Over the years, I have met many buyers and sellers who tell me some version of the same thing:
“Anna, I’m waiting for the right time.”
I understand the feeling. Real estate is a major financial decision. Nobody wants to buy a week before prices fall, sell before the market improves, or lock into a mortgage only to watch rates change.
But after nearly two decades in real estate, I have learned something important.
Waiting is not necessarily the problem. Waiting without a plan is.
Sometimes waiting six months is exactly the right decision. Sometimes waiting two years makes sense. But when people put their lives on hold because they are trying to predict the perfect market, the cost can be much bigger than a few dollars on a purchase price.
Experience Has Taught Me to Look Beyond the Headlines
Before we go further, I want to explain where this perspective comes from.
I have spent close to two decades working in real estate and helping buyers, sellers, and families navigate decisions that are often both financial and deeply personal.
My work has also received recognition along the way, including being featured as a cover story in Top Agent Magazine’s Canada Edition. I have been recognized through platforms including PropertySpark and Rate-My-Agent, and those milestones mean a great deal to me.
But the experience that matters most when I sit down with a client isn’t an award or magazine feature.
It is the years of conversations behind them.
I’ve seen people buy when everyone around them told them to wait. I’ve also advised people to slow down when buying immediately didn’t make sense for their circumstances.
My psychology background has reinforced something real estate has taught me repeatedly: uncertainty can make us believe that doing nothing is the safest choice.
But doing nothing is still a decision.
And it has consequences.
Waiting for the “Perfect Market” Can Become a Trap
Imagine a first-time buyer who decides to wait because they believe mortgage rates will fall.
Six months pass.
Rates don’t move as expected, so they wait again. Then a new forecast predicts something different. They decide to give it another few months.
Before they know it, two years have passed.
Were they wrong to wait?
Not necessarily.
The problem is that they never established what they were waiting for.
That distinction matters.
As of July 15, 2026, the Bank of Canada was holding its policy interest rate at 2.25%. The Bank also emphasized that economic uncertainty remained high.
In other words, even economists and policymakers are working with uncertainty.
Trying to build your entire housing strategy around correctly predicting the next interest-rate move is difficult because the future refuses to follow our calendars.
Ottawa’s Market Shows Why Context Matters
This is especially important when we talk about Ottawa real estate.
The market is not one single thing.
At the end of the second quarter of 2026, Ottawa had about 2.8 months of inventory for detached homes, 3.2 months for townhouses and row homes, and 5.3 months for apartments. Apartments that sold had a median 34 days on market, compared with 18 days for detached homes.
Those differences matter.
Someone buying a condo may face a very different set of conditions than a family looking for a detached house in a particular neighbourhood.
This is why I become cautious whenever I hear broad statements such as, “It’s a buyer’s market” or “Now isn’t a good time to sell.”
Which property? Which neighbourhood? Which price range? Which buyer?
Real estate decisions become much clearer when we stop trying to time “the market” and start looking at the specific market that affects you.
Waiting Has an Opportunity Cost
When people hear the word “cost,” they naturally think about money.
But waiting has other costs too.
A family might spend another two years in a home they have outgrown. A first-time buyer might continue renting while building savings. A homeowner considering downsizing might spend another year maintaining a property that consumes too much of their time.
Notice that these situations aren’t automatically good or bad.
Renting while building a stronger down payment can be an excellent strategy.
Staying in your existing home while paying down debt can be smart.
Waiting to sell until your personal circumstances are more stable can also make sense.
The difference is intentionality.
If waiting is helping you reach a measurable goal, you have a strategy.
If you are waiting because you are afraid to make any decision until the future becomes certain, you may simply be standing still.
Replace “Should I Wait?” With Better Questions
When someone asks me whether they should buy or sell now, I don’t think the best answer starts with a prediction.
I would rather understand their life.
Why do you want to move?
How long do you expect to stay in the next home?
What can you comfortably afford?
How much emergency savings will remain after the purchase?
What happens if your mortgage payment changes?
What would need to happen for you to feel ready?
And perhaps most importantly:
What will waiting allow you to accomplish?
That last question can completely change the conversation.
“I’ll wait until I save another $20,000” is a plan.
“I’ll wait until my employment situation becomes clearer in December” is a plan.
“I’ll wait until the market feels better” is much harder to act on.
A Plan Gives You Conditions, Not Predictions
I often encourage people to create their own decision triggers.
For a buyer, that might look like this:
“I am prepared to buy when I have my emergency fund, mortgage pre-approval, and enough money for my down payment and closing costs.”
For a seller:
“I am prepared to sell when I know where I’m going next, understand what my current home could realistically sell for, and the numbers support the move.”
This takes some emotion out of market timing.
Instead of waking up every morning wondering whether today is finally “the right time,” you know what conditions need to be met.
That creates clarity.
Don’t Let FOMO Become Your Plan Either
There is another side to this conversation.
Waiting without a plan can be expensive, but rushing without a plan can be even worse.
I would never tell someone to buy a home simply because they are afraid prices might rise. Nor should someone sell because a headline predicts the market is about to change.
A home purchase needs to work within your budget and your life.
For buyers who need mortgage advice, I recommend working with a qualified mortgage professional. For tax, legal, or investment questions, speak with the appropriate qualified professional.
My job as a REALTOR® is to help you understand the real estate side of the decision, including the local market, comparable properties, neighbourhoods, timing, and the trade-offs attached to different choices.
Sometimes the Right Decision Really Is to Wait
There are plenty of circumstances where I would rather see someone wait.
Maybe your employment is uncertain.
Perhaps buying would leave you without an emergency fund.
Maybe you’re expecting to relocate soon.
Or perhaps you simply haven’t figured out what you need from your next home.
In those situations, waiting isn’t failure.
Waiting with a purpose can be a very good real estate strategy.
What I don’t want is for someone to look back three years later and realize they postponed an important life decision because they were waiting for a market signal that never arrived.
You Don’t Need Perfect Timing. You Need a Plan.
Real estate will always contain uncertainty.
Interest rates change. Inventory changes. Prices move. Governments introduce new policies. Life changes too.
There will probably never be a morning when every economic indicator turns green and someone announces that today is officially the perfect day to buy or sell.
You don’t need that day.
You need to know what you can afford, what you’re trying to accomplish, what conditions matter to you, and what would make you ready to act.
At Anna Alemi Real Estate, this is why I believe the conversation should begin before we ever talk about making an offer or putting a sign on the lawn. Good real estate guidance isn’t about pressuring someone to move quickly. It’s about giving them enough information and local perspective to make a decision with confidence.
Sometimes that decision will be to move now.
Sometimes it will be to wait.
But if you’re going to wait, make sure you’re waiting for something.