The Habistat reported 764 detached sales across the five regions in October, with a total dollar volume of $611.2 million. That is 3.9 per cent fewer sales and 9.8 per cent less volume than September's 795 sales and $677.5 million.
In October, median days on market were higher for waterfront than for non-waterfront detached sales in four of the five regions: Muskoka (63 days against 23), Parry Sound (52 against 26), Simcoe County (46 against 29) and Haliburton (52 against 40). Kawartha Lakes was the exception, at 23 days against 42, on 22 waterfront sales. That is one month's reading: the August report showed the gap in all five regions and September's in two.
The full breakdown
Detached homes, sales 1–31 October 2026. Source: The Habistat. Active listings as at the pull date, 3 November 2026.
| Region | Segment | Active | Sales | Median sold | Median SP/LP | Median DOM | Total volume |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Simcoe County | Waterfront | 272 | 24 | $997,500 | 95% | 46 | $29,561,000 |
| Simcoe County | Non-Waterfront | 2,650 | 432 | $717,500 | 96% | 29 | $332,537,137 |
| Muskoka | Waterfront | 287 | 46 | $1,200,000 | 92% | 63 | $78,675,792 |
| Muskoka | Non-Waterfront | 322 | 57 | $570,000 | 97% | 23 | $35,568,200 |
| Parry Sound | Waterfront | 216 | 30 | $645,000 | 96% | 52 | $31,822,500 |
| Parry Sound | Non-Waterfront | 198 | 41 | $395,000 | 97% | 26 | $18,535,700 |
| Kawartha Lakes | Waterfront | 142 | 22 | $738,500 | 95% | 23 | $18,286,400 |
| Kawartha Lakes | Non-Waterfront | 369 | 61 | $550,000 | 97% | 42 | $34,722,318 |
| Haliburton | Waterfront | 134 | 32 | $635,000 | 95% | 52 | $22,765,500 |
| Haliburton | Non-Waterfront | 96 | 19 | $450,000 | 97% | 40 | $8,691,400 |
SP/LP = sale price divided by list price. DOM = days on market. Median sold, SP/LP and DOM are medians for October sales. Source: The Habistat, Market Insights, detached homes, sales 1–31 October 2026.
What changed since September
Here is the median days-on-market column, waterfront against non-waterfront, for both months.
| Region | Waterfront, Sept → Oct | Non-waterfront, Sept → Oct | Gap (waterfront minus non-waterfront), Sept → Oct |
|---|---|---|---|
| Simcoe County | 49 → 46 | 32 → 29 | +17 → +17 days |
| Muskoka | 41 → 63 | 27 → 23 | +14 → +40 days |
| Parry Sound | 46 → 52 | 65 → 26 | −19 → +26 days |
| Kawartha Lakes | 37 → 23 | 39 → 42 | −2 → −19 days |
| Haliburton | 37 → 52 | 57 → 40 | −20 → +12 days |
A positive gap means the waterfront median was higher. Muskoka's gap widened to 40 days, the widest on the table. In Parry Sound and Haliburton, where September's gap had reversed, waterfront was higher again. Kawartha Lakes was the exception. Muskoka non-waterfront and Kawartha Lakes waterfront both recorded the lowest median days on market among the ten segments, at 23 days.
I would not read a cause into any of that. Four of the five waterfront segments are built on 22 to 32 sales, and the Parry Sound and Haliburton non-waterfront figures describe 41 and 19 sales; they should not be treated as estimates for individual properties.
Prices were the other movement. Median sold price for non-waterfront was lower than in September in all five regions, by between 3 and 8 per cent: Simcoe County $739,900 to $717,500, Muskoka $595,000 to $570,000, Parry Sound $427,500 to $395,000, Kawartha Lakes $572,750 to $550,000 and Haliburton $475,000 to $450,000. Waterfront medians were mixed, down in four regions and up in Muskoka ($1,100,000 to $1,200,000). With 22 to 46 waterfront sales per region, differences in the mix of properties sold can affect the monthly median. Different properties sold in each month, so these changes, waterfront and non-waterfront alike, do not measure how much an individual home's value rose or fell.
Median sale-to-list ratios ranged from 92 to 96 per cent across the waterfront segments and from 96 to 97 per cent across the non-waterfront segments. Waterfront was below non-waterfront in all five regions in October, and Muskoka waterfront was again the lowest segment on the table, at 92 per cent (93 per cent in September).
A word on what these columns are and are not. The comparison is waterfront against non-waterfront, which is how the data is filtered, not town against country. A non-waterfront sale in this table might be in the middle of Bracebridge or on forty acres outside it.
Parry Sound waterfront: average and median tell different stories
Across 30 Parry Sound waterfront sales, the average price was $1,060,750 and the median was $645,000. The average was about 64 per cent above the median. The median is the midpoint of the ordered sale prices; with an even number of sales, it is the average of the two middle prices. The average reflects the prices of all sales and is more sensitive to higher-priced ones. Neither is a valuation of an individual property.
Muskoka waterfront shows a similar effect at about 43 per cent (average $1,710,343 against a median of $1,200,000), and Simcoe County waterfront at about 24 per cent. Elsewhere the gap was narrower: 12 to 13 per cent for Haliburton and Kawartha Lakes waterfront and under 15 per cent for every non-waterfront segment.
Region by region
Simcoe County non-waterfront accounted for 432 sales, 57 per cent of the five-region total, and $332.5 million, 54 per cent of the $611.2 million. Its median sale-to-list was 96 per cent and its median days on market 29 (32 in September). Simcoe County waterfront posted a $997,500 median on 24 sales, down from $1,302,500 on 30 in September, with a median of 46 days.
Muskoka recorded the most waterfront detached sales among the five regions: 46, for $78.7 million, at a $1,200,000 median (up from $1,100,000), 92 per cent and 63 days (41 in September). Non-waterfront Muskoka had a 23-day median on 57 sales and a $570,000 median.
Parry Sound waterfront turned over 30 sales and $31.8 million at a $645,000 median, 52 days and 96 per cent. Non-waterfront was the slowest segment in September at 65 days; in October it was 26 days on 41 sales and a $395,000 median, the lowest median sold price on the table.
Kawartha Lakes non-waterfront carried the second-highest sale count on the table, 61 sales, at 97 per cent and 42 days. Waterfront sold at a $738,500 median on 22 sales, with median days on market down from 37 to 23.
Haliburton had the fewest reported October sales of the five regions, 51 in all. Waterfront was 52 days on 32 sales at a $635,000 median, and non-waterfront 40 days on 19 sales at $450,000.
If you are selling this winter
Read both halves of the table. Recent sold prices show what buyers have paid. Current listings show the properties offered for sale and their asking prices, and an asking price is not a sale price. A regional median cannot establish your property's value or predict its time on market. If you would like a written opinion on a specific property, you can request a Home Value Opinion.
If you are buying
For a buyer, one comparison stands out. Active listings fell between the 6 October and 3 November snapshots in all ten segments, and the drop was steepest on the water: Simcoe County 347 to 272, Muskoka 427 to 287, Parry Sound 313 to 216, Kawartha Lakes 186 to 142 and Haliburton 212 to 134. That is 1,485 active waterfront listings down to 1,051, about 29 per cent fewer. Non-waterfront active listings fell about 10 per cent over the same period. These counts compare active listings on two pull dates. They show fewer listed properties in each region at the latest snapshot; they do not establish why the counts fell or predict what comes next.
Bill's Insider Take
Treat this report as a place to start, not a verdict on your property. If you are selling on the water, the useful comparison is sales that match your shoreline, access, size and price range, because a regional median covers many different properties. If you are buying, ask the same of any listing you are considering: what comparable properties sold for and how long they took, rather than leaning on the regional median or an asking price. Use these regional figures as context, then build your plan around comparable properties and current conditions in your specific market. I am glad to walk through your property or price range with you.
Bill Jackson, Sales Representative | Lake Country Real Estate Team | eXp Realty, Brokerage | Serving Simcoe County, Muskoka, Parry Sound, Kawartha Lakes & Haliburton
