For Sale by Owner in Durham Region: Sell Privately on MLS®
You can sell for sale by owner in Durham Region, from Pickering and Ajax to Whitby, Oshawa and Clarington, and still be on realtor.ca: a flat fee MLS® listing puts your home on the MLS® System from $69.99 a month, while you show it and negotiate yourself. Below: where owner-listed Durham homes show up, septic records, unit registration and renting out.
Updated October 5, 2026
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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 MAX Exposure Listing, free |
| MAX Exposure Listing | $239.99 | — |
Plus 13% HST on Ontario listings; no tax on Alberta listings. The monthly plan can be cancelled any time.
Flat fee vs. paying a commission
Ontario figures with 13% HST. Both sides leave out the buyer agent's commission, which you offer whichever way you list.
Homes for sale by owner in Durham Region
Durham homes listed by their owners appear on realtor.ca like any MLS® listing and on classified sites. The homes on this page are listed by their owners through us, on the PropTx MLS® System Durham's REALTORS® use: their board, now the Central Lakes Association of REALTORS®, is a PropTx board, so agents across PropTx, Toronto's included, see the same listing.
Buyers contact the owner directly to book a showing or make an offer, with a real estate lawyer reviewing it. As a seller, your costs are the listing fee, your lawyer, and the buyer agent commission you choose to offer; see real estate commission in Ontario. Durham has no municipal land transfer tax, so buyers pay Ontario's only.
Selling elsewhere in Ontario? See Toronto, Ottawa, Mississauga, Brampton, Markham, Barrie or Niagara Region.
Selling a rural Durham home with a septic system
Outside the towns, from Uxbridge and Scugog to Brock and north Clarington, many Durham homes have a septic system, and buyers' lawyers and lenders will ask about it. Durham Region's Health Department keeps the septic records for every Durham municipality except Oshawa, and the property owner or their listing agent can request a records search for a fee.
Replies can take up to 10 business days, and there are no records before 1974, so request the file before you list, not after an offer comes in with a septic condition. Having the permit and any inspection history ready, plus your pumping receipts, answers the first question every rural buyer asks.
Renting out your Durham home by owner
Renting instead? CMHC's October 2025 survey of purpose-built apartments in the Oshawa area (Oshawa, Whitby and Clarington) found a 3.7% vacancy rate and an average two-bedroom rent of $1,754 (CMHC data tables). Listing on the MLS® System reaches the agents whose tenants are already looking; see list a rental on MLS®. Each town has its own rules:
- Oshawa: rentals near Durham College and Ontario Tech University need a Residential Rental Housing Licence, and every two-unit house in Oshawa must be registered.
- Whitby: every additional dwelling unit must be registered with the town ($268).
- Pickering: registering an additional dwelling unit is mandatory under the city's by-law.
- Carbon monoxide alarms: Oshawa's licensing page notes that from January 1, 2026 a CO alarm is needed on every storey of a licensed rental.
Selling by owner in Durham Region: questions
Can I sell my house by owner in Durham Region?
Yes. Ontario doesn't require a listing agent. A flat fee listing puts your Oshawa, Whitby, Ajax, Pickering or Clarington home on the MLS® System and realtor.ca; you show it and negotiate, and a real estate lawyer closes the sale.
Which MLS® board covers Durham Region?
Durham's REALTORS® belong to the Central Lakes Association of REALTORS®, a PropTx board. Our listings go on the PropTx MLS® System, so Durham and Toronto-area agents see them.
How do I get septic records for my Durham home?
From Durham Region's Health Department, for every Durham municipality except Oshawa. The owner or their listing agent can request a records search for a fee; allow up to 10 business days.
Do I need to register a basement apartment in Whitby or Pickering?
Yes. Whitby requires every additional dwelling unit to be registered with the town, for a $268 fee, and Pickering makes registration mandatory under its by-law. In Oshawa every two-unit house must be registered too. Register before you rent the unit or advertise it as legal.
Do I need a licence to rent out my Oshawa house?
Only near Durham College and Ontario Tech University, where rentals need a Residential Rental Housing Licence. Every two-unit house in Oshawa must be registered with the city wherever it is.
How much does it cost to list a Durham home on MLS®?
Our plans are $69.99 a month, $99.99 for 2 months, $119.99 for 3, $149.99 for 6, or $239.99 for MAX, which renews free until sold, plus 13% HST. FREEUPGRADE gets you the next plan up free.
Sell by owner in Durham Region, on MLS®
From $69.99 a month. Use FREEUPGRADE at checkout to get the next plan up free.