Cottage for sale by owner in Ontario, on the MLS® System
To sell your cottage privately in Ontario and still get it on the MLS® System, use a flat fee listing. A licensed brokerage, Robin Hood Realty Limited, Brokerage, posts your cottage or recreational property on the MLS® System and realtor.ca from $69.99 a month, or $249.99 until it sells, so you keep the listing agent's commission. Buyers and their agents contact you; you show it and sell it with your lawyer.
Updated October 24, 2026
How to sell your cottage yourself in 4 steps
Selling a cottage on your own takes four steps from your account. Once your ID, proof of ownership and signature are in, we enter the listing and email you the MLS® number when it's live.
- Start and pay. Choose Freehold for Sale when you start your listing, then the property type that fits (most cottages are Detached or Rural Residential). Pick a plan: $69.99 a month (cancel any time), or Unlimited ($249.99, renews free until sold) if it may take more than one season.
- Describe the cottage and the waterfront. Rooms and sizes, the lake or river's name, the water frontage in metres, the shoreline, docks and boathouses, how you get there, and the water and septic. Up to 40 photos, including the view from the water.
- Sign the listing agreement online. We check the listing and enter it on the MLS® System; it's sent on to realtor.ca.
- Buyers contact you. You show the cottage (or have someone you trust do it), review offers with your lawyer, and tell us when it's sold.
What you keep: a flat fee instead of a listing commission
A full-service listing agent is usually paid a percentage of the sale price, often 2–2.5% for their side, plus HST. Waterfront prices make that a large sum. A flat fee listing gets your cottage the same MLS® exposure, and you do the showing and selling yourself.
Either way, you also offer a commission to a buyer's agent, paid only if that agent brings the buyer. It must be a set amount (never $0), and if a buyer comes to you with no agent there's nothing to pay. Run your own numbers in the commission calculator.
What the listing side of a commission would cost at common cottage prices, against our Unlimited plan:
| Sale price | Listing side at 2–2.5% + HST | Flat fee MLS® listing |
|---|---|---|
| $500,000 | $10,000–$12,500 + HST | $249.99 + HST, until sold |
| $800,000 | $16,000–$20,000 + HST | $249.99 + HST, until sold |
| $1,200,000 | $24,000–$30,000 + HST | $249.99 + HST, until sold |
Waterfront: get it exactly right
On the MLS® System, "waterfront" is about the land and your legal rights, not the view. Direct means your property touches the water. Indirect means you don't own the shore, but your deed or a registered easement or right-of-way gives you a legal right to use a specific waterfront, such as a shared dock or an association beach. A lake view, or a cottage across the road from the water, is None. Buyers search by it, and a listing marked waterfront when it isn't can be removed from the MLS® System.
Many Ontario waterfront lots also have an original shore road allowance: a strip, typically 66 feet wide, between the lot and the water. Unless it has been bought and closed, you don't own to the water's edge, and docks or boathouses on it may sit on land that isn't yours. The listing asks whether it's Owned, Not Owned or Partially Owned; your deed or survey says, and your municipality can tell you whether it has been closed and sold. Buyers' lawyers check it, so say it plainly up front.
The details cottage buyers check first
Cottage buyers judge a property on how they'll get there, when they can use it, and what's under the ground. Give these in the listing, and have the papers ready for serious buyers:
| Detail | What to give |
|---|---|
| Access | Year-round municipal road, seasonal road, private road, right-of-way, or water access only (and where to park and launch) |
| Season | Winterized and used year-round, or three-season; heat source and insulation |
| Water | Drilled or dug well, lake water, or municipal water; any treatment system and a recent water test |
| Septic | Septic system, holding tank or none; its age, and the last pump-out or inspection |
| Shoreline | Water frontage in metres, sandy or rocky, shallow or deep, which way it faces; docks, boathouse, bunkie |
| Services | Hydro, internet and cell service, garbage pickup, road maintenance fees if it's a private road |
| What's included | Furniture, boats, docks and equipment that stay, listed one by one |
Well water, septic and taxes
For a private well, a recent bacteria result answers buyers' first question. Public Health Ontario tests private drinking water for bacteria (E. coli and coliforms) free of charge; kits are at your local health unit. Tests for minerals and chemicals go to a licensed lab. For a septic system, keep the pump-out receipts and any inspection report together.
If the cottage isn't your principal residence, selling it may mean capital gains tax. Ask your accountant before you set the price. Our brokerage posts the listing; it doesn't give tax or legal advice.
Is selling your cottage yourself right for you?
It suits owners who can get to the cottage for showings, or have a neighbour or family member nearby who can, and who know the property well enough to answer questions about the water, the septic and the road. Buyers' agents bring their buyers; you open the door and work through the offer with your lawyer.
It's a harder fit if you live far away with no one to show it, if the waterfront or the shore road allowance is in question, or if you want someone else to handle every buyer conversation; a full-service agent who knows the lake earns the commission then. Selling a lot on the water with no cottage on it? See sell vacant land in Ontario. So far we've put 12 waterfront properties for sale on the MLS® System, from lots on the water to a Georgian Bay cottage beside Killbear Provincial Park and lake homes on Upper Rideau Lake and Black Sturgeon Lake.
Questions
Can I sell my cottage privately in Ontario and still get it on MLS®?
Yes. With a flat fee listing, a licensed brokerage puts your cottage on the MLS® System and realtor.ca, and you sell it yourself. You show it, negotiate and sign with your lawyer; a buyer's agent is paid the commission you offered only if they bring the buyer.
How much does it cost to list a cottage on MLS®?
With us, from $69.99 a month, or $249.99 for Unlimited, which renews free until it sells, plus 13% HST. You also offer a commission to a buyer's agent, paid only if one brings the buyer.
Do I have to own the shore road allowance to sell?
No. You can sell either way, but you must say which it is: Owned, Not Owned or Partially Owned. Your deed or survey shows it, and your municipality can confirm whether it was closed and sold. Buyers' lawyers check it.
My cottage is water access only. Can it go on the MLS® System?
Yes. Choose Water Only for access, say where buyers park and launch, and put how showings work (for example, a boat pickup from the marina) in the showing instructions.
Can I sell it furnished, with the boat and the dock?
Yes. List everything that stays in the listing's inclusions, one item at a time, and make sure the same list goes into the agreement of purchase and sale. That way both sides know exactly what stays.
What if a neighbour on the lake buys it without an agent?
That's fine. Tell us it's sold from your account and we update the listing. With no buyer's agent involved, there's no commission to pay.
What's included
- Your cottage on the MLS® System, through PropTx, which feeds TRREB and other Ontario boards
- Sent on to realtor.ca, where cottage buyers and their agents filter for waterfront
- The waterfront details buyers search by: the lake or river, water frontage, shoreline, docking and the shore road allowance
- How you get there (year-round road, seasonal road or water only), plus water, septic, hydro and services
- Your price, up to 40 photos, your description and the commission you offer a buyer's agent
- Showing requests and offers sent straight to you, and price or detail changes until it sells
Flat fee MLS® prices
| Plan | Price | 🎁 With code FREEUPGRADE |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly Subscription | $69.99 / month | — |
| 2-month Listing | $99.99 | You get the 3-month Listing, free |
| 3-month Listing | $119.99 | You get the 6-month Listing, free |
| 6-month Listing | $149.99 | You get the 12-month Listing, free |
| 12-month Listing | $199.99 | — |
| Unlimited Listing | $249.99 | — |
Plus 13% HST. The monthly plan can be cancelled any time.
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Put your cottage on the MLS® System
From $69.99 a month, or $249.99 for Unlimited, which renews free until sold, plus 13% HST. Choose Freehold for Sale on the first screen, and use FREEUPGRADE at checkout to get the next plan up free.