Nova Scotia MLS® home sales hit highest single month total since October 2025
The number of homes sold through the MLS® System of the Nova Scotia Association of REALTORS® totaled 1,093 units in May 2026. This was a decline of 5% from May 2025.
Home sales were 10.2% below the five-year average and 12.5% below the 10-year average for the month of May.
On a year-to-date basis, home sales totaled 3,771 units over the first five months of the year. This was down by 10.6% from the same period in 2025.
The MLS® Home Price Index (HPI) tracks price trends far more accurately than is possible using average or median price measures. The overall MLS® HPI composite benchmark price was $441,400 in May 2026, up only 0.9% compared to May 2025.
The benchmark price for single-family homes was $438,400, up modestly by 1.4% on a year-over-year basis in May. By comparison, the benchmark price for townhouse/row units was $533,100, a minor decrease of 2.8% compared to a year earlier, while the benchmark apartment price was $437,600, a moderate decrease of 4.9% from year-ago levels.
The average price of homes sold in May 2026 was $498,955, essentially unchanged, up just 0.9% from May 2025.
The more comprehensive year-to-date average price was $485,566, a small gain of 2.2% from the first five months of 2025.
The dollar value of all home sales in May 2026 was $545.4 million, falling by 4.2% from the same month in 2025.
The number of new listings saw a decline of 5.6% from May 2025. There were 2,021 new residential listings in May 2026.
New listings were 0.5% above the five-year average and in line with the 10-year average for the month of May.
Active residential listings numbered 4,999 units on the market at the end of May, up by 9.6% from the end of May 2025. Active listings haven’t been this high in the month of May in more than five years.
Active listings were 29.1% above the five-year average and in line with the 10-year average for the month of May.
Months of inventory numbered 4.6 at the end of May 2026, up from the 4 months recorded at the end of May 2025 and above the long-run average of 4.1 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.
| Nova Scotia Monthly Summary | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 2026 | Residential Sales | Year-over-year % change | Residential Average Price | Year-over-year % change |
| Annapolis Valley | 107 | -29.1 | $408,838 | 3.1 |
| Cape Breton | 55 | -19.1 | $234,704 | -3.1 |
| Halifax-Dartmouth | 424 | -16.7 | $657,061 | 8.6 |
| Highland Region | 21 | -16.0 | $370,614 | 15.8 |
| Northern Nova Scotia | 101 | -25.7 | $346,191 | 7.1 |
| South Shore | 90 | -14.3 | $439,984 | 2.6 |
| Yarmouth | 24 | 4.3 | $267,938 | -3.5 |
| Nova Scotia | 822 | -19.2 | $515,846 | 7.6 |
| Nova Scotia Year-To-Date Summary | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| YTD 2026 | Residential Sales | Year-over-year % change | Residential Average Price | Year-over-year % change |
| Annapolis Valley | 377 | -14.3 | $398,674 | 5.9 |
| Cape Breton | 186 | -13.5 | $248,138 | -2.9 |
| Halifax-Dartmouth | 1,329 | -12.3 | $613,955 | 2.2 |
| Highland Region | 100 | -3.8 | $324,618 | 10.1 |
| Northern Nova Scotia | 377 | -11.7 | $319,319 | 4.0 |
| South Shore | 253 | -14.8 | $413,752 | 1.2 |
| Yarmouth | 57 | -14.9 | $280,925 | -3.2 |
| Nova Scotia | 2,679 | -12.6 | $480,007 | 2.6 |
BOARD & ASSOCIATION INFORMATION
Trademarks are owned or controlled by The Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) and identify real estate professionals who are members of CREA (REALTOR®) and/or the quality of services they provide (MLS®).
NSAR represents more than 2000 brokers, salespeople and affiliate (e.g. solicitors, appraisers, banks) members throughout the province. The Association serves its members through a wide variety of educational programs, publications and special services with the vision that learning and sharing real estate knowledge will help the profession advance. Through an agreement with the Nova Scotia Real Estate Commission, NSAR provides all real estate licensing courses in the province. REALTOR® is a trademark, which identifies real estate professionals who are members of The Canadian Real Estate Association and, as such, subscribe to a high standard of professional service and a strict Code of Ethics.
For more information,
please contact:
Tanya White
(902) 468-5874 or 1 (800) 344-2001
twhite@nsar.ns.ca
Sandi Carroll
