{"id":27605,"date":"2026-04-22T11:11:21","date_gmt":"2026-04-22T18:11:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.roryc.ca\/blog\/?p=27605"},"modified":"2026-04-16T15:23:01","modified_gmt":"2026-04-16T22:23:01","slug":"housing-starts-set-into-a-slower-construction-cycle-as-economic-uncertainty-weighs-on-builders-buyers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.roryc.ca\/blog\/2026\/04\/housing-starts-set-into-a-slower-construction-cycle-as-economic-uncertainty-weighs-on-builders-buyers\/","title":{"rendered":"Housing Starts Set Into A Slower Construction Cycle as Economic Uncertainty Weighs on Builders &#038; Buyers"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Canada\u2019s housing market is heading into a slower construction cycle, with new home starts projected to decline over the next three years as economic uncertainty weighs on buyers and builders.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">According to CMHC\u2019s latest Housing Market Outlook, housing demand will remain subdued in 2026 and beyond. Sales are expected to stay below historical averages, while prices show only modest gains after declines in 2025.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u201cWe expect Canada\u2019s economy to grow slowly in 2026, as many households and businesses remain cautious because of geopolitical and trade uncertainty,\u201d Kevin Hughes, deputy chief economist at CMHC, said in a statement. \u201cThis caution is leading many households to delay buying homes and making builders more hesitant to start new projects.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Slower Growth, Cautious Households<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">CMHC forecasts real GDP growth of just 0.7% in 2026 (1). High unemployment, modest income growth, slower population increases and mortgage renewals at higher rates are all expected to limit housing demand.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">National home sales are projected to edge up in 2026, largely because Ontario and British Columbia are rebounding from especially weak levels. Even so, sales will remain below long-term norms. Prices are expected to stabilize nationally, though Ontario could see further declines in 2026 before a recovery begins in 2027.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Rental markets are also shifting. As new supply comes online, vacancy rates are expected to rise in several major cities, slowing rent growth and giving renters more flexibility.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Fewer New Homes, Especially Condos<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">CMHC expects total housing starts to fall from 259,000 in 2025 to about 247,000 in 2026, with further declines through 2028. That would put construction below the 10-year average.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The condo sector is likely to see the sharpest slowdown, particularly in Toronto and Vancouver, where pre-construction sales have dropped and financing has become harder to secure. Developers are focusing on finishing existing projects rather than launching new ones.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">For buyers, that could mean :<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u2022 Fewer new condo units entering the pipeline<br \/>\n\u2022 Less choice in certain markets, especially in Ontario and BC.<br \/>\n\u2022 Ongoing price pressure where inventories remain high<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Ontario is projected to see starts fall to near two-decade lows in 2026, largely due to the condo slump. British Columbia is also expected to see a marked decline. In contrast, construction in the Prairies and Quebec is forecast to remain above historical averages, even if it cools from recent highs.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>A Regional Story<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">CMHC expects significant differences across the country.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Toronto and Vancouver are forecast to face weaker sales and construction relative to their 10-year averages. Montreal and Calgary, by contrast, could see stronger activity supported by local economic conditions.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u201cStronger local conditions may help support housing market activity in Montreal and Calgary, for example, while weaker conditions could further slow housing demand and construction in Toronto and Vancouver,\u201d Hughes said.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">For consumers, the outlook points to a more restrained market rather than a dramatic downturn. Buyers may find more balanced conditions in some cities, while renters could see some relief as vacancy rates rise. But with economic growth expected to remain slow and downside risks still present, housing activity is unlikely to see a significant surge anytime soon.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.msn.com\/en-ca\/money\/topstories\/canadian-housing-starts-set-to-slow-through-2028-as-demand-weakens-cmhc\/ar-AA212WVm\">CMHC : Canadian Housing Starts Set to Slow Through 2028 as Demand Weakens<\/a> by Steven Brennan | MSN Real Estate<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Canada\u2019s housing market is heading into a slower construction cycle, with new home starts projected to decline over the next three years as economic uncertainty weighs on buyers and builders. &hellip; [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.roryc.ca\/blog\/2026\/04\/housing-starts-set-into-a-slower-construction-cycle-as-economic-uncertainty-weighs-on-builders-buyers\/\">read more<\/a>]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27,13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27605","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-pre-sale-projects","category-real-estate"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Housing Starts Set Into A Slower Construction Cycle as Economic Uncertainty Weighs on Builders &amp; Buyers &#8226; Rory C Real Estate | Oakwyn Realty<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.roryc.ca\/blog\/2026\/04\/housing-starts-set-into-a-slower-construction-cycle-as-economic-uncertainty-weighs-on-builders-buyers\/\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:title\" content=\"Housing Starts Set Into A Slower Construction Cycle as Economic Uncertainty Weighs on Builders &amp; Buyers &#8226; Rory C Real Estate | Oakwyn Realty\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:description\" content=\"Canada\u2019s housing market is heading into a slower construction cycle, with new home starts projected to decline over the next three years as economic uncertainty weighs on buyers and builders. &hellip; [read more]\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@RoryClipsham\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@RoryClipsham\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Rory Clipsham\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.roryc.ca\\\/blog\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/housing-starts-set-into-a-slower-construction-cycle-as-economic-uncertainty-weighs-on-builders-buyers\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.roryc.ca\\\/blog\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/housing-starts-set-into-a-slower-construction-cycle-as-economic-uncertainty-weighs-on-builders-buyers\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Rory Clipsham\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.roryc.ca\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/0672b9777e67473b9bd9247df49499c7\"},\"headline\":\"Housing Starts Set Into A Slower Construction Cycle as Economic Uncertainty Weighs on Builders &#038; Buyers\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-04-22T18:11:21+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.roryc.ca\\\/blog\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/housing-starts-set-into-a-slower-construction-cycle-as-economic-uncertainty-weighs-on-builders-buyers\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":532,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.roryc.ca\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/0672b9777e67473b9bd9247df49499c7\"},\"articleSection\":[\"Pre-Sale Projects\",\"Real Estate\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-CA\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.roryc.ca\\\/blog\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/housing-starts-set-into-a-slower-construction-cycle-as-economic-uncertainty-weighs-on-builders-buyers\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.roryc.ca\\\/blog\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/housing-starts-set-into-a-slower-construction-cycle-as-economic-uncertainty-weighs-on-builders-buyers\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.roryc.ca\\\/blog\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/housing-starts-set-into-a-slower-construction-cycle-as-economic-uncertainty-weighs-on-builders-buyers\\\/\",\"name\":\"Housing Starts Set Into A Slower Construction Cycle as Economic Uncertainty Weighs on Builders & Buyers &#8226; Rory C Real Estate | Oakwyn Realty\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.roryc.ca\\\/blog\\\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2026-04-22T18:11:21+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.roryc.ca\\\/blog\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/housing-starts-set-into-a-slower-construction-cycle-as-economic-uncertainty-weighs-on-builders-buyers\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-CA\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.roryc.ca\\\/blog\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/housing-starts-set-into-a-slower-construction-cycle-as-economic-uncertainty-weighs-on-builders-buyers\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.roryc.ca\\\/blog\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/housing-starts-set-into-a-slower-construction-cycle-as-economic-uncertainty-weighs-on-builders-buyers\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.roryc.ca\\\/blog\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Housing Starts Set Into A Slower Construction Cycle as Economic Uncertainty Weighs on Builders &#038; Buyers\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.roryc.ca\\\/blog\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.roryc.ca\\\/blog\\\/\",\"name\":\"Rory C Real Estate | Oakwyn Realty\",\"description\":\"Rory C Real Estate Updates | Home Selling &amp; Buying\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.roryc.ca\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/0672b9777e67473b9bd9247df49499c7\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.roryc.ca\\\/blog\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-CA\"},{\"@type\":[\"Person\",\"Organization\"],\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.roryc.ca\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/0672b9777e67473b9bd9247df49499c7\",\"name\":\"Rory Clipsham\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-CA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.roryc.ca\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2019\\\/10\\\/RoryC-white-w-tagline.jpg\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.roryc.ca\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2019\\\/10\\\/RoryC-white-w-tagline.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.roryc.ca\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2019\\\/10\\\/RoryC-white-w-tagline.jpg\",\"width\":504,\"height\":504,\"caption\":\"Rory Clipsham\"},\"logo\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.roryc.ca\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2019\\\/10\\\/RoryC-white-w-tagline.jpg\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/www.roryc.ca\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/pg\\\/BurnabyandCoquitlamHomes\\\/about\\\/?ref=page_internal\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/roryclipshamhomes\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/RoryClipsham\"]}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Housing Starts Set Into A Slower Construction Cycle as Economic Uncertainty Weighs on Builders & Buyers &#8226; Rory C Real Estate | Oakwyn Realty","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.roryc.ca\/blog\/2026\/04\/housing-starts-set-into-a-slower-construction-cycle-as-economic-uncertainty-weighs-on-builders-buyers\/","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_title":"Housing Starts Set Into A Slower Construction Cycle as Economic Uncertainty Weighs on Builders & Buyers &#8226; Rory C Real Estate | Oakwyn Realty","twitter_description":"Canada\u2019s housing market is heading into a slower construction cycle, with new home starts projected to decline over the next three years as economic uncertainty weighs on buyers and builders. &hellip; [read more]","twitter_creator":"@RoryClipsham","twitter_site":"@RoryClipsham","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Rory Clipsham","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.roryc.ca\/blog\/2026\/04\/housing-starts-set-into-a-slower-construction-cycle-as-economic-uncertainty-weighs-on-builders-buyers\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.roryc.ca\/blog\/2026\/04\/housing-starts-set-into-a-slower-construction-cycle-as-economic-uncertainty-weighs-on-builders-buyers\/"},"author":{"name":"Rory Clipsham","@id":"https:\/\/www.roryc.ca\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/0672b9777e67473b9bd9247df49499c7"},"headline":"Housing Starts Set Into A Slower Construction Cycle as Economic Uncertainty Weighs on Builders &#038; Buyers","datePublished":"2026-04-22T18:11:21+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.roryc.ca\/blog\/2026\/04\/housing-starts-set-into-a-slower-construction-cycle-as-economic-uncertainty-weighs-on-builders-buyers\/"},"wordCount":532,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.roryc.ca\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/0672b9777e67473b9bd9247df49499c7"},"articleSection":["Pre-Sale Projects","Real Estate"],"inLanguage":"en-CA","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.roryc.ca\/blog\/2026\/04\/housing-starts-set-into-a-slower-construction-cycle-as-economic-uncertainty-weighs-on-builders-buyers\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.roryc.ca\/blog\/2026\/04\/housing-starts-set-into-a-slower-construction-cycle-as-economic-uncertainty-weighs-on-builders-buyers\/","url":"https:\/\/www.roryc.ca\/blog\/2026\/04\/housing-starts-set-into-a-slower-construction-cycle-as-economic-uncertainty-weighs-on-builders-buyers\/","name":"Housing Starts Set Into A Slower Construction Cycle as Economic Uncertainty Weighs on Builders & Buyers &#8226; Rory C Real Estate | Oakwyn Realty","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.roryc.ca\/blog\/#website"},"datePublished":"2026-04-22T18:11:21+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.roryc.ca\/blog\/2026\/04\/housing-starts-set-into-a-slower-construction-cycle-as-economic-uncertainty-weighs-on-builders-buyers\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-CA","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.roryc.ca\/blog\/2026\/04\/housing-starts-set-into-a-slower-construction-cycle-as-economic-uncertainty-weighs-on-builders-buyers\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.roryc.ca\/blog\/2026\/04\/housing-starts-set-into-a-slower-construction-cycle-as-economic-uncertainty-weighs-on-builders-buyers\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.roryc.ca\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Housing Starts Set Into A Slower Construction Cycle as Economic Uncertainty Weighs on Builders &#038; Buyers"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.roryc.ca\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.roryc.ca\/blog\/","name":"Rory C Real Estate | Oakwyn Realty","description":"Rory C Real Estate Updates | Home Selling &amp; Buying","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.roryc.ca\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/0672b9777e67473b9bd9247df49499c7"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.roryc.ca\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-CA"},{"@type":["Person","Organization"],"@id":"https:\/\/www.roryc.ca\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/0672b9777e67473b9bd9247df49499c7","name":"Rory Clipsham","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-CA","@id":"https:\/\/www.roryc.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/RoryC-white-w-tagline.jpg","url":"https:\/\/www.roryc.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/RoryC-white-w-tagline.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.roryc.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/RoryC-white-w-tagline.jpg","width":504,"height":504,"caption":"Rory Clipsham"},"logo":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.roryc.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/RoryC-white-w-tagline.jpg"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/www.roryc.ca\/","https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pg\/BurnabyandCoquitlamHomes\/about\/?ref=page_internal","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/roryclipshamhomes\/","https:\/\/x.com\/RoryClipsham"]}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.roryc.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27605","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.roryc.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.roryc.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.roryc.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.roryc.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27605"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.roryc.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27605\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27606,"href":"https:\/\/www.roryc.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27605\/revisions\/27606"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.roryc.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27605"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.roryc.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27605"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.roryc.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27605"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}