REMAX survey finds buyers flexing on location and finances as buyer-favourable conditions spread
More than six in ten Canadians say they would relocate or restructure their personal finances to afford a better-suited home, according to REMAX Canada's 2026 Fall Housing Market Outlook.
The outlook draws from a Leger survey of 1,532 Canadian adults conducted between July 17 and 19, which found 65% of respondents willing to make at least one compromise on location, property type, or financial structure to access a more suitable home.
Aled ab Iorwerth, deputy chief economist at CMHC, says rising bond yields, inflation concerns, and trade-related uncertainty are making the outlook for interest rates and housing activity increasingly difficult to predict. https://t.co/mkip7w5Cba
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Where buyers are willing to give ground
Location leads the list of concessions. Nearly two-thirds (63%) said they would relocate for a home that better meets their needs, with 47% willing to move up to an hour away and 16% prepared to go even farther.
An additional 31% would accept greater distance from a city centre, while 21% would trade proximity to shops and other amenities.
Financial trade-offs are just as common. Forty-one% said they would cut discretionary spending, such as travel and dining, to fund a purchase, while 24% would extend their mortgage amortization.
Thirty-year amortizations have given more buyers a path to qualification, though experienced brokers consistently flag the long-term interest cost as a conversation that cannot be skipped.
A further 17% said they would delay retirement savings or take on additional income sources.
Don Kottick, President of REMAX Canada, framed the shift as practical recalibration.
"There's a difference between compromising and settling," he said. "Buyers are identifying what matters most and where they have room to be flexible."
Affordability ranked as the dominant search criterion, cited by 60% of respondents, with neighbourhood safety second at 47%.
Top sacrifices Canadians would make to afford a home, REMAX Canada 2026 Fall Housing Market Outlook
Would make any compromise
65%
of Canadians surveyed
Would relocate for a better home
63%
willing to move communities
Location & property compromises
| Would move up to one hour from current community | 47% | |
| Would live farther from a city centre | 31% | |
| Would live farther from shops and amenities | 21% | |
| Would buy an older home needing renovations | 20% | |
| Would move more than one hour from current community | 16% |
Financial compromises
| Would cut discretionary spending (travel, dining out) | 41% | |
| Would extend mortgage amortization period | 24% | |
| Would accept financial help from family | 20% | |
| Would take on a second job or additional income source | 17% | |
| Would delay retirement or long-term savings | 17% |
Source: REMAX Canada 2026 Fall Housing Market Outlook. Leger online survey of 1,532 Canadian adults aged 18+, July 17–19, 2026. Respondents could select multiple options; percentages do not sum to 100.
A softer market, but buyer conditions improving
REMAX brokers and agents reported that home sales declined year-over-year in 81% of markets analyzed between January 1 and July 31, while average residential prices rose in 56% of markets.
The fall outlook projects 2026 national sales finishing approximately 2% below 2025 levels.
Yet buyer-favourable conditions have spread further than anticipated at the start of the year. REMAX estimates 32% of markets will sit in buyers' territory this fall, compared with 15.2% a year earlier.
The Greater Toronto Area (GTA) is among them, with average residential prices down 5.1% year-over-year.
"The market has not become easy for buyers, but in many regions, it is allowing for a more deliberate purchasing process," Kottick said.
For mortgage brokers, the data describes a client base that has not stepped away from homeownership, but arrives with recalibrated priorities and a clear willingness to flex on geography, property condition, and amortisation structure.
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