What Is Move-Up Math?
By Pam Bechard · Listing Strategist · Royal LePage RCR Realty · Last updated: June 2026
Move-Up Math is the three-number framework that compares what a current home will sell for today, what the net proceeds will be after costs, and what that equity buys in the detached market right now. Pam Bechard uses it with townhome owners across York Region who are weighing a move to a detached home and want a clear answer rather than a guess.
Who This Applies To
This applies primarily to townhome owners in Newmarket, Aurora, or East Gwillimbury who are considering a move to a detached home and need to know whether the current timing actually works in their favour, sometimes referred to here as the move-up buyer.
The Three Numbers
1. What your current home sells for today
Not last year’s estimate. A current comparison against what has actually closed in your specific segment in the past 60 days, using verified TRREB MLS® data.
2. What your net proceeds will be
Sale price minus outstanding mortgage, real estate commission, legal fees, and any other closing costs. This is the number that actually funds the next purchase.
3. What that equity buys in the detached market right now
Net proceeds compared against current detached pricing and conditions in your target community, not an assumed price from when you first started thinking about moving.
Why the Gap Between Selling and Buying Matters
The move-up math works in a buyer’s favour when the segment they are selling is performing at relative strength while the segment they are buying into has already absorbed a correction. That gap, not either number in isolation, is what determines whether the timing actually works.
Quick Answers
How do I calculate my move-up math?
Start with a current value estimate for your home, subtract your outstanding mortgage and estimated closing costs to get net proceeds, then compare that figure against current pricing in your target detached market.
Is now a good time to move up in York Region?
It depends on the relative strength of the segment being sold against the segment being bought into. See the Municipality Hub pages on this site for the current data behind that comparison.
A free, no-obligation home value estimate at pambechard.com gives you the first number in this framework directly.
Want the numbers that apply to your specific home or move? Get a free, no-obligation home value estimate at pambechard.com. Pam Bechard, Listing Strategist with Royal LePage RCR Realty, will follow up directly with the comparable sales behind your number.
About Pam Bechard
Pam Bechard is a Listing Strategist with Royal LePage RCR Realty serving Newmarket, Aurora, East Gwillimbury, Bradford West Gwillimbury, Holland Landing, Queensville, Sharon, Innisfil, and the surrounding York Region and South Simcoe communities. Every figure in this article is sourced directly from TRREB MLS® market data with full attribution.
Get your free home value estimate → pambechard.com · 905-716-2736 · pambechard@royallepage.ca
