Verified real estate experts in Ottawa

The Ottawa real estate market — Aug 2026

Ottawa offers a steadier, more affordable counterpoint to Toronto.

In August 2026, the MLS® benchmark price in Ottawa stood at $637,700, up 1% year over year. The average price, all property types combined, was $688,253. By property type: single-family $698,400 (−2.3%), townhouse $554,700 (−3.2%), and apartment $384,700 (−4.4%). There were 1,002 sales during the month, 18.6% fewer than a year earlier. With 4.5 months of inventory, the market is balanced by the standard board convention (under 4 months: sellers; 4 to 6: balanced; over 6: buyers). Homes in Ottawa took an average of 29 days to sell. Source: OREB, August 2026.

Ottawa's government-anchored economy gives it an unusual steadiness: demand rarely spikes or collapses the way it can in more speculative markets. That stability rewards a deliberate approach — buyers have time to inspect properly and compare, while sellers benefit from a dependable, year-round pool of qualified purchasers. The catch is variety: a Glebe century home, a Kanata new-build and an Orléans family house each demand different pricing and inspection expertise.

A steady market still rewards good guidance. Payotte lists one verified professional per sector across Ottawa's 6 covered districts, ranked on Google reviews, experience and an active licence (RECO, FSRA, the Law Society of Ontario, the Appraisal Institute of Canada). One reference per neighbourhood, free, ad-free and commission-free.

How Payotte selects

For every sector, Payotte publishes a single professional per profession — the highest-scoring on its 100-point grid (Google reviews 35, experience 30, active provincial licence 15, local presence 15, bonus 5). No paid placement, no ads, no commissions.