ReverseMortgageKingston.ca breaks down the Kingston real estate market for September 2026 for homeowners 55 and older and the families helping them. All figures come from the Kingston and Area Real Estate Association (KAREA), released through CREA (KAREA via CREA).
KAREA’s area is wider than the City. It includes South, Central and North Frontenac, Loyalist Township, Greater Napanee and other nearby townships (KAREA). So every number below describes Kingston and area, not the City alone.
September 2026 in numbers
Prices barely moved from a year earlier, while sales fell and listings climbed.
| Measure | September 2026 | Change from September 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Homes sold | 222 | down 4.7% |
| Average sale price | $589,070 | down 5.8% |
| Composite benchmark | $542,800 | up 0.5% |
| Detached benchmark | $566,800 | up 0.2% |
| Townhouse benchmark | $403,300 | up 4.0% |
| Apartment benchmark | $342,700 | down 5.5% |
| New listings | 694 | up 9.3% |
| Active listings | 1,433 | up 11.5% |
The 694 new listings were the most for a September in more than a decade. Active listings of 1,433 were the highest September level in a decade too.
Benchmark price and average price are not the same thing
KAREA’s benchmark tracks a model home whose features stay fixed from month to month, which makes it a steadier guide to price trends. The average price is simply the total of every sale divided by the number of sales. A month with fewer large houses sold can pull the average down even when typical values hold steady.
That is what September looks like. The average fell 5.8%, but the composite benchmark rose 0.5%, which KAREA describes as essentially unchanged. Townhouses gained 4.0%, while apartment-style condos lost 5.5%.
Neither number is the value of your home. A lender uses an appraisal of the home itself. The guide to Kingston home prices explains each measure in more detail.
A market that leans toward buyers
Kingston and area had 6.5 months of inventory in September 2026, up from 5.5 a year earlier. The long-run average for the month is about 4 months. Months of inventory means how long it would take to sell every active listing at the current pace of sales, and a higher number favours buyers.
For single-detached homes, the median time on the market in the third quarter was 31 days, up from 28 a year earlier (KAREA via CREA). Buyers have more choice and more time to decide.
If you are thinking of selling to downsize
Selling in a market like this can take longer, and buyers may ask for more. On the buying side, more listings mean more choice of smaller homes. Apartment benchmarks were lower than a year ago, and townhouse benchmarks were higher.
A move also has its own costs: the real estate commission, legal fees on both sides, Ontario land transfer tax on the purchase, and movers. The cost of downsizing in Kingston goes through each one. Nobody can say where prices go next, so the decision is better based on your needs than on a forecast.
If you plan to stay: what the benchmark could mean
Staying in your home and borrowing against it is the other path. With a reverse mortgage, the most you could qualify for depends on the youngest owner’s age and the appraised value. Using the composite benchmark of $542,800 as an example value:
| Youngest owner | Up to (of value) | On $542,800 |
|---|---|---|
| 65 | 50.55% | about $274,400 |
| 70 | 52.85% | about $286,900 |
| 75 | 57.75% | about $313,500 |
On a detached home at the $566,800 benchmark, the figure at 70 is up to about $299,600. Those figures are the most the highest-lending products allow, never quotes, and a current mortgage is cleared out of them first.
Nothing is due monthly on the mortgage. Your tax bill, insurance and home upkeep remain your own to pay. The Kingston reverse mortgage calculator shows your own age and value, with a 15-year chart of home value, loan and equity.
Interest rates this fall
On September 2, 2026, the Bank of Canada left its policy rate unchanged at 2.25% (Bank of Canada). Two more announcements are scheduled this year, October 28 and December 9 (Bank of Canada schedule). On October 28, it raised the rate to 2.5% (Bank of Canada).
On October 31, 2026, the four lenders’ advertised five-year fixed reverse mortgage rates went from 6.23% up to 6.49%. Every one-time cost is set out in the guide to reverse mortgage costs in Kingston, and fall deadlines are in fall 2026 dates for Kingston homeowners.