Selling
What It Actually Costs to Sell a Home in Ontario
A complete breakdown of seller closing costs in Ontario — commission, legal, HST, mortgage discharge, staging and the ones people forget until closing day.
June 13, 2026 · 7 min read
Sellers plan around the sale price and get surprised by the net. Here is the full list, so the number on your statement of adjustments is the number you expected.
Real estate commission
Commission is negotiable and always has been. In Ontario it is typically quoted as a percentage of the sale price, split between the listing brokerage and the cooperating brokerage that brings the buyer. HST applies on top of the commission, not on the sale price of a resale home.
Legal fees and disbursements
Expect roughly $1,200 to $2,500 including disbursements for a straightforward resale closing, more if there are multiple mortgages, a severance, tenants, or estate issues.
Mortgage discharge and penalties
- Discharge fee: typically $200-$400 depending on the lender.
- Prepayment penalty: three months' interest on a variable mortgage, or the interest rate differential on a fixed one — which can run into five figures.
- Porting your mortgage to the next property can avoid the penalty; confirm the rules with your lender before you list, not after.
Preparation costs
- Staging: commonly $2,000-$6,000 for a full-home stage over a listing period.
- Painting, cleaning, minor repairs and junk removal.
- Professional photography, floor plans and marketing — usually carried by the listing brokerage, but confirm.
- Storage and moving.
The ones people forget
- Property tax and utility adjustments to the closing date.
- Condo status certificate, where applicable (capped fee in Ontario).
- Capital gains tax if the property was not your principal residence for every year you owned it.
- Non-resident withholding requirements if you are selling as a non-resident of Canada.
- Overlap costs if your closing dates don't line up: bridge financing, double utilities, double mortgage payments.
A reasonable planning rule for a typical GTA sale is to budget 4-6% of the sale price in total selling costs, then confirm the specifics with your lawyer and lender. Ask for a written net-proceeds estimate before you list — it changes how you think about pricing.