University District Builder Market Update
Builder Market Update · October 2026
University District
NW Calgary · 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) | 18 | $487,938 | $631 | 47 | 98.5% | 13 |
| Resale (built 2015 or later) | 47 | $480,000 | $624 | 59 | 97.2% | 20 |
| Difference (new vs resale) | — | +$7,938 | +$6 | −12 days | +1.3 pts | — |
New and resale homes differ in size and finish (median 728 sq ft resale vs 786 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
Townhome / row supply
Townhome / row has 6.5 months of supply: 7 listed against 13 sales in a year. Specs in this product need a sharper price or a stronger incentive to stand out.
The $900K+ band
The $900K+ band has 12 months of supply: 7 homes for sale against 7 sales in a year. Specs priced here compete hardest; price toward the band below or add value buyers can see.
Timing
Quarterly sales over the past year ran 12 → 13 → 25 → 15. Winter is the slowest stretch; specs finishing over the winter should be listed and photographed before possession so they’re ready for the spring market.
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 | 13 (2 / 11) | $670,000 | $436 | — / 43 | 98.5% | 7 | 6.5 |
| Apartment condo | 52 (16 / 36) | $405,000 | $633 | 46 / 62 | 97.3% | 26 | 6.0 |
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 | 26 | 40% | 9 | 4.2 | 51 | Balanced |
| $400K–$499K | 9 | 14% | 7 | 9.3 | 39 | Buyer's |
| $500K–$599K | 8 | 12% | 2 | 3.0 | 78 | Balanced |
| $600K–$699K | 12 | 18% | 6 | 6.0 | 44 | Buyer's |
| $700K–$799K | 1 | 2% | 1 | 12.0 | 102 | Buyer's – heavy |
| $800K–$899K | 2 | 3% | 1 | 6.0 | 64 | Buyer's |
| $900K+ | 7 | 11% | 7 | 12.0 | 104 | Buyer's – heavy |
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 | 4 | $974,900 | $563 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Apartment condo | 9 | $689,900 | $839 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| Total | 13 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 8 |
Days on market is for the current listing. Relisted homes may have been on the market longer. Over the past 12 months, 56 new-build listings in University District expired, were withdrawn or were cancelled without selling (some were relisted).
The bigger picture
| Measure | University District | City of Calgary (CREB®) | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|---|
| Months of supply – all homes | 6.1 | just under 4 | Buyers here have more choice than citywide |
| Months of supply – detached | — | ≈ 3.3 | — |
| Months of supply – row/town | 6.5 | ≈ 4.4 | Buyers here have more choice than citywide |
| Benchmark price – detached | — | $739,400 (−1.0% y/y) | Prices citywide are flat to slightly down |
| Benchmark price – row | median sold $670,000* | $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 |
*University District 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.
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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