11 Woodlawn Ave W: Six 1990 Townhouses on a Historic Summerhill Street

11 Woodlawn Avenue West is a six-home townhouse condominium on one of midtown’s quiet old streets, a block from Yonge. It is newer than nearly everything around it, small enough that you will know every neighbour, and professionally managed despite its size. For the right buyer that is a rare combination. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

A street with a 19th-century past

Woodlawn Avenue West began as part of Woodlawn, the 19th-century estate of William Hume Blake. The land later became an upscale residential enclave and was annexed by the City of Toronto in 1888. Several of its houses are now heritage-designated, including Caldecott House at 64 Woodlawn Avenue West, a 1906 design by the architect Eden Smith.

11 Woodlawn is a very different kind of building. It is a small complex of six townhouses, built in 1990 and registered as a condominium the same year. On a street of large older houses, that makes it one of the newer homes, with construction from the last decade of the 20th century rather than the first.

The appeal is the setting. You get a quiet, tree-lined residential street a block from Yonge, without the cost or upkeep of a century-old detached house.

Heritage designations on the street apply to specific properties, such as Caldecott House, not automatically to every lot. Still, it is worth asking your lawyer whether any heritage or zoning rules affect exterior changes at 11 Woodlawn, especially if you are thinking about windows, doors or a rear addition.

Six homes, two storeys

Condos.ca lists the complex as two storeys with six homes. That is about as small as a professionally managed condominium gets, and it means each home is a substantial share of the whole: decisions, costs and repairs are divided only six ways.

I did not find a reliable size range or layout description for the homes. Ask for the floor area of the home you are considering and how it was measured, what outdoor space comes with it, and whether parking is available. No parking is listed among the complex’s features, so do not assume it.

As a 1990 build, the homes are newer than the houses around them, but they are now more than 35 years old. Windows, roofs, furnaces and air conditioning are likely to have been replaced at least once, or be close to it. Ask which items belong to the owner and which to the corporation under the declaration.

Look closely at the shared walls, too. In a row of six, sound transfer between homes and the condition of the firewalls in the attic are worth an inspector’s attention, and end units usually enjoy more light and privacy than middle ones. Make sure the price reflects which one you are buying.

Professional management for six owners

Many condominiums this small are self-managed. 11 Woodlawn is not: condos.ca lists Summa Properties as the property manager. That gives the corporation proper budgeting and records and someone to call when something breaks, which is worth a lot in a building of this age.

It also costs money, and with six owners there are very few people to share it. Compare the fee with what the manager actually does: how often they visit, how they handle emergencies, and whether the reserve fund study is current.

Ask for the status certificate, the reserve fund study, the last few years of financial statements and the minutes of owners’ meetings. In a six-home corporation, I want to see the plan for the roof, the exterior envelope and any shared services, and how the reserve fund will pay for them.

Ask, too, whether the corporation carries adequate insurance and when the building was last appraised for insurance purposes. Small corporations sometimes fall behind on this, and an underinsured building is a risk every owner shares.

Daily life between Summerhill and St. Clair

Woodlawn Avenue West runs west from Yonge Street in the stretch between Summerhill and St. Clair. Yonge’s shops, restaurants and services are a short walk, and the Summerhill strip and the Yonge-St. Clair area are both close. The data panel on this page covers transit, schools and parks.

The street itself is residential and calm, with mature trees and large older houses, and a quieter feel than you might expect a block from Yonge. If you are weighing options nearby, 36 Birch is a much newer and larger townhouse condominium a short walk south, and the townhouse complexes at 95 Summerhill Avenue and 66 Shaftesbury Avenue across Yonge are older comparisons of a similar scale.

Pricing: six homes, very few comparables

There were no homes listed for sale or rent when I checked, and with six homes, there is no building average worth quoting. A sale may happen once every year or two, and each one depends heavily on condition.

To value a home here, I would compare it with recent sales of semis and row houses of similar size around Yonge and St. Clair and in Summerhill, and with the other small townhouse condominiums nearby. Adjust for parking, outdoor space, the monthly fee and the condition of the corporation. A home with a parking space on a street like this one is worth noticeably more than one without, so settle that question before you look at any comparable.

A newer-than-the-street townhouse on a historic block can be a strong value, but only if the corporation is well run. Lenders sometimes ask more questions about very small corporations, so speak to your mortgage broker early. My building sold report can show what has actually traded nearby, or book a call to go through it together.

Building specifications

Jatin’s honest take on 11 Woodlawn Avenue

11 Woodlawn Avenue — frequently asked questions

Looking at Yorkville, the Annex and Midtown more broadly? Start with my Toronto community guide — the neighbourhoods, what each pocket is like, and how they compare.