ReverseMortgageWhitby.ca works through the cost of downsizing in Whitby with one illustrative move, using September 2026 prices. The example sells a detached house and buys a condo apartment or a townhouse in town. Every figure is shown, so you can swap in your own numbers.
What would it cost to downsize from a Whitby house to a condo?
Selling a Whitby detached house for $945,000 and buying a condo apartment for $495,700 could cost about $55,700 in this example. The biggest part is the real estate commission and the HST on it. Ontario’s land transfer tax, legal fees on both sides and movers make up the rest.
The $945,000 is the median detached sale price in Whitby in September 2026, and $495,700 is the Whitby apartment benchmark for the same month (TRREB Market Watch, September 2026). Your own home will sell for its own price.
| Cost | How it’s worked out | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Real estate commission | 4% of $945,000, an assumption | $37,800 |
| HST on the commission | 13% of $37,800 | $4,914 |
| Ontario land transfer tax | on the $495,700 purchase | $6,389 |
| Legal fees, sale and purchase | illustrative, about $1,800 each | $3,600 |
| Movers | illustrative | $3,000 |
| Total | about $55,700 |
Commissions are negotiable, and 4% is an assumption for this example, not a quoted rate. Legal and moving costs vary with the firm, the distance and how much you move. Treat those two lines as rough guesses.
How the land transfer tax is worked out
Ontario’s land transfer tax goes up in steps. On a home with one or two single-family homes, the rates are 0.5% up to $55,000, 1.0% from $55,000 to $250,000, 1.5% from $250,000 to $400,000 and 2.0% from $400,000 to $2,000,000 (Ontario).
On $495,700, that is $275 plus $1,950 plus $2,250 plus $1,914, for a total of $6,389. Whitby has no municipal land transfer tax, so Ontario’s is the only one a Whitby buyer pays.
If you buy a condo townhouse instead
The Whitby condo townhouse benchmark was $563,400 in September 2026. Land transfer tax on that price is $7,743, which brings the total cost of the move to about $57,100 in this example.
How much money would be left after the move?
In this example, about $393,600 would be left after buying the condo and paying every cost. That is $945,000 from the sale, minus $495,700 for the condo, minus about $55,700 in costs. Any mortgage or line of credit on the house would be paid off from that amount first. With a townhouse instead, about $324,500 would be left.
That money is yours, with no interest charged on it. What it earns depends on where you keep it, and interest earned on savings counts as income.
What new costs come with a smaller home?
A condo apartment or condo townhouse comes with monthly condo fees. Fees vary by building and tend to rise over time, so ask for the current fee and the building’s recent history before buying. Property tax, home insurance and upkeep continue in the new home too.
Property tax on the new home depends on its own assessment. The guide to Whitby property tax for seniors explains the 2026 rate and the rebates for seniors.
What could staying with a reverse mortgage provide instead?
At age 70, a reverse mortgage on a $945,000 Whitby home could provide up to about $499,000. Treat that as a ceiling rather than an offer: the real figure comes from the appraisal of your own home. You make no required monthly mortgage payments, and you go on living in the home you know.
That $499,000 is 52.85% of $945,000, the same percentage the Whitby reverse mortgage calculator uses at 70. Any existing mortgage is paid off first from the same amount, and you can take less than the full amount.
Over time, interest is added to the balance, and rising Whitby home prices can make up for part or all of it. Also, you can never owe more than your home is worth (its fair market value) when the mortgage comes due, as long as property taxes, insurance and upkeep are kept up. To see how a balance grows over 10 years, read the guide to reverse mortgage costs in Whitby.
Staying can also open other uses for the house. Some Whitby homeowners use the money to add a secondary suite or to make the home easier to live in.
Are there enough smaller homes in Whitby to move to?
Whitby’s housing is mostly detached houses. In the 2021 Census, 69.5% of Whitby homes were single-detached houses. Apartments in buildings of five or more storeys made up 7.1%, and smaller apartment buildings 5.2%. If you want to stay in Whitby, the choice of condos is narrower.
The sales figures point the same way. In September 2026, Whitby recorded only 8 condo apartment sales and 3 condo townhouse sales, against 57 detached sales (TRREB Market Watch, September 2026). Row houses made up 13.2% of Whitby homes in 2021 (Statistics Canada, Census 2021).
When does downsizing make sense?
Downsizing makes sense for some Whitby homeowners. It can suit people who find stairs or a large yard hard to keep up, who want to live closer to family, or who want money without any balance growing on their home. Staying with a reverse mortgage suits others. Neither one is right for everyone.
Richard Hopkins, Mortgage Broker, compares every reverse mortgage lender in Canada for Whitby homeowners. Because he sets up home equity lines of credit, refinances and regular mortgages too, you end up with the option with the best overall value for you, even if it’s not a reverse mortgage. The latest Whitby house prices and the short reverse mortgage assessment can help you think it through with your family.
What this means for you
Downsizing in Whitby can free up several hundred thousand dollars, after costs of roughly $55,000 or more on a typical move. Staying with a reverse mortgage can provide a similar sum without selling, with interest added to the balance instead. Which one fits depends on your health, your home and your plans, and that choice stays yours.
To see the figures for your own home, get your free Whitby estimate. There's no cost and no sales pressure.