Chelsea Builder Market Update
Builder Market Update · October 2026
Chelsea
Chestermere · Sales Oct 20, 2025 – Oct 19, 2026 (12 months); active listings as of Oct 19, 2026
Three things builders should know
Community snapshot
New build vs resale
| Segment | Sales | Median price | Median $/sf | Median DOM | Sale-to-list | Active now |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New build (never occupied) | 24 | $505,000 | $334 | 62 | 97.8% | 10 |
| Resale (built 2015 or later) | 46 | $529,500 | $322 | 44 | 97.4% | 21 |
| Difference (new vs resale) | — | −$24,500 | +$12 | +18 days | +0.4 pts | — |
New and resale homes differ in size and finish (median 1,650 sq ft resale vs 1,561 sq ft new). Resale here means homes built in 2015 or later, the homes buyers compare a new build to. Compare $/sq ft and days on market, not the overall median price.
What this means for builders
Pricing
New townhome / row specs are asking about $265/sq ft, in line with the $300/sq ft new homes have sold for. Pricing is not the main obstacle here; presentation and incentives decide which spec sells first.
Resale competition
Resale detached – laned homes are selling in about 30 days against 77 for new. Show buyers what new adds: warranty, energy efficiency, GST rebate eligibility for first-time buyers, and finishes they can still choose.
Product
Detached – laned is the tightest product. 21 sold in 12 months with 5 listed now (2.9 months of supply). If your plans include detached product, now is a good time to bring one to market.
Detached – front garage supply
Detached – front garage has 15.0 months of supply: 10 listed against 8 sales in a year. Specs in this product need a sharper price, a finished basement or a stronger incentive to stand out.
The $700K+ band
The $700K+ band has 9 months of supply: 7 homes for sale against 9 sales in a year. Specs priced here compete hardest; price toward the band below or add value buyers can see.
Full breakdown: product types, price bands and spec aging
By product type
| Product | Sales (new / resale) | Median price | Median $/sf | Median DOM (new / resale) | Sale-to-list | Active | Months of supply |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Townhome / row | 18 (6 / 12) | $414,388 | $265 | 48 / 48 | 97.4% | 10 | 6.7 |
| Semi-detached / duplex | 15 (5 / 10) | $529,000 | $333 | 84 / 56 | 97.2% | 4 | 3.2 |
| Detached – laned | 21 (5 / 16) | $575,000 | $339 | 77 / 30 | 97.8% | 5 | 2.9 |
| Detached – front garage | 8 (2 / 6) | $771,500 | $320 | — / 53 | 96.3% | 10 | 15.0 |
| Apartment condo | 8 (6 / 2) | $276,448 | $396 | 60 / — | 95.9% | 2 | 3.0 |
Months of supply = active listings ÷ average monthly sales over 12 months. Laned = rear lane / detached garage; front garage = attached front-drive garage.
Where buyers are buying
| Price band (sold price) | Sales (12 mo) | Share of sales | Active now | Months of supply | Median DOM | Market read |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Under $400K | 14 | 20% | 6 | 5.1 | 50 | Buyer's |
| $400K–$499K | 17 | 24% | 7 | 4.9 | 50 | Balanced |
| $500K–$599K | 28 | 40% | 9 | 3.9 | 46 | Balanced |
| $600K–$699K | 2 | 3% | 2 | 12.0 | 42 | Buyer's – heavy |
| $700K+ | 9 | 13% | 7 | 9.3 | 60 | Buyer's |
Market read: under 2.5 months of supply = seller's, 2.5–5 = balanced, over 5 = buyer's. Active listings are banded by asking price.
Spec competition right now
| Product (new builds only) | Active | Median asking price | Median asking $/sf | 0–30 days | 31–60 | 61–90 | 90+ days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Townhome / row | 5 | $420,000 | $265 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 |
| Detached – laned | 2 | $567,450 | $332 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Detached – front garage | 3 | $779,900 | $338 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 10 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 0 |
Days on market is for the current listing. Relisted homes may have been on the market longer. Over the past 12 months, 64 new-build listings in Chelsea expired, were withdrawn or were cancelled without selling (some were relisted).
The bigger picture
| Measure | Chelsea | City of Calgary (CREB®) | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|---|
| Months of supply – all homes | 5.3 | just under 4 | Buyers here have more choice than citywide |
| Months of supply – detached | 6.2 | ≈ 3.3 | Buyers here have more choice than citywide |
| Months of supply – row/town | 6.7 | ≈ 4.4 | Buyers here have more choice than citywide |
| Benchmark price – detached | median sold $580,000* | $739,400 (−1.0% y/y) | Prices citywide are flat to slightly down |
| Benchmark price – row | median sold $414,388* | $412,400 (−5.5% y/y) | Row is the weakest segment citywide |
| Total sales, September 2026 | — | 1,650 (−3.8% y/y) | The market is slower than last year, not frozen |
*Chelsea figures are TNT's medians from Pillar 9™ MLS® sales. CREB® benchmark prices use the MLS® Home Price Index and are a different measure. Don't compare them as like for like. Chelsea is outside Calgary; city figures are shown as the reference market most buyers also shop.
Want the full Chelsea brief? Three pages, ready to share with your sales team.
Past editions: October 2026 · See all communities
Your builder specialist
Cam Johnson
Before real estate, Cam founded and ran a construction company working on building and land development projects. He looks at a spec the way a builder does: the product, the lot, what it costs to carry and what it will take to move it. That’s why these updates are built around the numbers builders use.
- Spec pricing against the resale homes buyers are actually touring
- MLS® marketing, showings and weekly feedback reports
- Move-up buyers who need to sell first: our team handles that sale too, so your deal doesn’t stall