Sales of MLS® listed homes rise for third consecutive month during April; both new and active listings also up
The number of homes sold through the MLS® System of the Nova Scotia Association of REALTORS® totaled 822 units in April 2026. This was a notable decrease of 19.2% from April 2025.
Home sales were 19% below the five-year average and 22.3% below the 10-year average for the month of April.
On a year-to-date basis, home sales totaled 2,679 units over the first four months of the year. This was a large decline of 12.6% 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 $440,800 in April 2026, a minor increase of 2.4% compared to April 2025.
The benchmark price for single-family homes was $437,200, a small gain of 2.9% on a year-over-year basis in April. By comparison, the benchmark price for townhouse/row units was $538,400, edging down 0.6% compared to a year earlier, while the benchmark apartment price was $445,100, a modest decline of 3.2% from year-ago levels.
The average price of homes sold in April 2026 was a record $515,846, increasing by 7.6% from April 2025.
The more comprehensive year-to-date average price was $480,007, a modest gain of 2.6% from the first four months of 2025.
The dollar value of all home sales in April 2026 was $424 million, down by 13% from the same month in 2025.
The number of new listings rose 17.1% from April 2025. There were 1,995 new residential listings in April 2026. This was the largest number of new listings added in the month of April in five years.
New listings were 16.2% above the five-year average and 12.6% above the 10-year average for the month of April.
Active residential listings numbered 4,444 units on the market at the end of April, a gain of 12.5% from the end of April 2025. Active listings haven’t been this high in the month of April in more than five years.
Active listings were 31.4% above the five-year average and 3.4% below the 10-year average for the month of April.
Months of inventory numbered 5.4 at the end of April 2026, up from the 3.9 months recorded at the end of April 2025 and above the long-run average of 4.8 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
Suzanne Gravel
