I was going back and forth by email this weekend with a buyer relocating to Ottawa, and they asked me a simple question:
“What area are these two homes actually in?”
One was in Fallingbrook, in Orléans. The other was in Richmond.
Both showed up in an Ottawa-area search, but they would mean very different commutes—and very different monthly expenses beyond the mortgage payment.
That may sound obvious, but location is becoming a bigger part of the decision again, even for people who already live here.
Most federal employees who are eligible for hybrid work are now expected in the office four days a week. Executives are in five. A lot of other employers are also asking people to be back more often.
So before I worry about the kitchen, I check the address.
The commute matters again
Open the map and test the trip at the time you would actually make it—not on Sunday at two in the afternoon.
If you drive, check both the morning and the trip home. If you use transit, check the current route, the closest bus stop and whether a park-and-ride actually makes sense.
A lower price farther out may buy you more space, but it can also mean more gas, parking, time and unpredictability every month.
I’m seeing buyers put more weight on that again.
Well-priced detached homes with a practical trip downtown—often in the $750,000 to $850,000 range—can get some of the strongest attention.
Even in the softer townhouse market, quick highway access, a nearby bus stop or an easy park-and-ride connection is becoming a selling feature again.
I also check what the photos will not show: nearby development, school catchments and, around Ottawa’s villages and rural edges, whether the home is on municipal services, a well or septic.
Two homes can both have an Ottawa address and still create very different day-to-day lives.
Ottawa isn’t one market right now
My honest read is that detached homes are moving into the stronger part of the market, while townhouses and apartment condos remain softer.
But that does not mean every detached home is flying or every townhouse is struggling. Location and home type are pulling in different directions.
For homes in Carleton Place, Richmond, Limoges, Embrun or Kemptville, a four-day downtown commute can shrink the buyer pool.
If you own a townhouse and want to move into a detached home closer to Ottawa, the price gap may be widening against you.
If you are selling a detached home and downsizing into a townhouse or condo, you may be in a more favourable position.
And then there are bungalows. They are still their own market.
Since May, I have personally been involved in multiple-offer situations for bungalows in Carleton Place, Richmond, Barrhaven and Stittsville.
For many boomers and downsizers, one-level living is not a preference—it is a requirement. Good bungalows are limited, so general market softness does not automatically make a desirable bungalow inexpensive.
A real seller example
Here is a real example, without identifying the seller.
I’m currently preparing a 30-, 60- and 90-day plan for a suburban townhouse owner. The Ottawa-wide numbers show exactly why the plan matters.
Here is what changed from March to August:
Active listings: 947 in March → 1,262 in August (+33.3%)
Months of inventory: 2.8 in March → 4.1 in August (+46.4%)
Average sale price: $562,513 in March → $529,123 in August (−$33,390 / −5.9%)
Benchmark price: $554,700 in March → $547,300 in August (−$7,400 / −1.3%)
That is a very different market than March. Buyers have more choice and less urgency.
The average sale price moved more than the benchmark, so I would not tell every townhouse owner that their home automatically lost 5.9%.
I would tell them there is more competition and that we need to price for the market that exists today.
New construction, builder incentives and enhanced HST rebates on eligible new homes are adding more options in this price range. They are not the only reasons the market changed, but they are part of the competition.
Why I like a 30-, 60- and 90-day plan
The point is not to automatically cut the price. It is to decide what we will do before the closing date starts making the decisions for us.
At 30 days, we launch at a price supported by the homes buyers can choose from right now.
At 60 days, we look honestly at the showings, feedback and competing sales.
Showings measure the price. Offers measure the market.
If the market is telling us something, we respond deliberately instead of simply hoping.
At 90 days—or as the closing gets closer—we compare what a price adjustment is likely to accomplish with the cost and availability of temporary financing and carrying two homes.
If you have already bought firm, we also need to know early whether bridge financing is even available. It usually requires a firm sale on your existing home.
Neither financing nor a price reduction is automatically the right answer. It depends on your closing date, your qualification, the cost of carrying both homes and what the current competition is telling us.
It’s your home, your money and ultimately your decision. My job is to make sure you can see the trade-offs early, not after you are under pressure.
If you are considering a move, tell me the neighbourhood you live in, the area you are considering and the type of home you want next. If you know your preferred timing, include that too.
I can help you compare the likely sale price, purchase price, commute and carrying costs, then outline the practical next steps. You do not need to be ready to list or make an offer—we can start with a conversation about whether the move makes sense in today’s market.
No pressure.
Chris Nash
Sales Representative · Royal LePage Team Realty
chris@ottrealty.ca · 613.869.6274
