Durham Region Real Estate Blog

Durham Region Real Estate Market Report DAILY

Sat, 10 Oct 2026 16:45:00 GMT

Home sale prices, sales volume and more updated daily in 2026 - Clarington, Oshawa, Whitby, Ajax, Pickering. Analysis by John Owen, REMAX Broker.

Durham Region Real Estate Market Report September 2026

Tue, 06 Oct 2026 13:41:40 GMT

Home sale prices, sales volume and more for September 2026 - Clarington, Oshawa, Whitby, Ajax, Pickering. Analysis by John Owen, REMAX Broker.

Durham Region Elementary School Rankings 2026

Wed, 23 Sep 2026 17:45:00 GMT

Rankings and ratings for Durham Region public and Catholic elementary schools, updated in January 2026 for the school year ending in 2024.

Ontario Property Taxes by City 2026

Wed, 16 Sep 2026 21:45:00 GMT

Property tax rates compared by location for over 500 communities in Ontario for 2026 with increases over 2025 levies. Updated September 16, 2026.

Durham Region Real Estate Market Report August 2026

Tue, 08 Sep 2026 17:15:27 GMT

Home sale prices, sales volume and more for August 2026 - Clarington, Oshawa, Whitby, Ajax, Pickering. Analysis by John Owen, REMAX Broker.

Durham Region Real Estate Market Report - July 2026

Tue, 04 Aug 2026 14:13:38 GMT

Home sale prices, sales volume and more for July 2026 - Clarington, Oshawa, Whitby, Ajax, Pickering. Analysis by John Owen, REMAX Broker.

GTA Property Tax Rates for 2026

Thu, 09 Jul 2026 03:05:18 GMT

2026 Property tax rates for GTA cities including Toronto, Mississauga, Markham, Oshawa, Whitby, Clarington, Scugog, Ajax, Pickering, Uxbridge with increases from 2025.

Durham Region Real Estate Market Report June 2026

Sat, 04 Jul 2026 16:34:09 GMT

Home sale prices, sales volume and more updated daily in 2026 - Clarington, Oshawa, Whitby, Ajax, Pickering. Analysis by John Owen, REMAX Broker.

Durham Region Real Estate Market Report - May 2026

Wed, 03 Jun 2026 17:06:01 GMT

Home sale prices, sales volume and more for May 2026 - Clarington, Oshawa, Whitby, Ajax, Pickering. Analysis by John Owen, REMAX Broker.

Are Sold Over Asking Signs Ethical?

Wed, 06 May 2026 17:10:00 GMT

Do "Sold Over Asking" signs cross the ethics line when it comes to residential real estate sales?

Durham Region Real Estate Market Report - April 2026

Wed, 06 May 2026 13:55:00 GMT

Home sale prices, sales volume and more for April 2026 - Clarington, Oshawa, Whitby, Ajax, Pickering. Analysis by John Owen, REMAX Broker.

Development Charges - Much lower outside of the Greater Toronto Area

Mon, 13 Apr 2026 15:05:00 GMT

Development charges vary drastically between municipalities in Ontario. So do property tax rates. But why do they, and should they?

Durham Region Real Estate Market Report - March 2026

Fri, 03 Apr 2026 16:26:49 GMT

Home sale prices, sales volume and more for March 2026 - Clarington, Oshawa, Whitby, Ajax, Pickering. Analysis by John Owen, REMAX Broker.

Ontario New Home HST Rebate

Thu, 26 Mar 2026 21:58:39 GMT

Ontario's New Home HST Rebate Program is available for most buyers of new homes until March 31, 2027.

Durham Region Real Estate Market Report February 2026

Thu, 05 Mar 2026 15:15:00 GMT

Home sale prices, sales volume and more for February 2026 - Clarington, Oshawa, Whitby, Ajax, Pickering. Analysis by John Owen, REMAX Broker.

Ontario Property Taxes by City 2025

Fri, 27 Feb 2026 16:35:00 GMT

Property tax rates compared by location for over 485 communities in Ontario for 2025 with increases over 2024 levies. Updated Feb 27, 2026. Rates for 2026 coming soon!

Durham Region Real Estate Market Report - January 2026

Wed, 04 Feb 2026 14:30:00 GMT

Home sale prices, sales volume and more for Janaury 2026 - Clarington, Oshawa, Whitby, Ajax, Pickering. Analysis by John Owen, REMAX Broker.

Durham Region Property Tax Rates - GTA 2025

Thu, 29 Jan 2026 15:10:00 GMT

2025 Property tax rates for Durham Region and GTA cities including Oshawa, Whitby, Clarington, Scugog, Ajax, Pickering, Uxbridge, Toronto. 2026 tax budgets.

Durham Region Real Estate Market Report - December 2025

Fri, 09 Jan 2026 14:00:00 GMT

Home sale prices, sales volume and more for December 2025 - Clarington, Oshawa, Whitby, Ajax, Pickering. Analysis by John Owen, REMAX Broker.

Luxury Real Estate in Durham Region to Get a Boost with Toronto Land Transfer Tax Increase for 2026

Tue, 30 Dec 2025 00:15:00 GMT

Luxury real estate in Durham Region is about to get another boost thanks to Toronto city council, as they approve an increase to the much maligned municipal land transfer tax or MLTT for 2026.

Durham Region Top Performing Communities

Tue, 16 Dec 2025 16:30:00 GMT

Here are the top 20 communities in Durham Region ranked by sale price over list price. Figures above 100% represent places that sell for more than list price, on average, sometimes called overbidding.

Durham Region Worst Performing Communities

For contrast, here is a table showing the bottom performing communities in Durham Region. Again, they are ranked by sale price compared to list price, with the lowest percentages appearing higher in the list.

There are many ways to break down sales figures. We could also consider average days on market or average sale price, both of which are shown in the tables. Days on market is one variable that usually correlates to sale price to list price ratio.

Higher days on market typically have lower SP/LP ratios. Sale prices, however, normally don’t correlate as much.

More Durham Region and Area Real Estate Articles

Ontario Property Tax Rates by Municipality 2025

Durham Region Market Report - September 2025

Property Tax Calculator for Durham Region

My other blogs contain market reports and information for the surrounding areas—see the menu for details.

About the Author

John Owen, Broker, RE/MAX Impact

John is an award-winning RE/MAX broker based in Courtice, ON, serving a wide area from east GTA to Northumberland.

Direct - 905-434-0067
Email - johnowen@remax.net

Member - RE/MAX Hall of Fame, Canadian Real Estate Association, Ontario Real Estate Association, Toronto Regional Real Estate Board.

Durham Region Secondary School Rankings 2025

Mon, 08 Dec 2025 17:41:00 GMT

Top secondary schools in Durham Region for 2025 including public and Catholic schools.

Durham Region Real Estate Market Report - November 2025

Thu, 04 Dec 2025 22:30:00 GMT

Home sale prices, sales volume and more for November 2025 - Clarington, Oshawa, Whitby, Ajax, Pickering. Analysis by John Owen, RE/MAX Broker.

Santa Claus Parades in Durham Region 2025

Thu, 04 Dec 2025 22:02:00 GMT

Santa Claus Parade dates and times, routes and details for Durham Region, Peterborough, Northumberland and Kawartha Lakes in 2025.

Highway 407 Toll Rates

Tue, 25 Nov 2025 23:05:00 GMT

Ontario Toll Highway 407 ETR rate and fee details for 2026.

Durham Region Real Estate Market Report - October 2025

Thu, 06 Nov 2025 16:35:00 GMT

Home sale prices, sales volume and more for October 2025 - Clarington, Oshawa, Whitby, Ajax, Pickering. Analysis by John Owen, RE/MAX Broker.

Durham Region Real Estate Market Report - September 2025

Sun, 05 Oct 2025 13:30:00 GMT

Home sale prices, sales volume and more updated daily in 2025 - Clarington, Oshawa, Whitby, Ajax, Pickering. Analysis by John Owen, RE/MAX Broker.

Durham Region Real Estate Market Report - August 2025

Fri, 05 Sep 2025 12:51:39 GMT

Home sale prices, sales volume and more updated daily in 2025 - Clarington, Oshawa, Whitby, Ajax, Pickering. Analysis by John Owen, RE/MAX Broker.

Durham Region Real Estate Market Report - July 2025

Wed, 06 Aug 2025 13:35:00 GMT

Home sale prices, sales volume and more for July 2025 - Clarington, Oshawa, Whitby, Ajax, Pickering. Analysis by John Owen, RE/MAX Broker.

Durham Region Real Estate Market Report - June 2025

Mon, 07 Jul 2025 17:35:00 GMT

Home sale prices, sales volume and more for June 2025 - Clarington, Oshawa, Whitby, Ajax, Pickering. Analysis by John Owen, RE/MAX Broker.

Durham Region Real Estate Market Report - May 2025

Tue, 03 Jun 2025 20:42:19 GMT

Home sale prices, sales volume and more for May 2025 - Clarington, Oshawa, Whitby, Ajax, Pickering. Analysis by John Owen, RE/MAX Broker.

Durham Region Real Estate Market Report - April 2025

Tue, 06 May 2025 13:45:00 GMT

Home sale prices, sales volume and more for April 2025 - Clarington, Oshawa, Whitby, Ajax, Pickering. Analysis by John Owen, RE/MAX Broker.

Durham Region Real Estate Market Report - March 2025

Sat, 05 Apr 2025 01:10:00 GMT

Home sale prices, sales volume and more for March 2025 - Clarington, Oshawa, Whitby, Ajax, Pickering. Analysis by John Owen, RE/MAX Broker.

Durham Region Real Estate Market Report - February 2025

Thu, 06 Mar 2025 15:00:00 GMT

Home sale prices, sales volume and more for February 2025 - Clarington, Oshawa, Whitby, Ajax, Pickering. Analysis by John Owen, RE/MAX Broker.

Who Pays Property Taxes When a Home Is Sold? - A Guide for Ontario, Canada

Thu, 13 Feb 2025 15:28:25 GMT

Who pays the property taxes when you buy or sell a home? This article explains the process for Ontario.

Oshawa streets to change from one-way to two-way

Tue, 04 Feb 2025 18:11:03 GMT

Four existing one-way streets to change in downtown Oshawa

A welcome transformation is on the horizon for the downtown area of Oshawa, as four one-way streets are slated to become two-way in a move aimed at revitalizing the city's urban core. The conversion plan, which includes Albert, Celina, Brock Street East, and Colborne Street, was recently approved by the city’s Economic and Development Services Committee, with an estimated cost of $400,000.

The Plan for Conversion

The streets in question - Albert and Celina, which serve as entry and exit points to downtown, and Brock Street East and Colborne Street, located at the northern edge of the downtown area - are set to undergo changes. While Albert and Celina's transformation is scheduled for 2026, there's potential for Brock and Colborne to see earlier changes this year, thanks to a more modest estimated cost of $25,000 for their conversion.

Traffic and Safety Improvements

The conversion aims not just at traffic flow but also at enhancing safety. New traffic lights will be installed at key intersections like Olive Avenue, John Street, Athol Street, and Bruce Street to manage the flow of two-way traffic. Additionally, curb radii at intersections will be reduced to promote slower vehicle speeds and safer pedestrian crossings.

Historical Context and Public Engagement

The decision to convert these streets has been under consideration for nearly a decade, reflecting a broader movement towards making urban areas more pedestrian-friendly and less car-centric. Initially, these streets were changed to one-way to handle traffic from General Motors shift changes.

Ward 4 Councillor Derek Giberson commented, "They caused significant harm to neighbourhoods. This is an opportunity for this council to right that wrong." Public consultation has been integral to this process, with community involvement spanning the past two years, ensuring the changes reflect the community's needs.

Future Outlook

The committee's approval marks a significant step towards a more integrated, safer, and livable downtown Oshawa. The project aligns with broader urban planning trends that prioritize community well-being over mere traffic efficiency. The work, expected to take about a month per street, will depend on weather conditions for its schedule.

This initiative in Oshawa represents a trend toward a larger shift in urban planning across North America, where cities are increasingly reversing one-way street designs in favour of two-way configurations to foster more vibrant, safer, and community-oriented urban environments.

About the Author

John Owen, Broker, RE/MAX Impact

John is an award-winning RE/MAX broker based in Courtice, ON, serving a wide area from east GTA to Northumberland.

Direct - 905-434-0067
Email - johnowen@remax.net

Member - RE/MAX Hall of Fame, Canadian Real Estate Association, Ontario Real Estate Association, Toronto Regional Real Estate Board.

Durham Region Real Estate Market Report - January 2025

Tue, 04 Feb 2025 15:20:00 GMT

Home sale prices, sales volume and more for January 2025 - Clarington, Oshawa, Whitby, Ajax, Pickering. Analysis by John Owen, RE/MAX Broker.

Durham Region Real Estate Market Report - December 2024

Tue, 07 Jan 2025 15:15:00 GMT

Home sale prices, sales volume and more for December 2024 - Clarington, Oshawa, Whitby, Ajax, Pickering. Analysis by John Owen, RE/MAX Broker.

Durham Region Real Estate Market Report - November 2024

Wed, 04 Dec 2024 13:20:00 GMT

Home sale prices, sales volume and more for November 2024 - Clarington, Oshawa, Whitby, Ajax, Pickering. Analysis by John Owen, RE/MAX Broker.

Comparing Durham Region Real Estate Performance to Kawartha Lakes, Peterborough and Northumberland

Mon, 18 Nov 2024 14:45:00 GMT

How have the real estate markets in regions of Durham, Northumberland, Peterborough and Kawartha Lakes fared compared to each other in the last few years? Updated November 2024

Santa Claus Parades in Durham Region 2024

Fri, 08 Nov 2024 22:15:00 GMT

Santa Claus Parade dates and times for Durham Region in 2024. Clarington, Bowmanville, Oshawa, Whitby, Ajax, Pickering, Newcastle, Orono and more!

Durham Region Real Estate Market Report - October 2024

Tue, 05 Nov 2024 22:30:00 GMT

Home sale prices, sales volume for October 2024 - Clarington, Oshawa, Whitby, Ajax, Pickering. Analysis by John Owen, Real Estate Broker.

Durham Region Real Estate Market Report - September 2024

Thu, 03 Oct 2024 13:50:00 GMT

Home sale prices, sales volume and more for September 2024 - Clarington, Oshawa, Whitby, Ajax, Pickering. Analysis by John Owen, Real Estate Broker.

Durham Region Elementary School Rankings 2023

Tue, 10 Sep 2024 16:04:00 GMT

Rankings for Durham Region public and Catholic elementary schools, updated 2024 for the school year 2021/2022.

Durham Region Real Estate Market Report - August 2024

Thu, 05 Sep 2024 15:35:00 GMT

Home sale prices, sales volume and more for August 2024 - Clarington, Oshawa, Whitby, Ajax, Pickering. Analysis by John Owen, Real Estate Broker.

Durham Region Real Estate Market Report - July 2024

Mon, 05 Aug 2024 16:40:00 GMT

Home sale prices, sales volume and more for July 2024 - Clarington, Oshawa, Whitby, Ajax, Pickering. Analysis by John Owen, Real Estate Broker.

Coming Soon real estate signs - who do they benefit?

Sat, 13 Jul 2024 19:30:00 GMT

When a coming soon sign is in front of a home, the property isn't listed in an MLS® system for the public or other Realtors to see. In most cases, the sign is a typical Real Estate Salesperson's for sale sign, with their contact information on the sign, along with the name of their brokerage. If a prospective buyer is interested in getting information about the property, they have no choice but to contact the person on the sign.

According to the Toronto Regional Real Estate Board, the rules for adding an MLS listing are as follows:

MLS® Rule R-365 states that you must enter the Listing into the MLS® System within two (2) TRREB business days following the commencement date. (A TRREB business day is Monday to Friday and does not include statutory days.)

Note that homes listed for sale on the MLS in Durham Region are included in the Toronto Regional Real Estate Board's MLS system. Durham does not have its own system and is subject to the same MLS rules.

Benefit for the seller?

Why would a home seller want to advertise their home as coming soon, rather than wait until it is ready to sell? There are several reasons that a seller may want to promote the property in advance of it being ready to hit the MLS system.

A home seller can benefit from having some advance publicity of their home coming to market. In a seller’s market, where there is a relative scarcity of property listings, it can be beneficial to have people aware that the property will soon be available. In particular, the coming soon lawn sign can alert potential buyers that another listing that they might consider is coming to market, and they may elect to wait for it rather than placing an offer on another listing.
The owners may be doing some minor repairs and want to drum up interest in the property as they get them finished, before showing the property. They may also do it as a way to motivate themselves to speed up the process of getting things ready.
It is also quite common that the property is in the process of being prepared for listing on the MLS system. There are a lot of activities that happen in advance of the listing going live. Some of these include home staging setup, professional photography and video shooting (and editing afterward), signpost and sign installation (from a business that does this on behalf of the listing agent), printing of feature sheets and other materials and preparing the listing agreement and other documents by the listing brokerage.

It's also possible that the seller and their agent agree to a reduced commission if the home is sold during the time the home is in "coming soon" status. This is also called an exclusive listing agreement. This would only typically apply if the buyer were unrepresented by a buyer agent/brokerage. This is a potentially legitimate way for both parties to benefit, although the seller should realize that without having the listing on the MLS system, there is a much smaller audience that the property would be exposed to.

Benefit for the Agent?

In many cases, however, this arrangement can work against the home seller. The whole purpose of the MLS system is to make the property visible to the widest possible market of potential buyers and Realtors looking on behalf of their clients. If the property is shown during this period, any prospective offers would only reflect the limited group of potential buyers that had actually toured the home.

There is potential for ethical issues here, as well. While the overwhelming majority of Realtors are honest, there is the possibility of abuse here in more than one way.

The salesperson/brokerage who put up the sign would be in a potential position to not have to share any commission on the sale with a cooperating brokerage that typically represents the buyer. If they could negotiate a sale before the listing hits the MLS system, the property may not sell at a price truly reflecting its market value, but if they didn’t have to share that commission, they would certainly benefit.
Of course, if they had arranged a reduced commission during the exclusive time frame, the seller would have less overall commission to pay. That's assuming that the home sells for its maximum potential, and there's no way to know if that is the case if it never had the exposure that being on the MLS system would provide.
It is possible that the listing agent could also control who sees the property. If they are selective in who they allow to view the property, they could potentially allow someone they know to place an early offer and purchase the property for less than it could have sold for with more visibility on the market.

The Realtor® Cooperation Policy

As of January 3, 2024, a new national policy under the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) came into effect, called a “Duty of Cooperation” in Article 30 of the Realtor Code.

It requires placing a listing on an MLS system within 3 days of any type of public marketing. Some of the methods considered to be public marketing are:

Placing a sign on the property
Posting to social media, even in private groups
Advertising the listing in any way
Posting to a public website
Sending an email to multiple recipients who are not agents in the same brokerage as the listing agent

There are exemptions to the policy, including commercial listings and new builds.

Requiring that new listings hit the market within 3 days of public marketing benefits consumers and agents. It prevents agents from doing things that aren’t in their seller clients’ best interest and allows buyer agents and their clients to see all the listings on the market in a reasonable amount of time, without having to watch out for signs that sit out for weeks before a listing hits the market.

In Summary

Clearly, there are legitimate reasons for a seller to consider the coming soon strategy. If they do, it is very important for them to understand the potential downsides, and for their Realtor to clearly explain how and why they would want to take this approach.

In any case, it is almost always in the seller's interest to get the property onto the MLS® system and ensure that they have the widest possible audience to market their home to.

Are Sold Over Asking Signs Ethical?

Durham Region Real Estate Market Report June 2024

Thu, 04 Jul 2024 17:25:00 GMT

Home sale prices, sales volume and more for June 2024 - Clarington, Oshawa, Whitby, Ajax, Pickering. Analysis by John Owen, Real Estate Broker.

Why are property taxes so high in Oshawa?

Fri, 28 Jun 2024 16:30:00 GMT

Property tax rates in Oshawa are the highest in the GTA, but not even close for Ontario. Find out which cities have much higher municipal tax rates for 2024.

Bowmanville Development Proposal Near New GO Train Station Could Mean Big Changes

Fri, 21 Jun 2024 18:30:00 GMT

A development proposal for the intersection of highway 2 and Bowmanville Avenue makes for the building of nine high-rise towers from 30 to 40 storeys.

Durham Region Real Estate Blog

Durham Region Real Estate Market Report DAILY

Durham Region Real Estate Market Report September 2026

Durham Region Elementary School Rankings 2026

Ontario Property Taxes by City 2026

Durham Region Real Estate Market Report August 2026

Durham Region Real Estate Market Report - July 2026

GTA Property Tax Rates for 2026

Durham Region Real Estate Market Report June 2026

Durham Region Real Estate Market Report - May 2026

Are Sold Over Asking Signs Ethical?

Durham Region Real Estate Market Report - April 2026

Development Charges - Much lower outside of the Greater Toronto Area

Durham Region Real Estate Market Report - March 2026

Ontario New Home HST Rebate

Durham Region Real Estate Market Report February 2026

Ontario Property Taxes by City 2025

Durham Region Real Estate Market Report - January 2026

Durham Region Property Tax Rates - GTA 2025

Durham Region Real Estate Market Report - December 2025

Luxury Real Estate in Durham Region to Get a Boost with Toronto Land Transfer Tax Increase for 2026

Durham Region Top Performing Communities

Durham Region Worst Performing Communities

More Durham Region and Area Real Estate Articles

Durham Region Secondary School Rankings 2025

Durham Region Real Estate Market Report - November 2025

Santa Claus Parades in Durham Region 2025

Highway 407 Toll Rates

Durham Region Real Estate Market Report - October 2025

Durham Region Real Estate Market Report - September 2025

Durham Region Real Estate Market Report - August 2025

Durham Region Real Estate Market Report - July 2025

Durham Region Real Estate Market Report - June 2025

Durham Region Real Estate Market Report - May 2025

Durham Region Real Estate Market Report - April 2025

Durham Region Real Estate Market Report - March 2025

Durham Region Real Estate Market Report - February 2025

Who Pays Property Taxes When a Home Is Sold? - A Guide for Ontario, Canada

Oshawa streets to change from one-way to two-way

Four existing one-way streets to change in downtown Oshawa

The Plan for Conversion

Traffic and Safety Improvements

Historical Context and Public Engagement

Future Outlook

Durham Region Real Estate Market Report - January 2025

Durham Region Real Estate Market Report - December 2024

Durham Region Real Estate Market Report - November 2024

Comparing Durham Region Real Estate Performance to Kawartha Lakes, Peterborough and Northumberland

Santa Claus Parades in Durham Region 2024

Durham Region Real Estate Market Report - October 2024

Durham Region Real Estate Market Report - September 2024

Durham Region Elementary School Rankings 2023

Durham Region Real Estate Market Report - August 2024

Durham Region Real Estate Market Report - July 2024

Coming Soon real estate signs - who do they benefit?

Benefit for the seller?

Benefit for the Agent?

The Realtor® Cooperation Policy

In Summary

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Why are property taxes so high in Oshawa?

Bowmanville Development Proposal Near New GO Train Station Could Mean Big Changes