Blog > Should I upsize my Markham home after hosting family for the holidays?
Should I upsize my Markham home after hosting family for the holidays?
December is when a house tells you the truth about its size. In Markham, 10,515 households are multigenerational and the average household holds 3.0 people, with 36.6% of households containing four or more, according to the 2021 Census. If the holidays are the only weekend a year the home feels tight, that is not a reason to move. If it is the third December in a row that has felt that way, it may be. The price gaps are real: in August 2026 a Markham condo averaged $638,332, a townhouse about $930,000 to $1,031,000 depending on the source, and a detached home $1,611,773.
Why December Is the Honest Test
A home is sized for an ordinary Tuesday. Two people, maybe three, moving through it at different hours. The holidays are the one stretch of the year when everyone is in the house at once, awake at the same time, and needing somewhere to sit, sleep and put their coat.
This is a conversation the Kaizen Real Estate Team has every January, and it comes up often enough that it is worth naming: the holidays are a stress test, not a diagnosis. Michael John Lau, a REALTOR® with the Kaizen Real Estate Team in Markham, Ontario and a two-time eXp ICON Agent, would rather a family run the test properly than make a six-figure decision on the memory of one crowded weekend.
What Markham Households Actually Look Like
The 2021 Census puts numbers on something Markham families already know.
| Measure | Markham |
|---|---|
| Total private households | 110,870 |
| Average household size | 3.0 people |
| Multigenerational households | 10,515 |
| Households of 4 people | 23,525 |
| Households of 5 or more | 17,070 |
About one in ten Markham households is multigenerational, and more than a third contain four people or more. Across the Toronto area, roughly 11.6% of people live in a multigenerational household, one of the highest shares in the country.
This matters because it changes what "upsizing" means here. In many Canadian markets, upsizing means more square footage. In Markham it frequently means a second kitchen, a main floor bedroom, a separate entrance, or two full bathrooms on the same level so that three generations can live together without living on top of each other.
The Five Questions Worth Answering Before You Move
1. How many days a year does the house actually feel too small?
If the honest answer is four, the problem is the four days. If the answer is most weekends, the problem is the house.
2. Is the constraint square footage or layout?
A 2,000 square foot home with a closed-off kitchen can host fewer people than a 1,700 square foot home with an open main floor. Families often assume they need more house when what they need is a different one of the same size.
3. Is anyone moving in permanently?
Hosting for a week and housing a parent year-round are completely different requirements. The second one puts a main floor bedroom, a full bathroom on the entry level, and step-free access near the top of the list, and those features are much harder to find than extra bedrooms.
4. Does the next home need to generate income?
For many Markham families the upsize is financed partly by a legal basement unit. That changes the search entirely, because ceiling height and egress decide whether a basement can ever be legalized.
5. What is the ten year picture?
Children get older and need less shared space, then leave. Parents get older and need more accessible space. Those two curves move in opposite directions, and a home bought for this year's shape may not suit either end of it.
What Upsizing Costs in Markham Right Now
August 2026 averages give a realistic sense of the steps.
| Property Type | Average Sale Price, August 2026 |
|---|---|
| Condominium apartment | $638,332 |
| Semi-detached | $958,133 |
| Townhouse | Roughly $930,000 to $1,031,000, depending on source |
| Detached | $1,611,773 |
| All property types | $1,208,692 |
Two honest notes on that table. The townhouse figure is shown as a range because published sources disagree by roughly $100,000 for August 2026, most likely because some blend freehold and condominium townhouses and some do not. And these are averages across the whole city, which means Berczy Village and Milliken Mills West are being added together. Neither number is a valuation of any particular home.
The step from a condominium to a detached home in Markham is close to $970,000 on those averages. That is the number that decides most of these conversations, and it is why the intermediate options deserve a serious look rather than a glance.
The Options Between Staying and Upsizing
- Reconfigure rather than relocate. Removing a wall between a kitchen and a dining room often solves a hosting problem for a fraction of a move's cost.
- Finish or reconfigure the basement. A basement that can accommodate guests, or a parent, changes the capacity of the home without changing the address.
- Move sideways, not up. A different home at a similar price with a better layout can solve the problem entirely. This is the most overlooked option.
- Consider a semi-detached or townhouse if the current home is a condominium. The step is significant but far smaller than the step to detached.
- Look at homes with legal second units if the plan involves a parent moving in or income offsetting the carrying cost.
Questions about your own property or timeline? Call Michael John Lau, REALTOR®, at (416) 700-0286 for a direct answer on your street and your situation.
How Michael Approaches the Conversation
Michael John Lau's recommendation is to wait until mid-January before doing anything.
The feeling of a crowded house on December 27 is real, and it is also temporary. A family that lists in the first week of January because of it often finds by March that the pressure has gone and they are selling for a reason that no longer exists.
The families who should move are usually the ones for whom the holidays simply confirmed something they already knew in October. If the holidays revealed the problem rather than confirming it, that is worth sitting with for a few weeks before calling anyone.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many Markham households are multigenerational?
The 2021 Census recorded 10,515 multigenerational households in Markham, out of 110,870 private households in total, or roughly one in ten. The average Markham household holds 3.0 people.
How much more does a detached home cost than a condo in Markham?
In August 2026 the average Markham condominium apartment sold for $638,332 and the average detached home for $1,611,773, a difference of roughly $973,000. Those are city-wide averages across all neighbourhoods, not valuations of any specific property.
Should I list in January if my home felt too small over the holidays?
Not on that basis alone. The holidays concentrate everyone into the house at once, which is not how the home is used the rest of the year. If the feeling was confirming something already true in October, it is worth acting on. If it was a surprise, waiting a few weeks usually clarifies it.
What should I look for if a parent is moving in?
A main floor bedroom, a full bathroom on the entry level, step-free or low-step access, and separation between the living areas. These are harder to find than additional bedrooms and should be treated as requirements rather than preferences.
Is it cheaper to renovate than to upsize in Markham?
Frequently, yes, particularly where the constraint is layout rather than square footage. Opening a main floor or reconfiguring a basement can solve a hosting problem well below the roughly $970,000 average gap between a condominium and a detached home.
What is the middle step between a condo and a detached home?
Semi-detached homes averaged $958,133 in August 2026 and townhouses roughly $930,000 to $1,031,000 depending on the source. Both represent a much smaller step than moving straight to detached.
Thinking about more space?
Michael John Lau starts an upsizing conversation with how a household actually lives through the year, not how it felt for one week in December.
Michael John Lau, REALTOR® · Markham, Ontario · (416) 700-0286
Disclaimer. Michael John Lau is a licensed REALTOR® serving buyers and sellers in Markham, Ontario and the Greater Toronto Area. Census figures are from the 2021 Census of Population, the most recent released. Price figures reflect August 2026 board-sourced averages and are city-wide averages rather than valuations. Market conditions change, and sellers and buyers should seek advice specific to their own property and situation.