Posted by: Karim Ali
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It’s a common belief that…
There is a common belief that homes take time to sell, that value slowly reveals itself over weeks or even months, and that patience alone will eventually bring the right result.
In today’s Ottawa market, that isn’t always how things actually play out.
Often, the direction of a listing is shaped within its first seven to ten days, even if the property does not end up selling until later. This is not because buyers are rushing into decisions, but because both the MLS system and buyer behaviour respond almost immediately to how a home is positioned when it first comes to market.
A Balanced Market Does Not Save Weak Launches
January 2026 set a clear tone for the year. Ottawa is currently sitting in a balanced market, with 4.41 months of inventory, a median of 49 days on market, and homes selling at roughly 97 percent of their list price.
That balance matters more than many sellers realize.
In very strong seller markets, listings that are imperfectly priced or prepared can still succeed simply because demand is doing most of the work. In balanced conditions like we are seeing now, the market is much less forgiving. Homes that miss the mark early rarely recover quietly, and instead tend to lose leverage over time.
MLS Exposure Is Front-Loaded
When a home first hits the market, it benefits from a short burst of attention. Saved search alerts go out, agents flag it in their systems, and buyers see it clearly marked as new.
That window is brief.
Once it passes, a listing starts to blend in with everything else unless something changes, most often a price adjustment. By the time a property has been sitting for a couple of weeks, most buyers who match the criteria have already seen it and formed an opinion, whether or not they have booked a showing.
Buyers Decide Early, Even If They Act Later
A median of 49 days on market does not mean buyers spend seven weeks trying to make up their minds.
In reality, many buyers decide quite early and then wait.
After the first round of activity, listings tend to fall into two broad categories in a buyer’s mind: homes that feel worth acting on now, and homes they would reconsider later if the price shifts. That sorting often happens within the first week or two, after which buyers simply watch and wait, expecting leverage to improve with time.
Showing Activity Tells the Story Quickly
The market tends to give feedback faster than sellers expect.
Strong early showing activity usually indicates that the price and positioning make sense to buyers. Light or inconsistent traffic often means buyers filtered the listing out entirely or felt it was priced beyond where they were willing to engage.
By the second or third week on the market, buyer expectations are often already set, and they are rarely generous toward listings that started slowly.
Early Momentum Sets the Price Ceiling
This is one of the most commonly misunderstood parts of the selling process.
Final sale price is not determined on closing day. It is shaped much earlier by the story buyers tell themselves as a listing unfolds, including how many people have seen it, how long it has been available, and whether others appear to have passed on it for a reason.
When a home launches well and attracts interest early, buyers are more likely to accept the price as fair. When that does not happen, the perceived ceiling tends to drop, even if the home ultimately sells close to asking.
Property Type Makes This Even More Important
Not all segments of the Ottawa market behave the same way.
Freehold homes remain relatively tight, with just under four months of inventory (MOI) for detached and under three MOI for townhomes, while condos are sitting closer to seven months and favour buyers. In higher-inventory segments especially, a slow first ten days is rarely neutral. Buyers have more options, less urgency, and are quicker to move on.
February Shouldn't be a Trial Run
Late winter leaves little room for error.
There are fewer listings and fewer buyers, but the buyers who are active tend to be serious, informed, and paying close attention. They notice hesitation, they notice overpricing, and they are usually prepared to wait.
Spring can sometimes absorb small mistakes, while February tends to expose them.
The Bottom Line
This isn’t about rushing a sale or forcing urgency, it’s about launching properly.
In a balanced market like Ottawa’s, homes tend to succeed not because sellers gave them more time, but because the market was convinced early on. The first ten days send a message about pricing, positioning, and credibility, whether intentional or not.
Once that message is out there, it can be difficult to change later.
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