Pre-Listing Appraisals in Toronto and the GTA
Before you choose a list price, sell without an agent or sell to family, find out what your home is really worth. An appraisal comes from someone with nothing riding on the price: no commission, no listing to win. You get a signed, independent value, usually within 2–3 days of the inspection.
Condos and townhouses from $370, houses from $475. Your exact fee in writing within one business day, with no cost or obligation.
- Today’s Market ValueBased on recent nearby sales
- 2–3 DaysFrom inspection to signed report
- IndependentNo commission riding on the price
- CUSPAP 2026Canadian Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice, E&O Insured
Every report is signed byJacklin Park, P.App., CRACanadian Residential Appraiser, designated by the Appraisal Institute of Canada12,000+ appraisals over 10+ yearsVerify on the Appraisal Institute of Canada directory ↗
Who Orders a Pre-Listing Appraisal?
Most homeowners sell only a few times in their lives, and the price is the decision that matters most. A pre-listing appraisal gives you an independent starting point, whether you’re listing with an agent, selling on your own or selling to someone you love.
Choosing Your List Price
Price too high and the home sits while buyers wonder why. Too low and you leave money behind. Start from a value built on recent nearby sales, then set your strategy with your agent.
You get: a supported starting point for pricingChecking an Agent’s Suggested Price
Agents competing for your listing can suggest very different numbers. An appraiser has nothing to win, so you can see which pitch is grounded in the sales before you sign a listing agreement.
You get: an independent benchmark for interviewing agentsSelling Privately, Without an Agent
When you sell on your own, the price is entirely your call. A signed report gives you a number to list from, and a document to show buyers who question it.
You get: a list price you can explain and defendSelling to a Family Member
The Canada Revenue Agency generally treats a sale to a relative as if it happened at fair market value, the price it would likely fetch on the open market, whatever price you agree. An appraisal puts that value on record and keeps everyone, including siblings, on the same page. See how it works.
You get: fair market value, documented for your accountantBuying Out a Co-Owner
Siblings who inherited a home, friends who bought together, or one owner keeping the house. A buyout goes more smoothly when everyone starts from a value no one chose.
You get: one number everyone can work from · estate and separation appraisalsUnique or Hard-to-Price Homes
Custom builds, laneway suites, oversized lots, major renovations, or streets with few recent sales. Online estimates struggle with these. An appraiser inspects the home and adjusts for what makes it different.
You get: a value that reflects your actual homeAppraisal, Agent’s Opinion, Online Estimate or Tax Assessment?
They all produce a number, but they aren’t the same thing. A good agent’s opinion is a useful pricing tool, and agents bring marketing skill an appraiser doesn’t. The difference is who stands behind the number, and whether they have anything to gain from it.
| Question | Certified appraisal | Agent’s price opinion | Online estimate | Property tax assessment (MPAC) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Who prepares it | A certified appraiser | A real estate agent | A computer model | Ontario’s property assessment agency |
| Stake in the number | None, the fee is fixed | May hope to win your listing | None, but no one stands behind it | None, it’s set for property tax |
| Inside inspection | Yes | Often a walkthrough | No | No |
| Value as of | Today, or any date you need | Today | Today, from available data | A fixed date in the past |
| Shows its reasoning | Every sale compared, and every adjustment, in writing | Varies | No | Limited |
| Signed and insured | Yes, to CUSPAP | No | No | No |
| Useful for family sales and your accountant | Yes | Limited | No | No |
| Cost | From $370 | Usually no charge | No charge | Included on your tax bill |
Many sellers use both: an appraisal for the value, and an agent for pricing strategy, marketing and negotiation.
A Worked Example:
Selling the Condo to Family
Margaret bought a condo in North York in 2014 for $380,000 and has rented it out ever since. Now she wants to sell it to her daughter Lisa for $450,000, well below what it would fetch on the market. It feels generous. But the tax rules treat a sale between relatives differently from a sale to a stranger.
- Property
- Rental condo, North York
- Margaret paid, 2014
- $380,000
- Price Lisa will pay
- $450,000
- Fair market value today
- Needed
| Step 1: What Margaret reports | |
| Price Lisa actually pays | $450,000 |
| Fair market value From the appraisal | $620,000 |
| Proceeds the tax rules use, the higher of the two | $620,000 |
| Less: what Margaret paid | −$380,000 |
| Capital gain Margaret reports | $240,000 |
| Step 2: What Lisa inherits | |
| Lisa’s cost for tax purposes, what she paid | $450,000 |
| If Lisa later sells at $620,000, her gain | $170,000 |
| The same $170,000, taxed for both of them | $170,000 |
Why the Price Has to Be Right
On the open market, you leave money on the table. On a family sale, the tax rules use fair market value anyway, so the discount can cost twice.
Serious buyers come early, offers are easier to compare, and the price is likely to hold up when the buyer’s lender orders its own appraisal.
The listing goes stale and price cuts follow. If a buyer does agree, their lender’s appraisal may come in short, and they must cover the gap or the deal can fall apart.
Simplified, for illustration. Assumes the condo was never Margaret’s principal residence and ignores selling costs, improvements and the tax rate itself. An outright gift is treated differently from a discounted sale. Your accountant or tax lawyer will apply the rules to your situation.
How a Pre-Listing Appraisal Works
It’s the same appraisal a lender would rely on, prepared for you instead. The appraiser sees your home in person, compares it with what nearby homes actually sold for, and explains every adjustment in writing.
Tell Us Your Plans
Listing with an agent, selling privately or selling to family, and roughly when. If you need the report by a certain date, say so and we’ll plan around it.
Inspect the Home
About 30 to 45 minutes, inside and out. We measure, photograph and note the condition, along with upgrades that add value, like a new kitchen, roof or finished basement.
Compare Recent Sales
We select the closest recent sales in your area and adjust each one for size, condition, lot and location. Current and expired listings help show where the market is heading.
Deliver the Signed Report
A signed PDF, usually within 2–3 days of the inspection, with every sale we compared and every adjustment set out so you, your agent or your buyer can follow the reasoning.
What We’ll Need From You
- The property address and the type of home
- Why you need the value: listing, private sale, family sale or buyout, and anyone else who should receive the report
- Recent renovations or upgrades, with rough dates and costs if you have them
- For condos, the unit’s parking, locker and monthly fees
Before We Visit
No staging, no deep clean. A few simple steps help the report reflect everything your home has going for it.
- Leave it as you live in it. Normal tidiness is fine. We value the home, not the furniture or the decor.
- Make a list of improvements. A new roof, windows, furnace or kitchen often can’t be seen at a glance. Dates and receipts help us give them proper credit.
- Open up every space. Unlock the basement, garage, attic hatch, and for condos the locker and parking spot, so we can see and measure everything.
- Tell us about known issues. A past leak or an old repair is better on the record now than raised by a buyer’s inspector later.
Sample Report
This is a real Best Home Value report: 34 pages, prepared to CUSPAP, the Canadian Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice, and signed by Jacklin Park. It’s what you receive, and what you can share with your agent, a buyer or your family.
More From the Report
Addresses, names, client details and the signature are hidden to protect our client’s privacy. Photos and maps are blurred.
Pre-Listing Appraisal Fees
| Property | Fee |
|---|---|
| Condo or townhouse | from $370 |
| Detached or semi-detached | from $475 |
| Multi-unit, luxury or unique homes | quoted |
Your fee depends on the size and type of the home, its location, and how soon you need the report. Send the address and you’ll have your exact fee in writing within one business day, before anything is booked.
Who Can See Your Report
You’re our client, and the report is yours. Share it with your agent, a buyer, family members, your accountant or your lawyer. If you’d like someone named on the report as an intended user, so they can rely on it, tell us when you request your quote.
A buyer’s mortgage lender will usually order its own appraisal from its approved list. That’s normal, and a well-supported value from us helps you price the home so it holds up when theirs comes in.
Our fee is the same whatever the value. Canada’s appraisal standards require an unbiased opinion, which is exactly why the number is worth having before you sell.
If the Value Isn’t What You Expected
Sometimes the appraisal comes in below what an agent suggested or what you hoped. Better to learn that now than from a buyer’s lender in the middle of a deal. Here’s what you can do.
Check the Facts
If something in the report is wrong, like the square footage, a missed upgrade or the number of bathrooms, tell us. We correct factual errors at no charge and reissue the report.
Ask Us to Explain
Jacklin will walk you or your agent through the sales we compared and how we adjusted for differences, so you can see exactly how the value was reached.
Send Us Sales We Missed
If you know of a recent nearby sale we didn’t use, send it. We’ll review it and explain in writing whether it changes the value, and why.
Decide Your Strategy
The appraisal is a value, not a rule. You and your agent can still choose to list above or below it. You’ll just be doing it knowingly.
One thing we won’t do is raise a value because you’d like a higher number. That independence is what makes the report worth showing to a buyer.
How It Works
Six steps from your first message to a signed report, and you can check where things stand at any point.
Request a Quote
Tell us the address, the property type and why you need the appraisal.
Get Your Fee
You’ll have the exact fee in writing within one business day.
Book the Visit
Choose an inspection time that suits you, Monday to Saturday.
Inspection
The appraiser measures, photographs and notes the home’s condition.
Analysis
We choose recent sales of similar nearby homes, adjust for the differences, and weigh them to reach a value.
Signed Report
Delivered 2 to 3 days after the inspection, with the appraiser available for questions.
Track Your Appraisal
Already booked? See which stage your report is at, any time, without having to call.
Track My AppraisalExample order. Report expected Thursday.
Pre-Listing Appraisal Questions
Will an appraisal tell me what to list at?
It tells you the fair market value: the most likely price on today’s market, supported by recent nearby sales. Many sellers list at or near it, and some list a little above or below on purpose. Your pricing strategy is up to you and your agent.
Can I list above the appraised value?
Yes. It’s your home and your decision. Just keep in mind that a buyer who needs a mortgage will usually face their lender’s own appraisal, and if it comes in below the price, they must make up the difference or the deal may not close.
My agent and the appraisal disagree. Who’s right?
An agent’s opinion and an appraisal answer slightly different questions. An agent may suggest a price strategy, and some suggest a high number to win the listing. An appraisal shows the value the sales support. Ask your agent to show you the sales they compared, next to ours; the difference is usually easy to see.
Is this the same as a bank appraisal?
It follows the same standards, CUSPAP (the Canadian Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice), and the same methods. Jacklin is also E&O insured: she carries errors and omissions insurance, professional liability coverage for her work. The difference is that it’s prepared for you, not for a lender, so you choose who sees it.
Will my buyer’s lender use my report?
Usually not. Lenders order appraisals through their own approved lists. Your report still helps: a list price that matches a well-supported value is far more likely to hold up when the lender’s appraisal comes in.
Do I need to clean or stage first?
No. Normal tidiness is fine. We value the home itself, its size, condition, features and location, not the furniture or decor.
Can I show the report to buyers?
Yes. The report is yours to share with anyone you like. Private sellers often use it to explain their asking price, and family sellers share it with their accountant and other family members.
I’m selling to my child. Do I need an appraisal?
It’s strongly recommended. The Canada Revenue Agency generally treats a sale between related people as if it happened at fair market value, whatever price you agree. A signed appraisal documents that value. Talk to your accountant about the tax effects, especially if the home wasn’t your principal residence.
How long is the appraisal valid?
The value reflects the market on the report’s effective date, the date the value applies to. If your listing is delayed by several months, or the market shifts, ask us about an update before you list.
How long does a pre-listing appraisal take?
The inspection takes about 30 to 45 minutes. Most reports are delivered within 2 to 3 days of the inspection, and you’ll have your fee in writing within one business day of your request.
How much does a pre-listing appraisal cost?
Condos and townhouses start from $370, and detached and semi-detached homes from $475. Multi-unit, luxury and unique homes are quoted individually. Send the address and you’ll have your exact fee in writing within one business day, with no cost or obligation.
Which areas do you serve?
We appraise homes across Toronto, the Greater Toronto Area and Hamilton. See our service area page for the full list of neighbourhoods and cities.
Thinking of Selling? Start From a Number You Can Trust.
Send the address and the type of home. You’ll have your fee in writing within one business day.
We appraise homes across Toronto, the GTA and Hamilton, from Etobicoke and the Annex to Leslieville, North York and Scarborough. See every area we serve.
No cost or obligation. Your exact fee within one business day. Your details are used only to prepare your quote and are never shared.
Prefer to talk? Call 647-886-8384, Monday to Saturday.
Official Sources
- Income Tax Act, section 69: transfers between people not at arm’s length
- Canada Revenue Agency: Principal residence and other real estate
- Appraisal Institute of Canada: Canadian Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (CUSPAP)
This page is general information, not tax or legal advice. Best Home Value provides appraisals; please consult an accountant or lawyer about your situation.