Local Market Q & A

Thinking about buying or selling in Cochrane? If you're like most people, you've probably got a ton of questions about what's really happening in our local real estate market. As a Realtor here in town, I get asked all the time about property values, market trends, and when it's the right time to make a move. To help you out, I've put together a list of the questions I hear most often, complete with my professional insights.

  • Is it a buyer’s or seller’s market right now in Cochrane?

    Right now, it’s leaning more balanced to slightly buyer-friendly.

    We’ve seen a big increase in listings recently, with months of supply getting close to that buyer-market range.

    What that means:

    Buyers have more options and a bit more negotiating power

    Sellers can still sell - but need to be strategic

  • What does “months of supply” mean?

    This tells us how long it would take to sell all the current listings if no new homes came on the market. It’s one of the easiest ways to understand who has the advantage - buyers or sellers.

    0–2 months → Strong seller’s market

    2–4 months → More balanced, but still slightly seller-leaning

    4–6 months → Balanced market

    6+ months → Buyer’s market

  • Why are some homes selling fast and others sitting?

    This is one of the biggest things I’m seeing right now.

    It usually comes down to:

    Pricing, Condition, Competition, Location

    Well-priced, move-in ready homes are still selling quickly - sometimes within days. The same goes for homes in high-demand areas or in neighbourhoods where listings don’t come up often. All while others can sit 30+ days or more. Buyers are pickier right now - they have options.

  • What is “days on market” and why does it matter?

    “Days on market” (DOM) = how long a home takes to sell.

    In Cochrane right now, we’re seeing:

    Roughly 2–8 weeks on average, depending on the property

    Why it matters:

    The longer a home sits, the more buyers start to wonder “what’s wrong with it?” It can lead to price reductions and weaker negotiating positions.

  • Are prices going up or down right now?

    It’s a bit of a mixed bag - but overall, prices have been slightly softening in some segments.

    We’ve seen:

    Small month-to-month declines in all property types.

    Still relatively stable average prices overall (around the $600K range).

    Translation: Not a crash, but not the aggressive growth we saw before.

  • How much negotiation room is there currently?

    There’s definitely more room than there was a year or two ago.

    We’re seeing:

    Some homes selling below asking

    More conditions being accepted

    Less of the “multiple offers, no conditions” frenzy

    For example, recent data shows average negotiations sitting below list price in some cases. (The sale price to list price ratio is around 97-98%)

    The biggest factor:

    The longer a home has been on the market, the more leverage buyers typically have.