Sales activity in Sarnia-Lambton's real estate market continues to lag behind last year's pace, but there's hope things will change next year. Last month, 121 properties sold, representing a 7.6 per cent decrease compared to October 2025.
As such, the dollar volume dropped 7.3 per cent from last October to $59.4 million.
So far this year, 1,255 homes have sold in Sarnia-Lambton, representing an 8.8 per cent decrease compared to the same period last year. According to a recent Desjardins report, home sales in Ontario are expected to improve in 2027, forecasting a modest increase of five per cent.
Sarnia Lambton Association of Realtors President April Barnard agreed with the prediction.
"I don't think it's going to be a boom. I don't think we're going to see numbers explode, but I do think we'll see slight increases over this year," she said.
Barnard also noted increases may not be seen right away. "April or May, I think we're going to start seeing slight numbers over this year. I've been predicting that for a while, and I think there are a few things that may factor into that," she said. "I was really counting on the primaries in the United States to go the way they did. I think that's going to help consumer confidence. I think we need to wait and see what the democrats are going to say about the tariffs and how that may affect our local area."
Barnard also said with the municipal election in Ontario now wrapped up, people may feel a little more settled.
According to the Desjardins report, housing starts are also predicted to increase by about six per cent in 2027, but will remain 30 per cent below 2021 and 2022 levels.
Meanwhile, prospective buyers in Sarnia-Lambton have a lot to choose from.
While the number of new listings in October decreased 1.7 per cent to 294, the number of active listings increased 13.1 per cent from last year to 715.
The median days on market was 25 days, up from 28 in October 2025.
In terms of cost, October's monthly prices remained relatively stable, but Barnard said the year-to-date figures show a modest decline for the average home.
Last month's median sale price of $455,000 was unchanged from October 2025, and the average sale price was similar to last year at $491,038.
"I feel that the mix of properties selling has influenced the average prices," said Barnard. "In October there were over seven properties that sold over $1 million, and I think that's skewing the average price."
Barnard said the current environment is favourable for buyers, also taking into account the Bank of Canada's recent rate increase to 2.50 per cent.
