Just as home prices have shown a relatively stable pattern in the housing market in Burlington, sales and inventory have also stayed fairly consistent. New listings have rarely outpaced sales by a wide margin in this market – the balance between supply and demand has generally remained healthy throughout this period.
Sales activity climbed from 400-460 units in 2016 to 580-620 in spring 2017 as low interest rates and steady population growth continued supporting demand. Meanwhile, available listings remained relatively limited at 2,460 to 3,120 units in the Burlington housing market, creating competitive conditions as homes were absorbed quickly.
Following Ontario’s Fair Housing Plan and the federal mortgage stress test, buying activity settled into a more balanced pace. According to Burlington Ontario housing market trends, sales generally ranged between 160 and 545 homes each month. At the same time, the number of available listings gradually increased, typically remaining between 2,500 and 3,800 units.
After the brief slowdown in early 2020, record-low interest rates, remote work, and changing housing preferences fuelled one of the busiest periods of the decade. Sales reached 915 homes in March 2021 and remained above 500 for much of 2021. As demand strengthened, the supply of available homes tightened, reaching just 2,344 listings by December 2021.
Sales activity generally ranged between 210 and 650 homes across the real estate market in Burlington. Meanwhile, the supply of homes available increased from approximately 3,023 units in December 2022 to 4,127 by October 2023.
As interest rates gradually began to ease, buyer activity showed slight improvement, especially during the spring months. Monthly home sales remained between 190 and 490 units – still below the exceptionally busy years of 2020 and 2021. On the other hand, according to recent market trends in Burlington, inventory stayed elevated between 3,152 and 4,716 listings, giving buyers more choice and greater negotiating power. Sellers, meanwhile, had to price their properties competitively, present them well, and market them effectively as more homes were competing for attention.
Market trends in Burlington show that absorption rates consistently remained above 60%, with many months climbing beyond 80% and several even reaching the 90% range.
Market activity eased from the exceptionally busy conditions seen earlier, although sellers continued to hold the advantage for much of this period. Absorption rates generally ranged between 52% and 79% in the Burlington real estate market. However, in several months, the rates rose above 80% and reached a peak of 94.57% in November 2019.
Following a brief interruption during the early months of the pandemic, market activity recovered quickly. From mid-2020 onward, absorption rates remained mostly above 75% for much of this period, with a few months exceeding the 90% range.
Market conditions became more balanced during this period, with absorption rates generally ranging between 50% and 75% in most months. There were also periods when activity slipped below 40% before gradually strengthening again.
Absorption rates generally remained between 35% and 65%. According to Burlington housing market trends, the absorption rate stands at 53.31% as of July 2026. In such a balanced market, buyers gained greater negotiating power, allowing them to secure better prices and favourable conditions. They also had the flexibility to consider key details such as the home’s layout, neighbourhood, and even the direction it faces before making an offer.
Source: Based on analysis of historical information made available from respective real estate boards.
Houses remained the most popular category in the Burlington housing market, recording a combined 27,140 sales between 2016 and 2026. Sales of detached homes reached 24,933 while the average selling price came in at $1.24M. Semi-detached houses followed with 2,207 sales, with an average price of $829.8K.
A total of 11,925 townhouses were sold across the real estate market in Burlington during the period. Out of freehold and condo townhouses, the condo segment led with 6,925 sales at an average price of $695.17K, while freeholds followed with 5,000 sales at an average of $791.19K.
According to Burlington real estate trends, condo apartments recorded 9,499 sales with an average selling price of $575.21K.
Burlington has earned its reputation as one of the top Ontario cities that every real estate investor should keep on their radar. While this housing market is not as large as Toronto or Mississauga, it continues to command premium home prices because of its waterfront location, strong economy, excellent schools, and high quality of life. From 2016 to 2026, Burlington has recorded an impressive 58.42% growth in home prices. Over the past decade, the Burlington housing market has experienced the same shifts as the broader market – steady growth, market cooldown, pandemic-driven surge, correction, recovery, and stabilization. However, the Burlington market has experienced relatively fewer price swings than many neighbouring markets. According to Burlington housing market trends 2026, as of July, home prices in Burlington are down 9.37% year-to-date and 1.46% year-over-year.
Low interest rates, steady population growth, and rising investor activity drove exceptionally strong housing demand in the Burlington real estate market. As competition heated up, average home prices jumped from around $550K to $740K within just a few months. Average days on market ranged from 10 to 25 days.
By early 2017, affordability became an increasing concern across Ontario as home prices continued rising much faster than incomes. In response, the Ontario government introduced the Fair Housing Plan in April 2017 to curb speculative activity and improve market stability. This was followed by the federal mortgage stress test in 2018 and several interest rate increases, all of which raised the barriers to homeownership for many buyers. As these measures took effect, the intense buyer demand seen earlier gradually eased, and home prices settled between $580K and $700K. Properties typically remained on the market for 18 to 38 days.
Record-low interest rates, remote work, changing lifestyle preferences and higher household savings encouraged many buyers to enter the market sooner than planned. This wave of demand pushed house prices in Burlington from about $684K in May 2020 to nearly $1.30M by March 2022 – the fastest appreciation of the entire period. Average days on market tightened to just 6 to 20 days.
Higher interest rates quickly slowed housing demand, and average home prices dropped from about $1.30M in March 2022 to generally $875K to $1M by year-end. Homes spent an average of 11 to 44 days on the market.
Average home prices remained between $830K and $1.0M across the real estate market in Burlington, although they still remained below the pandemic peak. On average, homes remained on the market for 15 to 50 days.
According to Burlington real estate trends, rental prices are currently down 12.39% year-over-year and 8.19% year-to-date. But although rents have currently moderated, the Burlington rental market continues to show strong long-term price growth. Over the past ten years, rental prices in Burlington have increased by 47.44%, highlighting resilience.
Rental prices increased steadily, rising from approximately $1,835-$2,010 in 2016 to around $2,300-$2,420 by 2019. Leasing activity also remained fairly consistent, with most months recording between 50 and 100 units.
The first few months of the pandemic briefly slowed leasing activity, with just 44 properties leased in April 2020. However, activity recovered quickly, and monthly leases regularly exceeded 100 transactions throughout 2021. At the same time, rental prices increased from approximately $2,320-$2,690 during 2020 to around $2,510-$2,840 in 2021.
This period was one of the busiest for the Burlington rental market. Monthly leasing activity generally ranged between 95 and 216 properties, while average rents increased from approximately $2,740 in early 2022 to more than $3,000 during several months of 2023.
Rental prices remained relatively stable, generally ranging between $2,800 and $3,240. Leasing activity also stayed consistent, with monthly leased properties typically ranging from 105 to 230 units.
Leasing activity increased noticeably, rising from 155 properties in February to above 300 units in May and June. Meanwhile, average rental prices eased from $3,079 in May to $2,773 in July.