Hey Jason: Should I List Now or Wait Until Fall?
Published June 2026 · By Jason Todd, Calgary REALTOR® · Southeast Calgary (McKenzie Towne, Cranston, Mahogany, McKenzie Lake)
If you're thinking about listing this summer and wondering whether to wait until September, I pulled 2025 MLS sold data for detached homes under $800,000 in McKenzie Towne, Cranston, Mahogany, and McKenzie Lake — grouped by list month, not just when deals closed.
July and August combined: 90 sales, 23-day median days on market, −2.20% median sold price versus original list, 13% at or above original list.
September and October combined: 97 sales, 22-day median DOM, −2.67% median versus original list, 9% at or above original list.
Fall wasn't faster. It wasn't better on price either. The slow month was July — not "summer."
I Get This Question Every June
Fair question.
You missed the spring rush. Or life got in the way. Or you're finally ready and it's already June.
Someone on the internet tells you to wait until fall. Someone else says list now before rates move.
Most of that advice isn't tied to what actually happened when sellers listed in July, August, September, and October in the communities I work in.
I'm not going to tell you there's one perfect week to hit the market. What I can show you is how detached homes under $800k actually performed when they went live in each month — using original list price, sold price, and days on market.
If you haven't read What Is My Home Worth? yet, start there. This piece is about when to list once you know roughly what you're working with.
Month by Month in 2025
Each row is a detached sale with original list under $800,000, listed in that calendar month in McKenzie Towne, Cranston, Mahogany, or McKenzie Lake.
| List month | Sales | Median DOM | Sold vs original | At/above original |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 2025 | 48 | 33 | −2.81% | 5 (10%) |
| August 2025 | 42 | 20 | −1.69% | 7 (17%) |
| September 2025 | 50 | 24 | −3.17% | 5 (10%) |
| October 2025 | 47 | 20 | −2.40% | 4 (8%) |
Source: MLS® sold data, Pillar 9 / CREB®. Detached only; original list under $800,000; list month = Listing Contract Date. McKenzie Towne, Cranston, Mahogany, McKenzie Lake. Figures believed accurate at time of writing; not intended as an appraisal.
A few things jump out.
July was the outlier — 33-day median DOM and only 10% at or above original list.
August already looked like fall: 20-day median DOM and 17% at or above list — better than September or October on price.
Sellers who listed in July and August had MLS price reductions on 28% of sales. September and October: 19%. More summer listings needed a public cut — but that didn't mean waiting until fall fixed the outcome.
Summer vs Fall — Side by Side
| Period listed | Sales | Median DOM | Median vs original | At/above original |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul + Aug 2025 | 90 | 23 | −2.20% | 12 (13%) |
| Sep + Oct 2025 | 97 | 22 | −2.67% | 9 (9%) |
There was no magic fall window in 2025. Median DOM was basically the same. Sellers who waited from August to September didn't get a meaningfully better sold price — and August alone actually outperformed fall on median sale-to-original-list.
What It Looked Like by Community
The aggregate story is useful. Your street is more useful.
| Community | Jul + Aug 2025 | Sep + Oct 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| McKenzie Towne | 26 sales · med DOM 28 · −2.66% vs orig | 31 sales · med DOM 22 · −2.67% vs orig |
| Mahogany | 32 sales · med DOM 26 · −2.38% vs orig | 19 sales · med DOM 27 · −3.52% vs orig |
| McKenzie Lake | 11 sales · med DOM 15 · −1.60% vs orig | 13 sales · med DOM 18 · −2.31% vs orig |
| Cranston | 21 sales · med DOM 23 · −3.50% vs orig | 34 sales · med DOM 24 · −2.53% vs orig |
No community shows a clean "wait until fall and win" pattern.
Cranston in July alone was the grind — 39-day median DOM and −4.88% median versus original list on 9 sales. August and October both looked more normal.
Mahogany fall sellers actually did a bit worse on price than summer sellers — same speed, softer sale-to-original-list.
McKenzie Lake has smaller samples — treat those rows as directional, not gospel.
What About 2026?
This June, sellers ask the same question — and the market is not the same as last year.
May 2026 in these same four communities: 40 sales, 12-day median DOM, 38% at or above original list.
Calendar shifts year to year. What 2025 shows is narrower: fall wasn't the rescue. July was the slow month. August through October were about the same. Selling in summer was OK — it just took longer if you launched in July, not because "summer" was broken.
Price and prep still matter more than picking a magic month. See Do I Need to Drop My Price, or Did I Just Price Wrong on Day One? for what happens when a listing sits past 30 days in 2026.
Jason's Take
When someone asks me whether to wait until fall, they're usually really asking:
"Will the market be kinder if I hold off three months?"
In 2025, in these four communities, the answer was no.
If you're ready, priced to recent solds, and the home shows well — listing in August wasn't a mistake sellers needed to undo in September.
If you're not ready, or you're still guessing at price, waiting doesn't fix that. It just moves the same problem to a different month.
I'd rather see you launch in August with the right number than sit out summer hoping October saves you.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is fall a good time to sell a house in southeast Calgary?
Fall can work — but in 2025 it wasn't better than summer in McKenzie Towne, Cranston, Mahogany, or McKenzie Lake. Sep+Oct had a 22-day median DOM versus 23 days for Jul+Aug, and sellers did slightly worse versus original list (−2.67% median vs −2.20%).
Should I wait until September to list my Calgary home?
Not if you're ready and priced correctly. August 2025 already matched fall on speed (20-day median DOM) and beat fall on sale-to-original-list. Waiting from August to September didn't improve outcomes in last year's data.
Was summer 2025 a bad time to sell in Calgary?
July was the slow month — 33-day median DOM and only 10% at or above original list across these four communities. August looked normal again. Summer wasn't uniformly soft; July was.
Does listing in July hurt my sale price?
July 2025 listings in this slice had the longest median DOM and the weakest sale-to-original-list. Cranston July alone averaged 39 days on market. If you can avoid a July launch without losing readiness, the 2025 data supports that. August outcomes were already in line with fall.
How do I know if I should list now or wait?
Pull recent MLS solds in your community — original list, sold price, days on market. If you know your number and the home is show-ready, calendar matters less than price and presentation. If you're still guessing, read What Is My Home Worth? before you pick a month.
More in the Hey Jason Series
Read What Is My Home Worth? · Do I Need to Drop My Price? · Why Did My Neighbour Sell for More? · Hey Jason hub
Selling in Southeast Calgary?
If you're selling in McKenzie Towne, Cranston, Mahogany, or McKenzie Lake and want to talk through list timing against recent solds, send me the address.
No hard sell.
I'll show you what the market has actually been doing.
Jason Todd | Calgary REALTOR® | (403) 255-5555 | jasontodd.ca
