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A six-month report makes the new data more useful
September adds useful observations even when the newest month does not support its own headline. In the provider's combined Lower Town - Sandy Hill area, apartment condominiums recorded 25 Q3 sold episodes and seven in September. Both are below the minimum of 30 for medians, quartiles and percentage denominators. The April–September group reaches 86 episodes and supports a more substantial description of the recent market.
The comparison is with the preceding, non-overlapping six months: October 2025 through March 2026. We do not compare the 86-episode six-month median with an unsupported Q3 median, and we do not describe the combined area as Sandy Hill alone. The provider label may cover several neighbourhoods, and its boundary has not been independently mapped for this study.
| Period | Home type | Valid prices (n) | Median price | Middle half of prices | Median DOM | Valid DOM (n) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 2025–March 2026 | Apartment condominium | 51 | $390,000 | $307,500–$474,000 | 38 | 51 |
| April–September 2026 | Apartment condominium | 86 | $360,000 | $311,225–$457,250 | 39.5 | 86 |
The recent six-month median was $30,000 below the prior period's $390,000, while median DOM was 1.5 days higher. These figures describe two different sale samples over different seasons. They cannot establish that the same condo declined by $30,000, and they are not adjusted for the mix of buildings, sizes, layouts or conditions. The right conclusion is that the middle recorded sale price differed; the explanation requires more property-level comparison.
Understand the price range before choosing a building shortlist
The April–September middle-half interval was $311,225–$457,250. The preceding six-month interval was $307,500–$474,000, so there was substantial overlap despite the lower recent median. That overlap matters for anyone tempted to interpret the median change as a uniform shift in every building. Both periods included a wide range of units, and the quartile intervals do not include the full extent of their sale prices.
For a buyer, the practical next step is to identify the units within the relevant price range that actually match the intended use, layout and parking requirements. For a seller, it is to find the most relevant comparable apartments before treating the area average—or even its median—as a pricing guide. A building or unit category may have too few transactions to support its own published statistic even when the broader combined area passes the threshold.
What the common budgets included
| At or below sale price | Apartment condominium (count / valid prices; share) |
|---|---|
| $400,000 | 51/86; 59.3% |
| $500,000 | 72/86; 83.7% |
| $600,000 | 80/86; 93.0% |
At or below $400,000, the recent sample included 51 of 86 episodes, or 59.3%. The cumulative count increased to 72 at $500,000 and 80 at $600,000. This says that those budgets covered different portions of the historical sale sample. It does not say what size, condition or ownership costs were included at each threshold, nor does it count current choices for sale.
Purchase price is only one part of a condo comparison. A useful shortlist should also record verified condo fees and inclusions, parking and storage arrangements, the unit's condition and the building information relevant to the decision. The current area study does not measure those items or convert them into an all-in monthly cost. That work belongs in the next, unit-specific comparison, using current documents rather than assumptions based on the sale price.
Asking-price outcomes provide context for negotiation
| Home type | Below recorded ask | Below original ask | Above recorded ask | Recorded ask below original ask |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apartment condominium | 77/86 (89.5%) | 77/86 (89.5%) | 3/86 (3.5%) | 18/86 (20.9%) |
Seventy-seven of 86 episodes sold below recorded asking, or 89.5%; three were above and six matched the recorded figure. The below-original-asking count was also 77, but equal totals do not imply that exactly the same episodes were below each reference. Original and recorded asking are distinct fields, and neither is a direct measure of market value.
Eighteen episodes had recorded asking below original asking, or 20.9%. This does not provide a complete price-change history or show why an owner changed the price. It also cannot establish that reducing a price caused a sale. A buyer should judge an offer against relevant comparables and the particular unit, while a seller should assess whether the current price position still matches the alternatives available to buyers.
How to use a 39.5-day median responsibly
The median provider DOM of 39.5 days describes the sold records in this six-month window. It is not an estimate that every newly listed unit will sell in roughly six weeks. Listings that remained available, were withdrawn or ended without a recorded sale are outside this selected cohort. A seller's timetable should therefore include a current review of competing choices and a property-specific plan, rather than depend on this one statistic.
The useful next conversation with Matt starts with the building or units under consideration, the desired layout, parking needs and timing. For a seller, bring the unit details and the relevant documents; for a buyer, bring a shortlist and a realistic budget. The area report can guide the comparison, but the decision should be supported by the specific unit, building and current alternatives.
Source and methodology
Data source: PropTx. Analysis and commentary: Matt Richling, New Purveyors Lab. Source retrieval began October 6, 2026 at 23:53 UTC (7:53 p.m. Toronto). Prepared October 7, 2026; all prices are Canadian dollars. This edition uses the saved snapshot, so later provider revisions are not included.
Periods use PurchaseContractDate, the recorded accepted-agreement date, rather than the closing date. Q2 is April 1–June 30, 2026; Q3 is July 1–September 30, 2026. Six-month periods are April 1–September 30, 2026 and October 1, 2025–March 31, 2026. Statistics pool individual records rather than averaging monthly medians. Comparisons use equal-length, non-overlapping periods; six-month context containing Q3 is not treated as an independent comparison with Q3.
The geography is CountyOrParish=Ottawa plus the exact provider City label named in this report. These areas can contain several neighbourhoods; municipal or neighbourhood boundaries have not been independently verified. Included records are Sold and For Sale in four exact type/subtype pairs: residential freehold detached, residential freehold attached/row/townhouse, condominium apartment and condominium townhouse. Other classifications are excluded. A sold episode means a listing record; relistings are not linked into unique homes. Source hashes, pagination, cohort membership and unique listing keys were checked.
Prices use positive ClosePrice observations. DOM uses nonnegative DaysOnMarket; the provider's detailed DOM business rules have not been confirmed. Recorded asking means ListPrice, which is not independently verified as the final advertised price; original asking means OriginalListPrice. Price-reduction comparisons measure the relationship between those two fields, not a complete history of reductions. Asking prices are not property valuations.
Each displayed median, quartile or percentage requires at least 30 valid observations in its own denominator. Counts may be shown below that threshold to explain suppression. Quartiles use linear interpolation; no outliers are trimmed. The middle half runs from the 25th to the 75th percentile and is not the full price range. Changes use unrounded values. Comparisons are descriptive, not seasonally adjusted, and can reflect differences in location, condition, size and the homes that sold. They do not measure current inventory, offer counts, sale probability, causality or same-property appreciation. Read the research standards.
Discuss these findings
For help applying these findings to a property or a move, contact Matt Richling. Include the area, property type and timing that matter to you.
Cite this edition
Richling, Matt. “Lower Town–Sandy Hill condo report: six-month prices and budgets through September 2026” New Purveyors Lab. April–September 2026. Updated October 7, 2026. Permanent edition.