Cochrane Real Estate Market Update: The Market Just Split
If you've been watching the Cochrane real estate market this fall, you've probably heard two very different stories. A friend tells you homes are sitting for months. Then someone at the soccer field says prices are holding just fine and their neighbour sold in three weeks.
Honestly, they're both right. Cochrane isn't one market right now. It's three markets running side by side, and this fall could feel completely different for you than it does for the people next door. Here's what September's numbers show, and which of those three markets your home is in.
Watch the full video: https://youtu.be/ZAnJoYwmAIQ
The Cochrane housing market in September 2026
These numbers are a snapshot from when I recorded the video, and the market is always changing.
68 homes sold in Cochrane in September, about 10% more than last September. People are still moving here and still buying. They just have more choice than they've had in years.
September 2024: 58 homes sold, in about 4 weeks
September 2025: 62 homes sold, in about 8 weeks
September 2026: 68 homes sold, in about 8 weeks
The big slowdown actually happened last year. Since then the market has found its pace and held it.
Cochrane home prices
Our board's benchmark price is around $575,000, about $2,000 less than a year ago. The benchmark is an estimate of a standard home and it's built to move slowly. The middle detached home that sold in September went for about $648,000, compared to about $685,000 last September.
When I went through every sale this summer, detached homes, duplexes, and townhomes all sold for about 4 to 6% less than last summer, even size for size. Condos held steady. So if it feels like prices have come down, you're not imagining it. They eased gently. They didn't fall apart.
The middle home sold for 98% of its list price this summer, down from about 99.4% in 2024. That only compares the sale to the last list price, though, and a lot of homes got there through a price change or two. More on that below.
More homes for sale
What has really changed is choice. There are 353 homes for sale in Cochrane, compared to about 240 in an average September.
Think of it like the Bow River in spring. New listings are the snowmelt and sales are the water flowing downstream. This September, 163 new listings came on when an average September brings about 97, while sales stayed right where they usually are. More came in than went out, so the river is running high.
That's about 5 months of supply, meaning it would take about 5 months to sell every home at September's pace if nothing new was listed. Under about 2 and 1/2 months usually favours sellers, 2 and 1/2 to 4 is balanced, and over 4 favours buyers. We're just past that line.
How we got here: 10 years of Cochrane data
I went back through every Cochrane listing from the last 10 years, and three things stood out:
Fewer bidding wars. In summer 2023, about 29 out of every 100 homes sold over asking. This summer it was about 6.
More homes coming back on the market. About 1 in 5 homes that sold this summer had been listed, taken off, and listed again, up from about 1 in 16 in 2024. Even so, 240 homes sold this summer, the most since 2021. More choice hasn't scared buyers away. It's given them time.
More deals falling apart on conditions. In 2024, about one accepted offer fell through for every 12 homes that sold. Since 2025, it's about one for every five. Buyers with options take the full inspection, take time on financing, and walk away if something feels off.
Market 1: Brand new homes are waiting on buyers
Nearly 3 in 10 homes listed in Cochrane this year have been brand new, in communities like Southbow Landing, West Hawk, Sunset Ridge, Heartland, Heritage Hills, and Fireside. By the end of September, about half of the detached homes and duplexes for sale were new.
New homes that sold this summer took about 14 weeks, up from 10 last summer, and about two in three had a price change along the way. Resale homes took about 6 weeks. Many of these homes were planned when the market was much busier, and some were listed while still being built, so the clock started before anyone could walk through them.
Heartland: about 9 weeks, up from 7 and 1/2
Heritage Hills: about 11 weeks, up from 8
I spent years in new home sales before becoming a Realtor, so I know this side of the table well. Some builders lower the price, some add upgrades, and some do both. Fall is when builders start thinking about year end, so the next few months may bring some of the best new build deals in a while.
If you're a first time home buyer, the federal GST rebate can take the GST off a brand new home, fully up to $1 million. On a $500,000 home, that's about $25,000. Reach out and I'll connect you with the right people to see if you qualify.
What it means for you: buying new, you may have more room to talk with builders than you've had in a while. Selling a resale home nearby, you have things a show home can't offer yet, like a finished yard, a fence, window coverings, and a washer and dryer.
Market 2: Townhomes and duplexes are adjusting
If you've driven past the same townhome for sale all summer, you're not imagining it.
Townhomes took about 11 weeks to sell this summer, about 4 weeks longer than last year.
Nearly 7 in 10 lowered their price along the way.
They sold for about 93% of their very first asking price. In 2024 it was almost 100% or more.
Condo townhomes (the ones with a monthly fee) sold for about 10% less this summer than two years ago. Freehold townhomes sold for about 6% less than last summer. These are small groups, so numbers vary house to house, but the direction is clear. If you own a townhome, I know that's not easy to hear. It's been a gentle slide, not a drop off a cliff, and the detached homes you might move up to have eased a little too.
Duplexes are the ones I'd watch most closely. They're at about 6 months of supply, almost double last September, and more than half are brand new, so a resale duplex is often compared side by side with one nobody has lived in yet. Condos are holding about steady, though only six sold in September.
For every townhome that sold in September, about six or seven others were for sale. The one that feels like the best value that week is usually the one buyers choose.
Market 3: Resale detached homes are still moving
Here the story flips. Resale detached homes sold in about 5 and 1/2 weeks this summer.
Much of the price change is happening in the negotiation. In September, detached homes sold at about 97.5% of list price, down from about 99% a year earlier. On a $660,000 listing, that's about $644,000 now compared to $653,000 last September. Not fewer sales, just a bit more back and forth.
If you're buying, the good ones still go in a few weeks, so be ready. If you're selling, you may be in one of the strongest spots in town.
Cochrane's fastest neighbourhoods
Resale homes in West Terrace and Riverview sold in about 3 weeks this year. Glenbow, Gleneagles, and West Valley took about 4, compared to about 5 and 1/2 town wide. Mature trees, finished homes, no construction next door, and only a handful for sale at any time. When the right one comes up, it goes. Here's my full tour of Gleneagles if you're curious.
Selling a townhome or duplex? When you bought matters
For townhome and duplex owners, the biggest factor usually isn't the market. It's when you bought. Of those that sold in the last couple of years and had sold before:
Bought before 2022: sold for about 40 to 50% more than they paid
Bought in 2022: closer to 20% more
Bought in 2023: closer to 10% more
Bought in the last couple of years: possibly right around where they started
Two neighbours in the same complex can be in completely different spots, so the right plan depends on your numbers, not the headlines.
Selling your home in Cochrane? Your starting price matters most
I followed every home that sold this summer from the first day it was listed, including homes that came back on the market at a new price.
No price changes (about 45% of homes): sold in about 3 weeks for about 98% of their first asking price
One price change (about 1 in 4): sold in about 9 weeks for about 96% of their first asking price
Two or more price changes (about 1 in 3): sold in about 3 and 1/2 months for about 92% of their first asking price
On a $575,000 home, the gap between 98% and 92% is about $34,000, plus roughly three extra months of keeping your home show ready with the kids, the dog, and the lunch dishes.
In 2024, only about 1 in 20 homes needed two or more price changes. This summer it was 1 in 3, and closer to 1 in 2 for townhomes. Most buyers see your home in its first couple of weeks, which is why your starting price is one of the biggest conversations we have before your home goes live. My post on the best time to sell a house in Cochrane goes deeper on timing.
A story from this summer
I saw this with one of my own listings in Sunset Ridge. Walkout basement, established yard, main floor office, great location. We had steady traffic but no offers. When people are walking through and nobody's writing, the market is telling us something, and it's usually the numbers, not the house. A few weeks in, we made an adjustment, and soon after we had an offer from someone who'd been searching for exactly that home. That buyer was out there the whole time. The price just needed to meet them where they were looking.
What's next for the Cochrane real estate market this fall
Last year the market held steady through October and November and quieted down in December, like it usually does. If you want to sell before the holidays, the next few weeks are a great window. If spring is more your timeline, now is the time to start planning.
So who has the upper hand, buyers or sellers? It depends on your home:
Brand new homes: waiting on buyers
Townhomes and duplexes: adjusting
Resale detached homes in established neighbourhoods: still moving
Prices have eased a little across most of town, and the river is running high, just not everywhere. Your home isn't the whole town.
Your next step
If you own a home in Cochrane and want to know what it's worth in this market, fill out my client questionnaire for a complimentary home evaluation. We'll look at your numbers, your neighbourhood, and the right starting price for your timeline.
Moving to Cochrane? Download my free Moving to Cochrane Guide, which walks through every neighbourhood from a local's perspective. To follow the market by home type and neighbourhood each month, grab my free Monthly Cochrane Market Report.
Rather talk it through? Book a call with me, or watch the full October market update on YouTube and subscribe so you don't miss next month's.
Market figures are based on CREB® statistics and MLS® data for Cochrane at the time of recording, shared for general information only. They are not an appraisal or valuation of any specific property. Prices, schools, and community plans change, so please confirm current details before making decisions. Lauren Crouse, REAL Broker.
