | -33.3% | -5.1% | 27.6% |
| Average Price | $449,774 | -3.2% | 12.2% | 11.8% | 25.3% | 109.6% | 202.3% |
| Dollar Volume* | $33.3 | -17.7% | 27.7% | 45.2% | -16.5% | 98.8% | 285.7% |
| New Listings | 153 | -15.0% | -8.9% | -0.6% | 54.5% | 51.5% | -10.0% |
| Active Listings | 378 | 1.6% | 21.2% | 29.5% | 455.9% | 101.1% | -18.4% |
| Percentage change compared to | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year-to-date | Jan 2026 YTD | Jan 2025 YTD | Jan 2024 YTD | Jan 2023 YTD | Jan 2021 YTD | Jan 2019 YTD | Jan 2016 YTD |
| Sales Activity | 74 | -14.9% | 13.8% | 29.8% | -33.3% | -5.1% | 27.6% |
| Average Price | $449,774 | -3.2% | 12.2% | 11.8% | 25.3% | 109.6% | 202.3% |
| Dollar Volume* | $33.3 | -17.7% | 27.7% | 45.2% | -16.5% | 98.8% | 285.7% |
| New Listings | 153 | -15.0% | -8.9% | -0.6% | 54.5% | 51.5% | -10.0% |
| Active Listings** | 378 | 1.6% | 21.2% | 29.5% | 455.9% | 101.1% | -18.4% |
| Legend |
|---|
| * In millions of dollars |
| ** The year-to-date active listings figure is a monthly average of the number of homes on the market at the end of each month so far this year |
BOARD & ASSOCIATION INFORMATION
The Chatham-Kent Association of REALTORS® represents 200+ REALTORS® registered with its member offices. The geographical area served by the Board is the municipality of Chatham-Kent in the heart of southwestern Ontario.

CHATHAM-KENT ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®
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For more information,
please contact:
- 519-352-4351
- info@ckar.ca
Carrie Patrick





