The example: from a Barrie house to a Barrie townhouse
This example uses real Barrie prices from TRREB’s September 2026 report. You sell a detached house at Barrie’s median detached price of $716,000. You buy a townhouse at Barrie’s townhouse benchmark of $465,800.
The example rests on these figures. Swap in your own quotes where you can:
- Real estate commission of 4% of the sale price. Commission isn’t fixed by law; you agree on it with your agent.
- HST of 13% on the commission, the Ontario rate.
- Legal fees of about $1,800 for the sale and about $1,800 for the purchase.
- Movers at about $3,000.
The legal and moving figures are rough estimates for this example, not quotes. Ask two or three Barrie firms for real prices before you decide.
Every cost, line by line
| Cost | The working | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Commission on the sale | $716,000 × 4% | $28,640.00 |
| HST on the commission | $28,640 × 13% | $3,723.20 |
| Ontario land transfer tax on the purchase | See the next table | $5,791.00 |
| Legal fees, sale | Estimate | $1,800.00 |
| Legal fees, purchase | Estimate | $1,800.00 |
| Movers | Estimate | $3,000.00 |
| Total | $44,754.20 |
That’s about $44,750. It’s money spent on the move, not money you get.
How the Ontario land transfer tax works out
Ontario’s land transfer tax is charged in layers, like income tax. Each slice of the price is taxed at its own rate. Barrie has no municipal land transfer tax, so Toronto’s extra city tax doesn’t apply here.
| Slice of the $465,800 price | Rate | Tax on that slice |
|---|---|---|
| First $55,000 | 0.5% | $275 |
| $55,000 to $250,000 ($195,000) | 1.0% | $1,950 |
| $250,000 to $400,000 ($150,000) | 1.5% | $2,250 |
| $400,000 to $465,800 ($65,800) | 2.0% | $1,316 |
| Total | $5,791 |
If you bought a Barrie condo apartment instead, the tax would be lower. At the apartment benchmark of $416,600, it’s $4,807. At the median condo apartment sale of $393,500, it’s $4,377.50.
Ontario does offer a land transfer tax refund for first-time buyers. It’s only for people who have never owned a home, in Canada or abroad, so as a seller, you won’t qualify.
What you’d have left after the move
The price difference is $716,000 minus $465,800, or $250,200. Take away the $44,750 in costs, and about $205,450 is left.
If you still have a mortgage on your house, it gets paid off from the sale first, so you’d have less. Your new home also has its own costs. If it’s a condo townhouse, it comes with monthly condo fees, and property tax carries on wherever you live.
If you moved to a condo apartment instead
Barrie also has condo apartments, including towers near the waterfront. Here’s the same sale, with a purchase at Barrie’s apartment benchmark of $416,600.
| Cost or result | The working | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Commission and HST on the sale | As in the first table | $32,363.20 |
| Ontario land transfer tax | On $416,600 | $4,807.00 |
| Legal fees and movers | Same estimates as above | $6,600.00 |
| Total costs | $43,770.20 | |
| Price difference | $716,000 − $416,600 | $299,400.00 |
| Left after costs | $299,400 − $43,770.20 | $255,629.80 |
More is left over, but a condo apartment brings monthly condo fees, which a freehold townhouse doesn’t. Ask for the fee history of any Barrie building you’re looking at.
How long a Barrie sale may take, and why it matters
Time is a cost too. In September 2026, the average Barrie home was listed for 40 days before it sold, and sold for 98% of its asking price. There were 888 homes for sale at the end of the month, so buyers had choice.
That pace shapes the order you do things in:
- Sell first, and you know your money before you buy. But you may need to rent or store your things between homes.
- Buy first, and you move once. But you may carry two homes, with two tax bills and two sets of utilities, until the house sells.
- Close both on the same day, and you avoid both problems. It takes careful timing between your agent and your lawyer.
Some moving costs are easy to forget. Plan for a home inspection on the place you buy, furniture that won’t fit the smaller rooms, and new window coverings. None of them is in the $44,750 above.
What staying in your Barrie home costs instead
If you’d rather stay in your home, a reverse mortgage is one way to free up money without selling. On the same $716,000 house, the most you could get at 70 is up to about $378,000. That’s a ceiling, not an offer, and the appraisal sets the real figure.
| Downsize to a townhouse | Stay, with a reverse mortgage | |
|---|---|---|
| Up-front costs | About $44,750 | About $2,000 to $3,500 |
| Money freed up | About $205,000 | Up to about $378,000 at 70 |
| Monthly mortgage payment | None, if the new home is paid for | None required |
| Interest | None | Added to the balance, compounded twice a year |
| Where you live | A new, smaller home | The home you know |
The interest is the main cost of staying. Advertised 5-year fixed rates ran 6.23% to 6.94% on October 2, 2026. The guide to what a reverse mortgage costs in Barrie shows how a balance grows over 15 years.
Staying also means your property tax, insurance and upkeep stay yours. In Barrie, upkeep includes winter. The City doesn’t clear the snow windrow at the end of your driveway; residents do that themselves. If shovelling is getting hard, the City points residents to the Snow Angels Canada volunteer platform. The Barrie property tax guide for seniors covers the tax side.
Questions to settle before you list your house
Start with where you want to live. A move to a condo can mean fewer stairs and no lawn or driveway, but it adds monthly fees. Staying keeps the house, the street and the neighbours you know.
Think about the places you go most. Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre is on Georgian Drive, and the City runs 55+ programs at the Allandale Recreation Centre and the Parkview Centre. A move across town can change how easily you reach them.
Next, think about timing. If you take a reverse mortgage and then sell in the first few years, a penalty applies to pay it off early. It falls to $0 after five to ten years, depending on the lender (at some lenders from year five, with written notice). So if a move is likely soon, say so up front.
Last, look at your own numbers, not a citywide example. The guide to Barrie home prices shows values by home type.
The Barrie reverse mortgage calculator shows the most you could get at your age. Since Richard arranges home equity lines of credit and refinances as well, he’ll point you to whichever choice gives you the best overall value, even when that means not borrowing at all.
The bottom line
Moving from a typical Barrie house to a townhouse costs roughly $44,750 in the example here, and that money is spent, not money you get. You'd keep about $205,000 of the price difference. Before you list, it's worth seeing what staying in your home could look like, so you're choosing between real numbers.
To see figures for your own home, get a free Barrie estimate. It costs nothing, and there's no sales pressure.