Guide

Oshawa realtor guide: prices, neighbourhoods and how to choose an agent

By Natalia Halenda, Sales Representative, RE/MAX Jazz Inc., BrokerageUpdated November 5, 2026

The short answer

An Oshawa home sold for an average of $653,466 in October 2026, with a median of $623,750, the lowest average of any Durham municipality, according to TRREB. A good Oshawa realtor knows the north and south ends of the city, is registered with RECO, puts the fee in writing, and shows you the comparables.

Looking for an Oshawa realtor? Start with the numbers. Oshawa is the largest city in Durham Region and still the least expensive place in it to buy: in October 2026 the average home sold for $653,466, about $140,000 below the Durham average. This guide sets out what each kind of home costs, how the neighbourhoods differ, what buying costs on top of the price, and how to choose the agent who will help you.

Market figures are from TRREB Market Watch for October 2026, the latest public report on November 5, 2026. Tax and rule figures were checked on the government pages listed under Sources on the same day. The market figures are due for a refresh with the November report.

What does a home cost in Oshawa right now?

Oshawa, October 2026, all home types

Measure	Oshawa	All of Durham
Average sold price	$653,466	$793,024
Median sold price	$623,750	$740,000
Sales in the month	152	589
Homes for sale at month end	630	2,619
Months of inventory	3.7	3.6
Sold price as a share of the last list price	98%	98%
Average days on the market	29	29

Source: TRREB Market Watch, October 2026 (opens in a new tab), Durham Region by municipality.

From January to October 2026, Oshawa recorded 1,529 sales at an average of $698,078, so October came in below the year's average. Homes sold for about 98% of their last asking price and took about a month, which means buyers had room to negotiate and sellers had to price carefully.

What does each type of home cost in Oshawa?

Oshawa, October 2026, by home type

Home type	Sales	Average price	Median price
Detached	108	$705,333	$682,500
Freehold townhouse	11	$596,227	$622,500
Semi detached	14	$590,000	$605,000
Condo townhouse	13	$450,108	$449,900
Condo apartment	6	$413,500	$412,500

Source: TRREB Market Watch, October 2026 (opens in a new tab), by home type. With only 11 to 14 sales of most types, and 6 condo apartments, the smaller lines swing a lot from month to month, so treat them as a rough guide.

Detached homes are most of what sells in Oshawa: 108 of the 152 sales in October. A detached house in Oshawa averaged less than the Durham average for all home types combined.

Are Oshawa prices going up or down?

Down, over the past year. TRREB's benchmark price, which tracks a typical home rather than whatever happened to sell that month, fell for every type of Oshawa home between October 2025 and October 2026.

Oshawa benchmark, October 2026	Benchmark price	Change in one year
All home types	$694,400	down 6.76%
Detached	$745,800	down 6.45%
Semi detached and other attached	$594,400	down 6.94%
Townhouse	$474,400	down 13.27%
Apartment	$404,300	down 6.04%

Source: TRREB Market Watch, October 2026 (opens in a new tab), MLS Home Price Index. The benchmark and the average answer different questions, which is why the two do not match.

How does Oshawa compare with the rest of Durham?

Town, October 2026	Average price	Sales
Oshawa	$653,466	152
Clarington	$742,452	111
Pickering	$821,211	93
Whitby	$876,275	108
Ajax	$918,704	74
Durham Region	$793,024	589

Source: TRREB Market Watch, October 2026 (opens in a new tab). Oshawa had the most sales of any Durham municipality that month, and the lowest average price.

For a buyer, the gap with Whitby next door was about $223,000 on the average home. That is why many first homes in Durham are in Oshawa. Natalia's first time buyer guide works through the cash and the programs on a typical first home.

Which Oshawa neighbourhood fits you?

Oshawa runs from Lake Ontario in the south to the countryside north of Highway 407. Three bands describe it.

Part of the city	Neighbourhoods	What buyers notice
North, above Taunton Road	Windfields, Kedron, Taunton, Northglen	Newer subdivisions, more townhouses, close to Highway 407 and the Ontario Tech University and Durham College campus on Simcoe Street North
Middle, between the 401 and Taunton Road	Samac, Pinecrest, Centennial, McLaughlin, Eastdale, Donevan, Vanier, O'Neill	Older, established streets, downtown Oshawa, and a wide mix of house styles and ages
South, below the 401	Lakeview, Farewell	Closest to the lake and the waterfront parks

North Oshawa. Windfields is built on the former Windfields Farm beside the university and college campus. Highway 407 at Simcoe Street makes the north end one of the easiest parts of the city for driving west. A common question is whether a new townhouse in the north is a better buy than an older detached house further south at a similar price.

The middle of the city. Much of Oshawa's older housing sits between the 401 and Taunton Road. An older home can need updating, so the home inspection matters more here.

The south end. South of the 401 the city meets the lake, with Lakeview Park and the waterfront trail along the shore.

Prices change street by street, so the comparables for the exact block are what settle a price.

What does it cost to buy a $650,000 home in Oshawa?

A $650,000 home is close to the October average. Here is the cash a buyer needs on top of the mortgage, at the minimum down payment.

	First time buyer	Repeat buyer
Minimum down payment (5% of the first $500,000, 10% of the rest)	$40,000	$40,000
Ontario land transfer tax	$9,475	$9,475
First time buyer refund	minus $4,000	none
Oshawa city land transfer tax	$0	$0
Down payment and land transfer tax	$45,475	$49,475

How the numbers work:

Down payment: 5% of $500,000 is $25,000, and 10% of the other $150,000 is $15,000, for $40,000. These are the federal minimum down payment rules (opens in a new tab).
Land transfer tax: 0.5% of the first $55,000 ($275), 1% up to $250,000 ($1,950), 1.5% up to $400,000 ($2,250) and 2% of the last $250,000 ($5,000), for $9,475. These are the Ontario rates (opens in a new tab).
The refund: first time buyers get back up to $4,000 of the Ontario tax (opens in a new tab).
No city tax: Durham has no city land transfer tax, so Oshawa buyers pay the Ontario tax and nothing more.

On top of this come the lawyer, title insurance, the inspection, adjustments, and the sales tax on mortgage insurance if you put down less than 20%. Natalia's guide to what it costs to buy in Durham adds up every line, and the land transfer tax calculator does the tax for any price.

What are property taxes in Oshawa?

Oshawa's total 2026 residential tax rate is 1.575342% of the assessed value of the home. Your assessed value comes from the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC) and is on your assessment notice. It is not the price you pay.

2026 residential rate	Rate	On an assessed value of $400,000
City of Oshawa	0.659196%	$2,637
Region of Durham	0.763146%	$3,053
Education	0.153000%	$612
Total	1.575342%	$6,301 a year

Source: City of Oshawa, 2026 final tax rates (opens in a new tab). The $400,000 is an example, not a typical figure. On that assessment the bill works out to about $525 a month. Before you buy, ask for the current tax bill of the exact home: the seller's actual bill is the number to budget with.

How do you choose an Oshawa realtor?

The Real Estate Council of Ontario (RECO), which regulates agents, gives the same advice to buyers (opens in a new tab) and sellers (opens in a new tab): interview at least three agents, ask about their experience with your neighbourhood and type of home, ask for references and call them, and be clear on what services and fees are included before you sign.

What should you ask an Oshawa realtor?

Are you registered, and with which brokerage? Then check it yourself (see below).
Which parts of Oshawa do you know well? The north end and the older streets in the middle of the city sell differently.
How will you price this home? You want an answer built on recent sales of similar homes nearby, not a number to win the listing.
What exactly do I get? For sellers: photos, staging, marketing, open houses. For buyers: how homes are found, booked and checked, and how offers are negotiated.
What is the fee, and when is it paid? Get it in writing, with the HST.
How long is the agreement, and how can it end? Look for the expiry date and any termination terms.
Who will I actually deal with? The agent you interview, or someone on a team.
Can I speak to recent clients? References you can call are worth more than a star rating.

How do you check that an agent is registered?

Search the agent or brokerage on RECO's public register (opens in a new tab). It shows whether the person is registered, their registration number, when the registration expires, and any enforcement activity from the past five years, such as discipline decisions. The register lists the agents and brokerages registered to trade in real estate in Ontario.

What will you sign?

Before any services start, the agent must give you the RECO Information Guide (opens in a new tab) and explain it. Then you sign a written agreement with the brokerage: a listing agreement when you sell, a buyer representation agreement when you buy. Under the rules RECO set out in its December 2023 advisory (opens in a new tab), the agreement has to:

show when it starts and when it expires, with one expiry date, displayed on the first page
have your initials next to that expiry date
set out how the brokerage will be paid
state any terms for ending it early

Read it before you sign, and ask a real estate lawyer if anything is unclear.

How much does an Oshawa realtor charge?

There is no set commission in Ontario. RECO notes that commissions and fees vary between brokerages and can depend on the services you want. The fee is agreed with the brokerage and written into your agreement, and HST of 13% (opens in a new tab) is added on top.

Worked example on a $650,000 Oshawa home:

	Amount
Each 1% of commission	$6,500
HST on that 1% (13%)	$845
Each 1% with HST	$7,345

When you compare agents, compare what each one does for the money, not only the rate. Natalia's guide to what it costs to sell in Durham shows the full cost of selling and what you take home on closing day.

Is GO train service changing in Oshawa?

Oshawa's station is now called Durham College Oshawa GO, on the Lakeshore East line. Metrolinx plans to extend GO rail service east to Bowmanville, with four new stations proposed at Thornton's Corners East, Ritson Road, Courtice and Bowmanville. Metrolinx's June 2023 update (opens in a new tab) named a construction manager and gave no opening date, so check Metrolinx for the current timeline before you buy on the strength of a future station.

How does Natalia work in Oshawa?

Natalia Halenda is a Sales Representative with RE/MAX Jazz Inc., Brokerage, at 21 Drew Street in Oshawa, and she has sold homes in Durham Region for 25 years. She is a Seniors Real Estate Specialist, a Certified Luxury Home Marketing Specialist and a member of the RE/MAX Hall of Fame, and she works in English, Russian and Ukrainian.

Her clients often mention her honesty, including telling them when a house is the wrong one, and that she follows up after the sale. Each RE/MAX office is independently owned and operated.

To talk about a home in Oshawa, buying or selling, book 15 minutes with Natalia.

Questions people ask

What is the average home price in Oshawa?

In October 2026 the average Oshawa home sold for $653,466 on 152 sales, and the median was $623,750, according to TRREB Market Watch. A detached home averaged $705,333.

This answer on its own page

How do I check that an Oshawa realtor is licensed?

Search the agent's name on the public register of the Real Estate Council of Ontario (RECO). It shows whether they are registered, when the registration expires, and any disciplinary action in the past five years.

This answer on its own page

How much does a realtor charge in Oshawa?

There is no set commission in Ontario. It is agreed with the brokerage and written into your agreement, and HST of 13% is added. On a $650,000 home, each 1% of commission is $6,500 plus $845 of HST.

This answer on its own page

Do I have to sign an agreement with an Oshawa realtor?

Yes, buyers and sellers sign a written representation agreement with the brokerage. The expiry date has to be shown on the first page, and you initial next to it.

This answer on its own page

Is there a city land transfer tax in Oshawa?

No. Oshawa buyers pay only the Ontario land transfer tax, which is $9,475 on a $650,000 home, or $5,475 after the first time buyer refund of up to $4,000.

This answer on its own page

Sources

Rules and rates come from these pages. Market figures are as reported for the dates shown.

General information, not legal, tax or mortgage advice. Rates, prices and rebate rules change often. Confirm the details with your real estate lawyer and a licensed mortgage professional before you make a decision.