For Sale by Owner in Ontario: Your Options, Costs and Rules

What's included

• Your home on the MLS® System through PropTx, which feeds 14 Ontario boards, including Toronto (TRREB), Ottawa, London, Niagara and Oakville-Milton
• Your home on realtor.ca, typically followed by MLS®-fed sites such as HouseSigma, Zolo and Condos.ca
• Up to 40 photos, your description, your price and the full property details
• Showing requests from buyer agents sent straight to you to confirm, and realtor.ca inquiries forwarded to you
• Price, photo and detail changes while you're listed, plus the conditional and sold updates

Recently listed by sellers like you

463 Greenwood Avenue, North BayMLS® #X13858544

18 Cromarty Avenue, HaldimandMLS® #X13850856

$325,0000 Bayview Drive, RR1 WoodlawnMLS® #X13849844

C-12 Southwell Drive, TorontoMLS® #C13849080

1354 County Road 2, Leeds and the Thousand IslandsMLS® #X13835392

$595,0001-86A Bernick Drive BarrieMLS® #S13835166

$310,0002239 Southwood Rd, KilworthyMLS® #X13831964

$565,000112 Borland St E, OrilliaMLS® #S13585146

What sellers say

Flat fee MLS® prices

Plus 13% HST on Ontario listings; no tax on Alberta listings. The monthly plan can be cancelled any time.

What selling by owner can save you in Ontario

Enter your asking price to compare a typical listing agent's commission, with 13% HST, against a flat fee. You still choose what to offer a buyer's agent, and that's only paid if their buyer buys.

What "for sale by owner" means in Ontario

For sale by owner (FSBO) means you sell your home without paying a listing agent to market it and negotiate for you. You set the price, answer buyers, run the showings and work out the offer. It's legal in Ontario, and many owners do it to keep the listing commission.

You can't skip the lawyer, though. In Ontario a real estate lawyer closes the sale: they review the agreement, register the transfer, pay off your mortgage and send you what's left. Plan on hiring one before the first offer comes in, not after.

Your 4 ways to sell by owner in Ontario

Selling by owner doesn't have to mean selling alone. These are the usual routes, from the cheapest to the most hands-off. ForSaleByOwner.ca's price is taken from its own site on October 4, 2026, with Ontario selected; ours come from our checkout, before tax.

Why most Ontario FSBO sellers still want MLS®

Buyers in Ontario mostly search realtor.ca and apps fed by the MLS® System, and most of them have an agent who searches the MLS® System for them. A sign or a Kijiji ad never reaches those buyers. A flat fee MLS® listing does, without handing the sale to an agent.

With us, your home goes on the MLS® System through Robin Hood Realty Limited, Brokerage and on to realtor.ca. Buyer agents book showings with you, offers are made out to you and come to you directly, and you decide. You can still put the listing link on Facebook or send it to neighbours.

How to sell by owner in Ontario with a flat fee MLS® listing

1. Choose a plan and pay. It takes a few minutes, and your account is created for you.
2. Add your home's details, photos and ID, then sign. A guided form asks for what the MLS® System needs, and an assistant can help with any field you're unsure of.
3. We enter your home on the MLS® System. It's sent on to realtor.ca, and we email you your MLS® number when it's live.
4. Buyers and their agents contact you. You confirm showings, answer questions and receive offers directly.

Ontario rules and costs to know before you sell by owner

• A real estate lawyer is a must. Have one review any offer before you sign, and they'll close the sale for you.
• Land transfer tax is the buyer's cost, not yours. That includes Toronto's municipal land transfer tax. Don't let it come off your price.
• No HST on most resale homes. A home you've lived in usually has no HST on the price. New or substantially renovated homes can be different, so ask your lawyer.
• Report the sale on your tax return. If it was your principal residence, the gain is usually tax-free, but the CRA still asks you to report the sale in the year you sell.
• Condos need a status certificate. The buyer usually makes the offer conditional on reviewing it. Order it from your condo corporation early; it has 10 days to deliver it.
• Check your mortgage. Breaking it early can mean a prepayment penalty. Ask your lender for a payout statement so you know your real net.
• Deposits go into trust. The buyer's deposit is held in trust, usually by the buyer agent's brokerage or a lawyer. Never take it in cash yourself.
• Living outside Canada? A non-resident seller needs a clearance certificate from the CRA (section 116), or the buyer's lawyer holds back part of the price.

Do you have to pay a buyer's agent when you sell by owner?

Only if you offer it and their buyer buys. On an MLS® listing you set the buyer agent's commission yourself, as a percentage or a flat amount, and it's shown to agents so they know what they'll earn by bringing a buyer. If a buyer comes to you with no agent, there's no buyer agent commission to pay.

What a flat fee replaces is the listing agent's commission, the part that usually costs the most. Use the calculator above to see what that is on your price.

Is selling by owner right for you?

It suits Ontario owners who know roughly what their home is worth, can answer the phone during the day, and are comfortable reading an offer with their lawyer's help. Look up recent sold prices on your street on HouseSigma or a similar site before you set your price.

It's a harder fit if you can't be there for showings, you'd rather someone else negotiated, or you want advice on pricing and staging. In that case a full-service agent may be worth the commission.

Looking to buy a home for sale by owner in Ontario?

Homes we list for owners are on realtor.ca like any other MLS® listing. Search there, and the listing tells you how to reach the owner. A few recent ones are shown near the top of this page.

Questions