CMHC Housing Market Outlook Reports 2026

CMHC Housing Market Outlook Reports 2026 took place February 10 and July 22, 2026 (next: February 2027) online. It is organized by Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC). Check the organizer's website for the next edition.

Date

February 10 and July 22, 2026 (next: February 2027)

Location

Ottawa, ON (online)

Organizer

Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC)

Typical attendance

All Canadian mortgage and real estate professionals

Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) is the federal Crown corporation responsible for mortgage loan insurance, affordable housing, and housing research. Among their most practically useful outputs for mortgage professionals are the annual Housing Market Outlook (HMO) report and its mid-year update — comprehensive forecasts that inform every broker conversation about whether now is the right time to buy, sell, or refinance.

CMHC publishes its Housing Market Outlook once a year, in February, with a mid-year update in July. The 2026 outlook was released February 10, 2026 and the mid-year update July 22, 2026; the next full outlook is scheduled for February 2027 (CMHC's release calendar notes dates can change). Each HMO covers national trends and includes regional breakdowns for Canada's major urban markets: Toronto (Greater Golden Horseshoe), Vancouver (Metro Vancouver), Calgary, Edmonton, Montreal, Ottawa-Gatineau, Halifax, and others.

Each report includes three-year forecasts for: housing starts (new construction), resale transactions, average and median resale prices, rental vacancy rates, and average market rents. CMHC economists also provide commentary on the macroeconomic conditions driving their forecasts — employment, immigration, interest rates, and affordability trends.

For mortgage brokers, the CMHC HMO is one of the most credible data sources available when advising clients. Clients asking "is it a good time to buy?" or "will prices come down?" benefit from hearing that their broker references authoritative government research rather than newspaper headlines. The CMHC data also supports rate hold decisions: if the HMO projects continued price appreciation in a client's target market, a 120-day rate hold and committed purchase timeline may make more sense than waiting.

The HMO is supplemented by CMHC's Housing Market Assessment (HMA), which evaluates whether housing markets show signs of overheating, overvaluation, acceleration, or overbuilding. This four-factor framework is useful for brokers in markets like Toronto and Vancouver where affordability concerns are perennial.

All CMHC reports are free to download from the CMHC website. CMHC also publishes Mortgage Industry-Focused reports and the Annual State of Housing in Canada report, which provide deeper analysis of mortgage market conditions, arrears rates, and insured mortgage volumes.

Dates marked TBC are estimates based on historical scheduling. Always verify dates and registration details directly with the organizer before making travel or registration decisions.