The Short Answer
Listing in December means far less competition and a slower sale. Across the Greater Toronto Area, December new listings totalled 5,299 against 21,819 in May, a spring-to-winter ratio of roughly 4.12 to 1. Winter homes also take longer to sell: days on market run about 41 to 45 in winter versus 27 to 31 in spring, roughly 50% longer. January 2026 recorded the lowest sales in the series at 3,082. The decision is not about which season is better. It is about whether a seller's situation favours fewer competing listings and more motivated buyers, or more buyer traffic and a faster sale.
Want this applied to your own property? Call the Kaizen Real Estate Team at (647) 370-8885.
The Two Numbers That Frame the Decision
Sellers usually ask this question expecting an opinion. It is better answered with the data, because the data points in two directions at once.
Measure | Winter | Spring |
|---|---|---|
New listings, GTA monthly | 5,299 in December | 21,819 in May |
Ratio of listings | Roughly 4.12 times more listings in May than December | |
Typical days on market | 41 to 45 | 27 to 31 |
Relative selling time | Winter runs approximately 50% longer | |
Lowest sales month on record in the series | January 2026, at 3,082 sales | |
Those two rows are the whole argument. A December seller has roughly a quarter of the competition and should expect to wait about half again as long.
Michael John Lau, a REALTOR® serving home buyers and home sellers in Markham, Ontario, thinks the mistake sellers make is treating this as a question about the market. It is a question about their own timeline.
Questions About Your Situation?
Every Markham property and every timeline is different. Call the Kaizen Real Estate Team at (647) 370-8885 and speak to a REALTOR® who works this market daily.
The Case for Listing Before the Holidays
Less competition than at any other point in the year
A Markham home listed in December is one of a much smaller group. In May, that same home is one of many similar properties on the market in the same price band and often in the same neighbourhood. Fewer comparable listings means a buyer has fewer alternatives to weigh against it.
The buyers who are out are serious
Nobody tours homes in a Markham December for entertainment. Winter buyers are typically moving because of a job start, a closing date they have already committed to, a family change, or a lease ending. Showing counts drop. Showing quality does not.
Relocation timing
Corporate relocations frequently land on January and February start dates, which puts those buyers in the market in December looking for something they can close on quickly.
A January listing walks into a crowd
Sellers who wait for the new year often arrive at the same time as everyone else who waited. The advantage of being early is real, and it disappears the moment the group moves.
The Case for Waiting Until After the Holidays
More buyers, plainly
Spring produces the largest buyer pool of the year. For a home that benefits from volume, such as a property with a narrow appeal or an unusual layout that needs the right person to find it, more traffic genuinely helps.
Homes show better
Gardens, curb appeal, natural light and photography all favour spring. For a Markham home where the yard, the landscaping or the outdoor space is a major part of the value, that is not a small consideration.
Faster sales
At 27 to 31 days against 41 to 45, spring sellers wait meaningfully less time. For a seller who has already bought, carrying two properties for an extra two weeks is a real cost.
Preparation time
A seller who uses December and January to declutter, paint, complete repairs and stage properly arrives in February or March with a stronger product. A rushed December listing is usually worse than a prepared March one.
Neeraj Moolchandani on the Practical Question Sellers Skip
Neeraj Moolchandani, REALTOR® at Kaizen Real Estate, starts this conversation somewhere unexpected. Before discussing listing counts or days on market, he asks whether the household can realistically keep the home show ready through a holiday season.
A December advantage on paper is worth nothing to a family that cannot sustain it. Neeraj would rather a seller prepare through December and launch properly in late January than list into the quietest weeks of the year and spend them apologising for the state of the house.
How Michael Actually Advises Sellers on This
The recommendation depends on the seller's circumstances, not on the calendar.
Listing before the holidays tends to suit sellers who
- Have a fixed timeline, such as a closing they have already committed to on a purchase
- Own a home that shows well indoors and does not depend on the yard
- Are willing to accept a longer time on market in exchange for less competition
- Can keep the home presentable through a holiday season, which is the practical part people underestimate
Waiting until after the holidays tends to suit sellers who
- Have flexibility and no committed purchase
- Own a home where the outdoor space, landscaping or curb appeal carries real weight
- Need the time to complete preparation work properly
- Would find showings during the holidays genuinely disruptive to their family
Michael John Lau's recommendation is usually to decide based on the second list first. A seller who cannot realistically keep a home show-ready through December should not list in December, regardless of how attractive the competition numbers look.
Choosing a Listing Date?
The right month depends on your timeline, your home and your household. The Kaizen Real Estate Team will build the plan around all three.
The Middle Option Most Sellers Do Not Consider
There is a third path: prepare in December, launch in the second half of January.
January 2026 was the lowest sales month in the series at 3,082, which sounds like an argument against it. But sales and listings both bottom out at the same time, and a well-prepared home hitting the market in mid to late January arrives before the spring wave of listings while the worst of the holiday quiet has passed.
For many Markham sellers, that is the practical compromise: use the holidays to get the home ready rather than to sell it.
What Does Not Change With the Season
Pricing does the heavy lifting in every month of the year. A home priced correctly in December sells. A home priced optimistically in May sits, and then sells for less than it would have if it had been priced properly at the start.
Season affects the size of the audience. It does not rescue a price the market does not support.