Your townhouse might sell for less than you hoped. Does that mean moving up no longer makes sense?

Not necessarily.

Say, just as an example, your place would sell for $20,000 less—but the detached home you’d buy is $40,000 less. The difference between the two has narrowed by $20,000.

That doesn’t automatically make it the right move. Selling costs, financing and the risk of carrying both homes still matter.

But looking only at what you’re “losing” on your sale can hide what’s happening on the purchase.

Before deciding to wait, I’d look at both sides together. You might still choose to stay put, but at least you’ll know what the move actually looks like.

Chris Nash, Sales Representative, Royal LePage Team Realty, Brokerage. Ottawa real estate guidance: chris@ottrealty.ca.