Jul 2026
Average Price
$755,197
According to Scarborough real estate trends, demand peaked during 2016-2017 and again in late 2020 to early 2022, when interest rates were at their lowest levels. Fast forward to today, interest rates have climbed, and buyer demand has eased. Inventory, meanwhile, has built up significantly, especially compared to the tight conditions seen during the pandemic. With rising inventory and easing competition, now is a great time for homebuyers to step into the market. Even if your down payment isn’t ready yet, there are smart strategies that can help you step into homeownership and make the most of these current favourable conditions.
Active listings climbed to 3,191 units in June 2017, marking the highest inventory level seen over the entire decade. At the same time, sales remained consistently strong, largely supported by historically low interest rates. The average number of houses for sale in Scarborough during this period mostly ranged between 400 and 1,000 units.
The market activity settled into a more stable range as tighter borrowing rules began to weigh on demand. Sales generally stayed within the 300-700 range, while active listings held steady between 2,000 and 2,900 units.
According to Scarborough housing market statistics, inventory fell to 1,500 and 2,900 units. Sales, meanwhile, picked up sharply compared to earlier years, frequently landing in the 300-900 range. In March 2021, 992 properties were sold, the highest monthly sales figure recorded over the decade.
In 2022, active listings mostly stayed between 1,500 and 2,700 units, while 2023 saw levels shift closer to the 1,000-2,000 range. Sales also eased compared to the previous phase, generally ranging from 200 to 600 units, but May 2022 saw transaction volumes climb to 749 units.
During this phase, monthly sales slipped further down to 180 and 490 units. Active listings, on the other hand, went from around 2,700 units in 2025 to roughly 1,700-1,900 in early 2026. According to the Scarborough housing market forecast 2026, this pattern is expected to hold, with fewer sales and comparatively tight inventory.
The absorption rate remained strong, mostly ranging between 50% and 90%. Homes sold at a steady pace, and sellers mostly maintained the upper hand in most transactions.
In the 2019 to early 2020 stretch, the housing market tightened further. The absorption rate stayed elevated, mostly between 55% and 95%.
Through the remainder of 2020, the market showed comparatively balanced conditions. However, from late 2020 into 2021, the market became highly competitive, and the absorption rate mostly ranged between 60% and 90%.
The absorption rate gradually eased into the 40% to 60% range. Early 2023 saw a brief uptick in activity, with the absorption rate trending closer to the 60%-70% range.
From mid-2023 onward, the absorption rate generally stayed between 30% and 60%, reflecting softer market conditions and a clear shift in favour of buyers.
Source: Based on analysis of historical information made available from respective real estate boards.
Detached homes recorded 27,285 sales and sit on the higher end when it comes to pricing, averaging around $1.09M.
There were 4,728 semi-detached home sales in the entire decade in Scarborough. At roughly $952.85K on average, this property type appeals to buyers looking for houses for sale at a slightly lower price compared to detached homes.
Freehold townhouses accounted for 2,747 sales, with the average sale price around $828.90K.
The second category in townhouses for sale, condo townhouses, recorded 6,279 sales, with average prices near $631.85K.
Condo apartments, averaging around $492.41K, remain the most widely chosen option by buyers, with 19,260 transactions.
Currently, rental prices in the Scarborough housing market are down 5.33% year-over-year. However, here’s what investors should specifically take note of: over the long run, the Scarborough rental market continues to show strong growth despite this short-term correction. To put things into perspective, rents have increased 9.35% over the past five years and 44.92% over the last decade. So, if you’ve been thinking about starting your investment journey in Scarborough, this could be the right time to act. With home prices on the lower side, this could be your chance to secure a high-ROI property and benefit from the rental market’s long-term upward trend.
According to rental market trends in Scarborough, average rents moved up from about $1,700 in 2016 to roughly $1,850-$2,000 in 2017. At the same time, leasing activity improved, generally staying between 180 and 270 units in 2016 and shifting closer to the 200-315 range in 2017.
Rents continued to rise at a steady pace, increasing from around $2,000 in 2017 to approximately $2,300 by 2019. Leasing activity remained steady, mostly between 190 and 330 units.
Early 2020 saw a noticeable drop in leasing activity, with the lowest point of the decade recorded at 140 leases in April 2020. However, activity gradually picked up again, returning to the 250-450 range through late 2020 and 2021. Rental price levels stayed fairly steady during this period, mostly between $2,100 and $2,400.
The Scarborough real estate trends show that monthly leasing mostly stayed between 260 and 500 units, showing consistent rental demand. Rental prices moved higher during this time, generally staying in the $2,400-$3,000 range, and reaching the highest point of the decade at $3,044 in September 2023.
During this phase, the highest leasing activity across the entire period was recorded, with monthly figures often ranging between 300 and 560 units. The strongest leasing month of the decade was July 2025, when activity reached 562 leases. At the same time, rent levels have remained relatively high, staying at similar levels seen in the previous phase. They mostly range between $2,400 and $2,900, indicating that while rental demand remains strong, rent levels are no longer increasing. As of March 2026, rental property prices in Scarborough are at $2,473.
According to real estate market trends in Scarborough, there was a sharp surge in housing demand during the pandemic, which pushed what was once an affordable market into a slightly higher price bracket. During this phase, home prices in Scarborough crossed the $1M mark in several months, clearly reflecting strong buyer activity. However, once the pandemic phase passed, the broader Ontario housing market moved into a period of correction and rebalancing, and Scarborough followed the same path. This shift has helped improve affordability in the Scarborough real estate market, especially for homebuyers who had earlier been priced out.
If you fall into this group, now could be the right time to get started on your home-buying journey, whether you’re considering pre-construction or resale homes. Currently, Scarborough home prices are down 10.10% year-over-year, while on a year-to-date basis, they have inched up by 2.32%. Another positive for buyers is that homes are taking longer to sell than before, which means more negotiating room, more options to choose from, and the ability to make decisions without feeling rushed.
Historically low interest rates, along with a strong economy, fueled housing demand and pushed prices higher during this phase. Starting around $680K, prices rose steadily and reached nearly $830K by March 2017. Buyer demand clearly outpaced supply, creating competitive conditions and driving sale prices higher month after month.
With the rollout of the mortgage stress test and tighter lending rules, the housing market shifted gears into a cooling phase. Prices eased from the March 2017 peak and stayed mostly within the $600K to $800K range, with a few brief spikes above this level.
Starting near $650K, the average sale prices crossed the $700K mark in several months and even reached $927K in February 2020. However, as pandemic uncertainty set in, the average house price in Scarborough dropped to around $710K before picking up momentum once again.
After a short dip in early 2020, prices surged sharply, largely driven by low interest rates and strong housing demand. Property prices continued rising, crossed $1M, and eventually reached a peak of $1.26M in April 2022.
After the peak, the market entered a cooling phase. Prices went lower and largely stayed between $750K and $1M, with some temporary spikes that didn’t hold. As of March 2026, Scarborough property prices stand at $745.24K.