Downsizing & Transition Services in Markham & Richmond Hill
Downsizing in Markham & Richmond Hill? We Handle the Whole Transition.
Get A Free Consultation
Featured On
Downsizing & Transition Services in Markham & Richmond Hill
Gordons handles downsizing in Markham and Richmond Hill as a single project: the contents, the move, and the sale of the home, with the upfront costs covered until closing. Most downsizers here are moving into a retirement residence or a rental, and if you don’t yet know where you’re going, finding that next home is part of the service.
Gordons has guided Ontario families through this since 1958. We’re a licensed real estate brokerage that also handles everything the brokerage side normally leaves you to arrange: sorting the contents, selling what has value, donating and clearing the rest, and managing the move. One team, one point of contact.
This page is for homeowners in Markham and Richmond Hill planning a move to something smaller, and for the adult children helping a parent get there. For the bigger picture beyond York Region, our seniors and downsizers hub explains how the full service works across Ontario.
What Full-Service Downsizing in Markham and Richmond Hill Includes
Most downsizing help arrives in pieces: a mover here, an organizer there, a real estate agent somewhere else, and you end up managing all of them. One Gordons team handles:
- A plan built around your timeline, your new space, and what matters to you
- A retirement community or rental home search, included at no extra charge if you don't yet know where you're going
- Sorting room by room, deciding together what to keep, gift, sell, donate, or let go
- Sale of excess contents through a MaxSold online auction, with proceeds back to you
- Donation coordination and responsible disposal of whatever is left
- Packing, moving, and setting up the new home
- Preparing, listing, and selling the home, timed around your move-in date
- Upfront project costs covered until the sale closes
Finding Your Next Home in Markham or Richmond Hill
Most downsizers we work with here are moving into a retirement residence or a rental rather than buying another home, and those places usually come with their own availability window. That move-in date drives everything else: when the contents work has to be finished, when the house can be photographed and listed, and when the movers arrive.
If you don’t yet know where you’re going, we can help you find it. A retirement community or rental home search is included in our real estate service at no extra charge, so choosing the next place and selling the current one are handled by the same team.
Lining that move-in date up against the sale of the current home, so nobody is caught between homes, is what our senior real estate work is built around.
Before any of that, you need a defensible number for what the house is worth. Our appraisal service provides that, and it’s the figure every budget conversation about the next home depends on.
Where Markham and Richmond Hill Downsizers Move
Markham’s older housing is concentrated in places like Markham Village, Milliken Mills, and Cornell, with newer detached pockets in Berczy Village, Wismer, and Greensborough now reaching the point where original owners are living in four-bedroom homes they no longer need.
In Richmond Hill, areas like Observatory, Crosby, North Richvale, and Devonsleigh hold a lot of long-tenured owners, and the town centre has more purpose-built seniors’ housing than people expect. Moving within Richmond Hill often means a shorter move than expected, sometimes only a few streets.
Most of the downsizers we work with in both towns move into a retirement residence or a rental apartment rather than buying another house, and most stay close to the same doctors, places of worship, and family.
You Shouldn't Have to Pay for the Move Before the House Sells
Preparing a home properly costs money and time up front. Sorting and clearing contents, repairs, cleaning, and the move itself all land before a single dollar of sale proceeds arrives. For someone on a fixed income, that’s a real barrier, and it’s why some families skip the preparation entirely and sell the house as-is for less than it’s worth.
Our interim funding covers those upfront project costs. Gordons is paid at the end of the project out of the proceeds, so you’re not funding the work from savings while you wait for a closing date. That means the preparation that most affects your final price does not get skipped for cash-flow reasons.
Why Markham and Richmond Hill Downsizers Choose Gordons
The alternative is assembling it yourself: a realtor for the house, a company for the contents, a junk removal service, a mover, and a cleaner, all coordinated around a closing date you don’t fully control.
Our full-service downsizing is available to clients who list their home with our realtor partners, which is what allows one team to carry the whole project.
Our Six-Step Process
We’ve refined this process over more than 60 years and a million-plus items managed. It keeps Vaughan and Woodbridge executors clear on what’s next at every stage.
A conversation with no obligation.
We walk the home, listen to what you want, and talk plainly about timing. Free, and no pressure.
One plan for the whole project.
Contents, preparation, listing date, and move date sequenced together around your move-in date.
Sorting, room by room, at your pace.
We work alongside you on what stays, what goes to family, what sells, and what’s donated. Nothing leaves without your approval.
The move, and settling in.
Our move management team runs the logistics and helps set up the new place.
Contents sold and cleared.
Items of value to auction, usable goods to donation, the rest removed responsibly.
The home prepared and sold.
With the house clear and showing properly, our real estate team lists and sells it.
What Happens to the Contents
Long-tenured homes in this part of York Region often hold more of value than the owners realize, and occasionally rather less than they hope. We’ll tell you which.
Items worth selling go to online auction through our MaxSold partnership, which reaches a far wider buyer pool than a driveway sale and handles pricing, listing, and pickup. Our auctions and contents service runs it end to end. Usable goods that won’t fetch a meaningful price are donated, and anything at end of life is disposed of properly. For a fuller picture of what the whole move costs, our guide to budgeting for downsizing walks through the line items families most often miss.
If you’re settling an estate after a death rather than planning a move, our Markham and Richmond Hill estate settlement service is the right place to start instead.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you help us find a retirement residence or rental in Markham or Richmond Hill?
Yes. A retirement community or rental home search is included in our real estate service at no extra charge. Most of the downsizers we work with move into a residence or a rental rather than buying again, so finding the next place and selling the current one are handled by the same team, and the two dates are sequenced together.
What if the retirement residence gives us a firm move-in date?
That date sets the schedule, and we work back from it: sorting finished before the move, the move itself on the date, then the remaining contents sold and cleared and the house prepared and listed once it’s empty. A firm date usually compresses the timeline, which is why starting the sorting early matters.
How do I pay for the move before the house sells?
Through our interim funding, Gordons covers the upfront project costs and is paid at the end of the project from the proceeds. That means the preparation work that most affects your sale price doesn’t have to come out of savings while you wait for a closing date.
Do I need an appraisal before downsizing?
It’s strongly advisable. An independent appraisal gives you a defensible figure for the property, which is the basis for deciding what you can afford next and whether the numbers work at all. It also gives you something concrete to discuss with family when opinions differ.
Do you serve both Markham and Richmond Hill?
Yes, and the whole of York Region alongside them. Gordons operates anywhere in Ontario, so a move from Markham to Richmond Hill, or out of York Region entirely, is handled the same way by the same team.
What if the market shifts while we're preparing?
It’s a fair worry and it’s one reason we sequence the contents work early. A home that’s clear and ready can be listed on short notice when conditions suit, whereas a home that still needs three months of sorting cannot. Preparation buys you timing flexibility you don’t otherwise have.
Ready to Talk to a Markham or Richmond Hill Transition Specialist?
You don’t need a plan, a date, or a decision on where you’re going. That’s what the first conversation is for. We’ll walk the home with you, talk through the sequencing honestly, and set out what the project involves. The consultation is free and there’s no obligation.
Or call 1-800-267-2206 to speak with the Gordons team.
Hear It From Our Happy Clients
Margaret
“I was dreading the move and I still can’t believe how well it went. Everybody involved was so kind, helpful and patient that I never felt worried. When it came to selling my house, Sherry was so patient, explaining everything and not pushing me to make a decision.”
Angela, Executor
“I hired Gordons when I was recently called upon to act as an estate trustee. They cleaned out an entire lifetime of household goods and personal effects from a home, arranged for minor renovations to prepare the house for listing, and sold the house for fair market value. ”
Joyce & Morton
“From the very beginning we were promptly advised, every step of the way. Our house sold quickly, we can only attribute that to Gordons for their very descriptive advertising. Thank you all for a job well done in a friendly and courteous manner.”
Free Guide:
How to Downsize
Without the Stress
Learn the proven Gordons method for stress-free transitions.
