08/20/2026
A neighbour asked me last week whether they'd missed the window. They'd been planning to list in the spring, life got in the way, and now it's August and they figure the year is gone.
The year isn't gone. For them it might actually be better.
Here's the thing about spring that nobody says out loud. Yes, there are more buyers. There are also more buyers standing in the house you want to move into. If you're selling and buying at the same time, a hot market lifts both ends. You get more on the sale and you pay more on the purchase, and the two mostly cancel out.
What actually matters is the gap between what you sell for and what you buy for. That's your real cost to move up.
September changes the gap.
List in September and you're selling to buyers on a deadline. Kids are back in school, the fall schedule is set, and they want to be in the new place before the holidays. Fewer people wandering through on a Sunday, more people who have already talked to their lender.
https://markhamcitylife.com/real-estate-advice/best-time-to-list-your-home-in-markham/
Now here's the part that actually makes it work, and it isn't the month.
You can't go house shopping in November if your sale closes in November. You'd be handing over your keys with nowhere to go. So the term that unlocks the whole thing is the closing date you negotiate when you accept the offer on your house.
Firm your sale in early October. Push the closing to mid January. Roughly a hundred days.
That gap is what puts you out shopping in November and December, when it's dark at five, everyone else has checked out until the new year, and the sellers still on the market are the ones who really need to sell. Firm sale behind you. Almost nobody bidding against you.
About eight weeks a year where a move-up family holds all the cards, and it gets created with one line in an offer.
If your buyer won't agree to a long close, there are two other ways through. Buy on a shorter close and focus on sellers who can move quickly, which most late-November sellers can. Or look at bridge financing, which is a conversation for your mortgage broker before you list, not after you've found the house.
Not so long ago, I advised a couple to list their home in the fall, explaining how this timing could provide more leverage when purchasing their next property. However, hesitant to take what they perceived as a risk, they decided to wait for the spring market instead. While they secured an excellent price when they eventually sold, the spring buying frenzy drove prices up, putting their dream home out of reach and forcing them to settle for a compromise.
One honest caveat. If a summer move is non-negotiable because of the kids, spring is your answer and there's nothing wrong with that. But if the only reason you're waiting is because someone told you spring is better, that reason is worth a second look.
Message me the word TIMELINE and I'll map your dates. Listing week, firm date, closing, and the window where you'd actually be house hunting. No pitch.
Everyone says list in spring. Here's why September is actually the best time to list your home in Markham if you're moving up.
