Every number on this page is a real cost of selling a home in Toronto, written out plainly. No one likes surprises on closing day, and there is no reason for there to be any.
Across Ontario, total selling costs usually land somewhere between 4% and 6% of the sale price once everything is counted. On an $900,000 sale that is roughly $36,000 to $54,000. Here is where it goes.
The largest single line by far. In the Toronto market this typically runs 4% to 5% of the sale price plus 13% HST, and it is split between the listing brokerage and the brokerage that brings the buyer. Commission is always negotiable and is set out in writing in your listing agreement before anything is signed - if a number is ever vague, ask for it in writing.
Your lawyer handles the discharge of your existing mortgage, the title transfer, and the closing itself. Selling is generally cheaper than buying on the legal side. Disbursements - registration, courier, title searches - are on top of the base fee.
Most lenders charge an administrative discharge fee. The bigger variable is the prepayment penalty if you break a fixed mortgage mid-term, which on a fixed rate can run into thousands under the interest rate differential calculation. Call your lender for the exact figure before you list - it occasionally changes the timing of a sale.
Anything from a deep clean and paint to full staging. This is the one line where spending usually returns more than it costs, because it changes how the home photographs - and the photographs decide whether buyers book a showing at all. The right number depends on the property, and we will tell you honestly when something is not worth doing.
Photography, floor plans, video and marketing. On our listings this is included - we do not bill it back to you - but if you are comparing brokerages, ask what is covered and what is charged separately, because that varies a lot.
Easy to forget and rarely small. If your closing dates do not line up you may be carrying two properties briefly, or paying for storage in between.
You do not pay it. In Ontario land transfer tax is the buyer's cost, and in Toronto buyers pay it twice - provincially and municipally. Worth knowing because it affects what your buyer can afford, which affects your pricing.
Total costs are the wrong thing to optimise on their own. A cheaper commission on a sale that lands $40,000 under what the home was worth is not a saving. What matters is your net proceeds - what lands in your account after everything - and that is driven far more by how the home is priced, prepared and marketed than by shaving a line item.
When we sit down, we will walk you through your specific numbers, including our fee in writing. If the honest answer is that you should wait a season or spend on prep first, we will say so.
Figures are typical Ontario market ranges as of August 2026 and are for general guidance only - they are not a quote, and not legal, tax or accounting advice. Your lawyer, lender and accountant will give you exact numbers for your situation.