There’s a deeper issue in Calgary real estate that doesn’t always make headlines, but almost everyone feels it. Buyers feel stuck. Sellers feel hesitant. Investors feel unsure. The reason sits quietly in the middle of the market.
Imagine a young couple trying to buy their first home. Over the last four years, home prices rose faster than their incomes. They did everything “right,” but they still can’t qualify. So they wait.
Now, imagine a move-up buyer. They want to sell their starter home and take the next step, but the buyer who would normally purchase it can’t get financing. Without a buyer behind them, they can’t move forward either.
Now picture a couple in their seventies, living in a four-bedroom home they no longer need. They’d happily downsize, but nothing in their community fits. Everything they see is either too small, full of stairs, poorly designed, or priced so high that it doesn’t make sense. So they stay.
When first-time buyers can’t buy, move-up buyers can’t move. When move-up buyers can’t move, downsizers can’t downsize. The entire system locks up.
That’s the missing middle.
The missing middle refers to the housing types we aren’t building enough of: thoughtfully designed townhomes, duplexes, low-rise apartments, and downsizer-friendly homes that sit between entry-level condos and large detached houses. These homes create flow in a healthy market. Without them, pressure builds at every level.
For buyers in Calgary, this means competition remains intense in the few segments that do exist. For sellers, it means timing and positioning matter more than ever. For investors, it means opportunity lies in understanding what the market is missing, not just what’s popular.
This isn’t just a policy issue. It’s a lived experience for families, professionals, and retirees across the city. And until more missing-middle housing is built, movement will remain constrained.
Clarity comes from understanding why the market behaves the way it does. Once you see the system, you can make smarter decisions within it.
Whether you’re buying your first home, selling your current one, or investing strategically in Calgary real estate, knowing where demand is building, and why, is how you move forward with confidence.
Because when you understand the missing middle, you stop feeling stuck, and start seeing opportunity.
