Corrected 6 October 2026. The first version of this post cited a Kamloops single-family benchmark of about $545,000, active listings about 18% above the year before, a 22% sales-to-active ratio, a 2022 peak of about $682,000, and specific days-on-market figures. None of those match the Association of Interior REALTORS® (AIR) published data, and I couldn't trace where they came from. Every market figure below is now from AIR's April 2026 release, the latest available when this was written. The days-on-market claims have been removed because AIR doesn't publish them. My September 2026 update carries the series forward from the same source.
Kamloops market numbers are worth tracking every month. Not because anything dramatic happens month to month, but because the patterns only become clear over time, and by the time a market shift makes the headlines, it's already priced in.
Here's what AIR's data showed going into May 2026, and what it means if you're looking to buy.
Benchmark prices: flat, not falling
AIR's single-family benchmark for Kamloops and District was $664,400 in April 2026, down 0.1% from April 2025. The benchmark is the MLS® Home Price Index value for a home with typical attributes, so it moves less erratically than an average sale price.
The useful context is the last six months. The single-family benchmark was $664,800 in October 2025 and $664,400 in April 2026: essentially no change, with a small dip over the winter ($655,700 in December) and a bump in March ($675,400). For context on the longer cycle, AIR reported a then-record single-family benchmark of $721,600 in April 2022, so today's figure sits roughly 8% below that peak.
| AIR, Kamloops and District | April 2026 | Change from April 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Single-family benchmark | $664,400 | −0.1% |
| Townhome benchmark | $497,200 | −3.6% |
| Condo benchmark | $370,000 | −2.6% |
| Residential sales | 217 | +0.9% |
| New listings | 544 | +3.0% |
| Active listings | 1,313 | +2.3% |
Stabilization is different from recovery. Recovery would mean prices climbing. Flat prices for half a year mean the market has found a level. Whether it holds depends largely on employment in the region and on interest rates.
For buyers, a flat market is a useful one. Prices are knowable, comparable sales are recent and relevant, and the emotional temperature is lower than in 2021–22.
Inventory: slightly up, not flooding
Active listings were 1,313 in April, up 2.3% from a year earlier. That's a modest rise, not a glut. There are a few more listings to look at than last spring, but this isn't a market where you can take weeks to decide on a well-priced property and then lowball it.
In a market like this, the overpriced listings are usually the ones that sit. Some sellers list with optimistic expectations, wait, then reduce or withdraw. That creates opportunity for buyers who can spot a listing that's a few percent too high and wait for the adjustment.
Time to do due diligence
AIR doesn't publish days on market, so there's no reliable city-wide figure to quote. What the sales and listings figures do show is that this isn't the 2021–22 market, when offers without subjects were routine.
Use the time. Get a home inspection done. Review strata documents properly if it's a strata. Run the rental income through a real underwriting model. Talk to a mortgage broker and get a financing condition that isn't just a formality. In the frenzy years, plenty of buyers skipped those steps on condos with underfunded depreciation reports and pending special levies, and found out later.
Sales-to-active ratio: balanced
Divide April's 217 sales by its 1,313 active listings and you get a sales-to-active ratio of about 16.5%. Greater Vancouver REALTORS® describes the BC rule of thumb: prices tend to come under downward pressure below about 12% for a sustained period, and upward pressure above about 20%. It's a Metro Vancouver yardstick, but it's the clearest published one.
At 16.5%, Kamloops sits in the middle of the balanced band. Put another way, at April's pace it would take about six months to sell everything listed. Sellers aren't desperate, and they aren't running multiple-offer processes on typical listings either. Negotiation is normal again.
Where to look, and what to check
AIR reports Kamloops and District as a whole, so neighbourhood differences come from listings and local knowledge, not published data. A few broad patterns to test against what's actually listed:
Sahali and Aberdeen: up the hill from Thompson Rivers University and within reach of Royal Inland Hospital, the city's two biggest sources of renters. Expect plenty of suited houses, and prices that already reflect the location.
North Shore: older, generally more affordable housing stock across the river from downtown. More variable condition, so the inspection matters more.
Westsyde: farther out, with more freehold houses on larger lots. Less student demand, more family tenants.
How to spot a motivated seller
You can't see a seller's situation, but listings leave clues:
- Price cuts, especially a second one. Here's a hypothetical: a suited house lists at $569,000 in mid-March, sits through April and drops to $549,000. At $549,000, with the suite renting for $1,500 a month, the numbers start to look different, and a seller who has cut once may cut again.
- Time on the market for the property type. A well-priced duplex in a balanced market rarely sits for long; one that has been listed for six or seven weeks without a reduction is usually priced too high or has a problem with the building.
- Relisting after a collapsed sale. A property back on the market after subjects fell through deserves a second look, and a question about why.
- A vacant property. Carrying costs on an empty house add pressure every month.
None of these mean a bargain on their own. They tell you where there may be room to negotiate, once your own underwriting says the property works.
What the spring data means for buyers
The window to do careful, analytical investing in Kamloops is open. Prices have been flat for six months, the market is balanced, and listings that sit are mostly overpriced by a few percent rather than broken.
The risk to the long thesis isn't dramatic. It's the slow grind of staying too cautious while good properties get picked off by less cautious buyers, or moving too fast on something with a problem that proper due diligence would have caught.
The market is giving you time. Use it, but don't mistake time for safety — you still need to know what you're underwriting.
Sources: AIR — Kamloops market, April 2026 (5 May 2026) · Greater Vancouver REALTORS® — sales-to-active thresholds · KamloopsBCNow — April 2022 record benchmark, citing AIR
Written by Jagatjeet, as part of a public BC Interior real estate learning journey. Published 13 May 2026. Updated 7 October 2026. Jagatjeet is working toward a BC real estate licence and is not a licensed realtor. Nothing here is financial, legal or tax advice.