Issue 17 Feb 20 2026 5 min read

New inventory arrived faster than the market absorbed it.

Extra choice kept the week from feeling urgent.

Market balance

Buyer Seller
3 / 10

Balanced - slight buyer edge.

New listings 0 A bit more choice showed up.
Sales 0 Deals are getting done, but buyers are choosing carefully.
Absorption
(4wk avg)
0 Inventory is clearing slowly.
Market pressure Buyer edge Buyers have leverage - pricing needs to be sharp to move.
Buyer take

Expect choice, and do not be afraid to negotiate.

Seller take

Pricing and presentation need to do the heavy lifting.

Market read

The week, in plain English

The board looked healthy enough at first glance, but buyers were still filtering hard. 5 new listings arrived while 3 sales closed. The board is getting deeper faster than it is getting cleared. 1 sold over ask while 1 sold under ask. Taken together, this was a market that stayed active, but only rewarded listings that were positioned correctly. The board is showing more visible seller adjustments.

What I’m watching next

Whether this new inventory gets absorbed cleanly.

If the clean listings move early, demand is still there underneath this. If they do not, the next push likely comes from sellers getting sharper on price rather than from buyers suddenly disappearing.

The charts that matter

The charts that matter

The numbers make more sense once you zoom out. That is usually where short-term noise stops looking like a real shift. That is usually where the next meaningful signal shows up first.

Inventory

102 current

High 136 · Low 5.00

Inventory

102 homes on market

Supply is running above last year, giving buyers more room to compare and negotiate.

1-year view

In this view: High 136 · Low 5 · Avg 102

Current snapshot: Current 102 · Vs last year ↑ 1% · 75% of cycle high

Low Inventory cycle High

Sales pace

2.25 / week

High 5.38 · Low 1.50

Sales

2 sales/week

Demand is present, but monthly absorption remains light relative to available supply.

1-year view

In this view: Avg 2 · Absorption 0.0% monthly · Range high 5

Current snapshot: Current 2 · Vs last year ↓ 18% · Balanced conditions.

New listings

New listings

Start with supply. That matters because the numbers look cleaner than the reality underneath. That is what the market then has to respond to.

If you want the tone of the week, start with what hit the board. That matters because not every active week is an easy one.

I usually start with new inventory because it sets the pace for everything that follows.

1360 McLeod Avenue - $1,299,000

Worth watching early - detached launches often tell you fastest whether buyers are prepared to act or just compare.

Detached launches like this tend to tell you fastest whether buyers are ready to act or still compare.

Also new this week

See all listings →

New sales

New sales

Sales happened - but they did not come easily.

Buyers are still active, but they are choosing carefully. The right listings still move, while others need more time or a sharper number.

The market is moving, though inventory is still being absorbed at a measured pace. That keeps pressure on sellers to be clearer and sharper. Buyers will act - just not to rescue overpriced listings. 1 sold over ask while 1 sold under ask. Median sold price was $335,000. The board is showing more visible seller adjustments. That reflects a market where value has to be proven. Price discipline is likely to matter more than marketing spin.

Price cuts

Price cuts

The softest part of the week showed up in pricing behaviour. That is where discipline gets tested fastest. That gives a better read on seller pressure than inventory alone.

No fresh price cuts landed this week, but the reduction layer is still active on the board.

Pressure on the board

  • 35 active listings are currently trading below original list
  • Reduced active share: 35.7% of the current active board
  • Expired / cancelled this week: 2 (2 expired, 0 cancelled)
  • 4-week average: 1.0 cuts/week
  • 12-week average: 0.8 cuts/week

Largest active cuts to watch

  • Largest cut35 active listings are currently trading below original list
  • Reduced active share: 35.7% of the current active board
  • Expired / cancelled this week: 2 (2 expired, 0 cancelled)
  • 4-week average: 1.0 cuts/week
  • 12-week average: 0.8 cuts/week

Active cuts to watch

Financing backdrop

Financing backdrop

Fernie is its own market, but I still keep an eye on the broader financing backdrop because buyers do feel it.

  • BoC rate: As of 2026-02-20, the Bank of Canada policy rate was 2.25%, which matters most for variable-rate borrowers and helps shape borrowing confidence.
  • Bond yields: Canada’s 5-year bond yield remains the main fixed-mortgage watch, and it had moved lower versus about a month earlier.
  • Oil / inflation mood: Oil was quiet into the week, so it was not adding much inflation pressure.

Closing insight

Closing insight

Inventory is building faster than demand - that keeps the edge with buyers.

Data notes. Data sourced from MLS activity for the week ending Feb 20 2026. Numbers reflect the Fernie market unless otherwise noted.

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