30 Years of Calgary Foreclosure Sales: What the Numbers Actually Show
A data-driven look at Calgary foreclosure and court-ordered sales from 1996 to today, written for buyers, investors, and anyone watching for opportunity in the market.
Last updated: September 2026. Live numbers, updated daily: Calgary Foreclosures: Court Sale Stats.
Updated daily. Full report: Calgary Foreclosures: Court Sale Stats
Since 1996, Calgary has had 10,625 foreclosure sales on the MLS® system: court-ordered sales plus homes sold by banks, lenders and mortgage insurers. 5,471 of them were detached homes.
The Big Wave: 2009 to 2013
The real foreclosure wave came after the 2008 financial crisis.
- 2009: 915 sales (4.4% of all Calgary sales)
- 2010: 1,044 sales (6.1%)
- 2011: 1,396 sales (7.6%), the 30-year peak. 754 were detached homes.
- 2012: 1,195 sales (5.7%)
- 2013: 587 sales (2.5%)
At the peak, roughly one in every 13 Calgary sales was a foreclosure. I became a licensed Realtor® in 2002, and in those years it was normal to see hundreds of foreclosure listings on the MLS® at any given time. Many buyers got very good deals. That supply of distressed homes also kept prices in check for regular homeowners.
The years before that were quieter than most people remember. From 2003 to 2008, foreclosures ran between 49 and 312 sales a year, never more than 1.4% of the market.
The Oil Downturn: 2017 to 2020
After the 2014 oil price collapse, foreclosures climbed again: 388 sales in 2017, 373 in 2018, 477 in 2019 and 365 in 2020, between 2% and 3% of the market. A real bump, but about a third of the 2011 peak.
How the Rules Changed Everything
Between 2008 and 2018, lenders and governments tightened mortgage rules again and again:
- 40-year insured amortizations were cut to 35 years (2008), 30 years (2011), then 25 years (2012)
- Maximum refinancing was reduced step by step
- Stress tests were added for insured buyers (2016) and then uninsured buyers (2018)
Easy money for unqualified buyers, and a lot of mortgage fraud, was pushed out of the system. The data shows it worked. Since 2023, foreclosures have stayed under 1% of Calgary sales: 205 in 2023, 118 in 2024, 88 in 2025.
Where We Are Today
In the last 12 months (to September 26, 2026) there were 105 foreclosure sales out of 20,804 Calgary sales, or 0.5%.
- Court Ordered: 75
- Banks: 28
- Mortgage companies: 2
- Detached homes: 53, with a median sold price of $560,000 (vs. $698,000 for all other detached sales)
They sold at 98.67% of list price on average, about the same as regular sales, and took 72 days on market vs. 41 days for everything else.
Will Foreclosure Numbers Rise Again?
Yes. Regulators and lenders keep adjusting the rules. When lending loosens too far, or the local economy takes a hit like it did in 2015 to 2016, distressed sales go up again. The cycle repeats. The only question is timing.
Below-Market Deals Still Happen Every Month
Even in today’s tighter market, buyers can still find properties selling well below average prices. The scatter chart for one Calgary community shows below-market sales happen almost every month, foreclosure or not.
Knowing where to look, and how to read the data, is what separates finding those deals from missing them.
Frequently Asked Questions: Calgary Foreclosures
Are there still foreclosure deals available in Calgary?
Yes, but far fewer than the 2009 to 2013 peak. There are about 100 a year now, compared with more than 1,000 a year back then. Court-ordered sales (the Alberta version of a foreclosure) still show up on the MLS® every month. Working with a Realtor® who tracks them is the most reliable way to find them before other buyers do.
What is a court-ordered sale in Alberta?
In Alberta, what most people call a “foreclosure” is handled as a court-ordered sale. When a homeowner defaults on their mortgage, the lender applies to the Court of King’s Bench to sell the property. Buyers purchase through a formal court approval process. Court-ordered sales don’t allow conditions, and the court has to approve the sale.
Do foreclosure homes sell below market value in Calgary?
Sometimes, but not always. Lenders have to get fair market value. Over the last 12 months, foreclosures sold at about the same sold-to-list ratio as regular sales. The real opportunity usually comes from motivated timelines, homes priced for deferred maintenance, or catching a listing early.
What caused Calgary’s foreclosure peak in 2009 to 2012?
Several things together: the 2008 financial crisis, loose lending, amortizations as long as 40 years, and mortgage fraud. That left a large pool of overextended homeowners. When the rules tightened (shorter amortizations, stress tests, stricter qualifying), distressed sales dropped sharply and have stayed low.
Looking for Below-Market Properties in Calgary?
I’ve been tracking Calgary foreclosures, court-ordered sales and below-market opportunities since 2002. If you want to know what’s actually available, and what the numbers look like before you make an offer, let’s talk.
No pressure, no scripts. Just straight talk about where the deals are and what they’re worth.
📞 403 831 0842 | 365Calgary.com
Looking for Below-Market Properties in Calgary?
I’ve been tracking Calgary foreclosures, court-ordered sales, and below-market opportunities since 2002. If you want to know what’s actually available — and what the numbers look like before you make an offer — let’s talk.
No pressure, no scripts — just straight talk about where the deals are and what they’re worth.
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