The president of the Sarnia-Lambton Association of Realtors is recommending that sellers properly price their homes to begin with, as buyers remain selective and properties spend more time on the market.
"I think that sellers need to hear the message that preparation pricing matters. They should work closely with a realtor, work with their realtor to present their home well and price it correctly from the outset," said April Barnard.
She said a properly priced home from the start will often result in a quicker sale and more money as opposed to starting high and reducing it later.
"It's a really hard message to hear and listen to, but I just know they can make more money if they do it properly from the beginning," Barnard said.
Are there buyers? Yes, but they're holding out.
"A lot of times they're just waiting for the price to be reduced until it comes down to market value," Barnard said. "I'm definitely seeing that trend. The days on market has definitely increased and that's the reason why."
The median days on market increased in July from 21 days to 27, compared to the same time last year.
Last month, 136 properties were sold, representing a 6.8 per cent decrease compared to July 2025. It's also down compared to June, when 170 properties changed hands.
Barnard said the political climate with the U.S., the threat of increased tariffs, and hot weather conditions may have played a factor in July's sales.
She suspects the month-to-month fluctuations will continue.
"I think August, we're probably going to see a slight decrease just because of the time of year. August is usually a little bit slower," she said. "I've got a little bit of hope we'll see a little bit of a rebound in September."
The average sale price last month was $539,120, down 3.2 per cent from July 2025, while the median sale price decreased 1.6 per cent to $459,950.
Barnard said the sales-to-new listings ratio of 40.8 per cent continues to indicate a balanced market, leaning slightly in favour of buyers.
There were 333 new listings in July and 680 active listings to end the month.
