Ontario takes 7 of Canada's top 8 places to buy a home right now

If you're actively pursuing your goal of home ownership in Ontario, you might already be in one of the most ideal markets in Canada to turn those dreams into reality. 

According to a Zoocasa report released on Wednesday, major cities across Canada, including many in Ontario, are becoming more buyer-friendly, whereas smaller, more affordable regions are swinging in favour of sellers. 

The real estate agency analyzed which markets provided the best prospects based on the latest sales-to-new listing ratios, which were based on the respective local real estate boards' August 2025 data. 

This ratio, Zoocasa explains, is a "key indicator of market conditions," with a higher ratio (above 60 per cent) signalling a seller's market, while a lower one (below 40 per cent) indicates a buyer's market. 

Source: Zoocasa. 

The report found that the GTA is now one of Canada's clearest buyer-friendly markets, with its ratio falling from 40 per cent in August 2024 to 37 per cent this year. Many other Ontario markets also shifted from balanced to buyer's territory in 2025, including Niagara (38 per cent) and Windsor-Essex (39 per cent), while Mississauga (32 per cent), Brampton (30 per cent), and Barrie (35 per cent) all strengthened their buyer-friendly conditions. 

As a result, Ontario now takes seven out of the eight best places in Canada for buyers right now, specifically in Windsor-Essex, Niagara Region, GTA, Barrie, Simcoe County, Mississauga, and Brampton. 

Source: Zoocasa. 

Looking at specific cities, Mississauga saw one of the sharpest declines in the report, with its ratio dropping from 40 per cent in 2024 to 32 per cent this year. Windsor-Essex also witnessed its ratio slip from 45 per cent to 39 per cent. 

"Overall, Ontario's buyers' markets highlight two clear trends: large urban centres, such as the GTA, are becoming increasingly favourable to buyers as listings accumulate, while smaller markets, like the Niagara region, highlight how quickly local dynamics can shift when inventory becomes tight," the report reads. 

Despite this, some regions in Ontario were classified as "balanced markets," where neither buyers nor sellers have a decisive advantage, including Hamilton-Burlington, Waterloo, London & St. Thomas, and Ottawa.