Downsizing From a House to a Condo in Markham: What Actually Changes

How much space you really lose, what condo fees cover in Markham, where the buildings are, and why storage is the part almost everyone underestimates.

Table of Contents

• How much space you actually lose
• The storage problem nobody plans for
• Markham condo fees and what they actually cover
• Where Markham condos are, and how they differ
• The alternative: a bungalow instead of a condo
• What does not come with you
• Sell first or buy first
• Frequently asked questions

How much space you actually lose

Most people moving from a house to a condo in Markham picture a smaller version of what they have. In practice it is a different shape of living, not a smaller one, and the numbers are worth seeing plainly before you start touring buildings. If you are weighing this as part of a retirement move, our guide to senior downsizing in Markham covers the wider decision.

The honest summary: roughly half the living space and somewhere between a tenth and a twentieth of the storage. The living space is manageable, because a great deal of a detached home goes unused. The storage is where people get caught.

The storage problem nobody plans for

In a Markham detached home, storage is invisible because it is everywhere. The basement holds the seasonal things. The garage holds the tools, the bikes, the snow tires and the lawn equipment. The shed holds whatever did not fit in the garage. Closets are scattered through the house.

In a condo you get one locker, and a locker is not a basement. It is closer in size to a coat closet.

Markham condo fees and what they actually cover

The fee is the number that stops most house owners in their tracks, because it looks like a new bill appearing where there was none. It is not, and the comparison is worth doing carefully rather than reacting to the headline figure.

A Markham condo fee typically covers building insurance, common area maintenance, snow removal, landscaping, the reserve fund, and in many buildings some utilities such as water and heat. Those are all things you currently pay for separately as a homeowner, just invisibly and at irregular intervals.

To compare honestly, add up what the house actually costs you in a year: property tax, home insurance, utilities, lawn care, snow removal, and an average annual figure for repairs and replacements. Roof, furnace, windows and driveway all have a lifespan, and the cost of replacing them is real even in years when you are not paying it. Most Markham homeowners find that number higher than they expected.

Two things to ask about specifically in Markham. First, which utilities are included, because it varies more between buildings here than people assume and it can swing the monthly comparison by a meaningful amount. Second, the reserve fund, since a building with a weak reserve fund can issue a special assessment that arrives as a large one-time bill.

We work through the fee math in detail in condo fees explained for downsizers. The approach is the same in Markham, though the buildings and the fee ranges differ.

Where Markham condos are, and how they differ

Markham does not have one condo market. It has several, and they suit very different people. If you are coming from a detached home in Unionville or Wismer, the nearest tower is not automatically the right answer.

Downtown Markham

The most walkable option in the city, built as a proper urban district with restaurants, a cinema and green space within a few minutes on foot. Suits people who want to stop driving for everything. Newer buildings, higher fees on average, and the strongest resale demand of the Markham condo markets.

Markham Centre and the Highway 7 corridor

Well connected for anyone still commuting or travelling frequently, with transit along Highway 7 and quick highway access. A mix of building ages, which means a wider range of fees and unit sizes than Downtown Markham. Worth looking at closely if budget matters, because value varies considerably building to building.

Older low-rise buildings

Scattered through the established parts of Markham, often three to six storeys, frequently with larger unit sizes than newer construction. These appeal to house owners specifically because the rooms are closer to what they are used to. The trade-off is older building systems, so the reserve fund and recent capital work matter more here than anywhere else.

Staying near where you already live

For many Markham downsizers the deciding factor is not the building at all. It is staying near the same grocery store, the same doctor, the same place of worship and the same friends. If that is the priority, say so early, because it narrows the search dramatically and there is no point touring Downtown Markham if you intend to stay near Markham Village.

The alternative: a bungalow instead of a condo

A significant number of people who start out searching for a condo end up in a bungalow or a bungalow town instead. It is worth knowing the option exists before you rule it in or out.

Going from a two-storey to a bungalow solves the problem most people are actually trying to solve, which is the staircase, while keeping much of what they like about a house. You keep a garage. You keep some outdoor space. You often keep a basement, which means the storage problem largely disappears.

The catch is supply. True bungalows in Markham are limited, because most of the original single-storey stock has been replaced over the past thirty years. Bungalow towns and adult lifestyle communities fill some of that gap, offering a main-floor primary bedroom with exterior maintenance handled by the corporation, but inventory across York Region is thin and often means looking beyond Markham itself.

What does not come with you

Beyond the obvious, a few categories consistently surprise people making this move.

Working through all of this takes longer than people expect. Our room-by-room downsizing checklist for Markham breaks it into manageable stages, and the decluttering and downsizing guide covers what to do with what you are not keeping.

Sell first or buy first

If you have decided on a condo, this becomes the practical question, and it is genuinely different when the two properties are different types.

Selling the house first gives you a certain number to work with, removes the risk of carrying two properties, and puts you in a stronger position when you make an offer. The downside is time pressure. Condo inventory in Markham moves in cycles, and being obliged to buy within sixty days is not where you want to be if the right unit is not available.

Buying first removes that pressure and lets you move once rather than twice, which matters more than it sounds when you are clearing a house that has been lived in for decades. The downside is the financing and the risk of carrying both properties if the house takes longer to sell than expected.

In practice the answer usually comes down to two things: how much equity you are working with, and how specific you are about the building you want. The more specific you are, the stronger the case for buying first. There is no universally correct answer, and it is worth working through with real numbers rather than instinct. Either way, our Markham downsizing timeline sets out how far ahead to start preparing the house.

Note: square footage ranges, condo fee inclusions and building amenities described in this article are general and vary considerably between Markham buildings. Always review the status certificate, reserve fund study and declaration for any specific condominium before purchasing, and confirm details with a licensed real estate professional and a lawyer for advice specific to your situation.