Is Airdrie a Buyer's Market or Seller's Market Right Now?

I get this question a lot. At open houses, over coffee, in my messages. People want to know: is now a good time to buy? Should I sell before things drop further? Is the Airdrie real estate market crashing?

The honest answer? It depends on what you're buying or selling.

I know that's not the clear-cut answer most people want. But after 26 years of selling real estate in this city, I've learned that "the market" is never just one thing. It's a bunch of smaller markets stacked on top of each other, and right now, they're all doing something a little different.

Where Airdrie Sits Right Now

According to CREB's May 2026 numbers, Airdrie's overall residential market is balanced. Here's what that looks like in real numbers:

If those terms don't mean much to you, here's the quick version.

Months of supply is how long it would take to sell every home currently on the market if no new listings came in. Under two months is a seller's market — homes move fast and prices get pushed up. Over four months and buyers have the advantage. Between two and four is balanced territory. That's where we are.

Sales-to-new-listings ratio tells you how many homes are actually selling compared to how many are being listed. Above 60% favours sellers. Below 40% favours buyers. At 53%, we're right in the middle.

For context, this ratio was above 90% in Airdrie just last year. So yes, things have shifted. But shifted is not the same as crashed. We've moved from a market where buyers had almost no breathing room to one where there's actually some choice. That's a healthier place to be.

The Part People Miss

That overall number doesn't tell the full story. What I'm seeing on the ground — and what CREB's data backs up — is that different property types are living in completely different markets right now.

Property Type	Current Conditions	Trend
Detached Homes	Seller Favoured	Tightest segment — solid, steady demand
Semi-Detached	Balanced	Stable — prices holding
Townhomes	Buyer Favoured	Price declines every month in 2026
Apartments / Condos	Buyer Favoured	Most buyer-friendly — elevated inventory

Detached homes are still the tightest segment in Airdrie. If you've got a well-priced detached home in a popular neighbourhood, you're going to see solid activity. Not the feeding frenzy of 2023 or 2024, but steady interest from serious buyers.

Townhomes are where things get interesting. This is the one segment that's been showing price declines every single month in 2026 so far. More inventory, fewer sales, and buyers have real negotiating room. If you've been waiting for your shot at a townhome, this is probably the most opportunity you've had in a while.

Apartments and condos are the most buyer-friendly segment right now. This isn't just an Airdrie thing — the entire Calgary region is dealing with elevated condo inventory, and there's a significant amount of new supply coming over the next few years. This segment is likely to stay soft for a while.

So when someone asks me "buyer's market or seller's market?" — my first question back is always: what kind of property are we talking about? A detached home in Cooper's Crossing and a condo in King's Heights are in two completely different markets right now.

What About Prices?

The Airdrie benchmark of $515,000 in May is actually up slightly from earlier this year. We started 2026 at about $512,000 in February and have seen small monthly gains since. But compared to last May, we're still about five percent lower.

That might sound alarming if you bought near the peak. But zoom out a bit and it looks more like a correction after a period of unusually fast growth, not the start of some freefall. CREB points to added competition from new-home construction and more supply choice in surrounding communities as the main reasons resale prices have pulled back.

Calgary's numbers tell a similar story. The city-wide benchmark hit $570,500 in May, down about three percent from last year. The pattern is the same: lower-density, higher-demand segments are doing fine. Higher-density segments with more inventory are feeling the pressure.

So What Should You Do?

If you're thinking about buying: stop waiting for the "perfect" market. It doesn't exist. What does exist right now is more choice than you've had in years and less pressure to make rushed decisions. For detached homes, come prepared. For townhomes and condos, the leverage has shifted toward you.

If you're thinking about selling: pricing strategy matters more than it did a year ago. The days of listing high and fielding multiple offers above asking are mostly behind us — for now. But a well-prepared, properly priced home is still moving, especially in the detached segment.

If you're wondering whether to wait: I've been through enough cycles to know that trying to time the top or the bottom is a game most people lose. What matters more is whether a move makes sense for your life right now — and then making sure the numbers work in today's market.