44 Maple Ave, South Rosedale: Ten 1973 Townhouses With Underground Parking

44 Maple Avenue is a way to own in South Rosedale for a fraction of what a house on the same street costs. It is a 1973 complex of ten townhouses tucked among some of the city’s oldest and grandest homes, with parking underground. It is also a 50-year-old, ten-owner corporation, and that is where your homework starts. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

Ten townhouses on a South Rosedale street

South Rosedale is one of Toronto’s earliest suburbs, laid out north of the old city in the 19th century as a picturesque, tree-lined district of large houses. A heritage study for the area recommended that it be protected as a Heritage Conservation District, and the streets still look much as they did a century ago.

Maple Avenue is one of those streets, close to the eastern edge of Rosedale near Castle Frank. The 44 Maple complex was built in 1973, and it remains one of very few condominiums on these streets. Ten homes sit together on the site, numbered from 44 to 54A.

A few doors away, the Fudger Mansion at 40 Maple Avenue, an 1897 house, has been converted to condominiums and is a designated heritage property within the South Rosedale Heritage Conservation District. That tells you two things about this end of Maple: there is a small cluster of shared-ownership homes here, and the heritage rules that apply to the street are real. Ask your lawyer how they apply to 44–54A.

What the homes are like

The homes are three-storey townhouses. One listing described a home with three bedrooms plus a den and five bathrooms, with one parking space in the underground garage. That is a family-sized plan by any standard, and rare in a Rosedale condominium.

Because these are 1970s homes, expect layouts typical of the era: separate rooms rather than open plans, and finishes that range from original to fully renovated. The difference in value between an untouched home and a renovated one here can be large, so the condition of the specific home matters more than any building average.

Ask for the floor area and how it was measured, since I did not find a reliable size range for the complex. And confirm what outdoor space comes with each home: a patio, a garden or a balcony makes a real difference on a Rosedale street.

The underground garage and a 50-year-old corporation

The shared underground garage is the most valuable feature here, and the most expensive to maintain. In a neighbourhood where many houses have tight driveways or none at all, an underground space plus visitor parking is a genuine advantage.

It is also a concrete structure that is now about 50 years old, with a waterproofing membrane above it and drainage that must keep working. In a ten-owner corporation, the cost of repairing or replacing that membrane is shared among very few people. Read the reserve fund study with that line in mind.

Ask for the last few years of financial statements and board minutes, and find out who manages the complex. I could not confirm a property manager from my sources, so the status certificate will be your first look at how the corporation is run.

With ten owners, governance is personal. Find out how often the owners meet, who sits on the board, and whether any major repairs have been discussed and postponed. In a small corporation, a postponed repair does not go away; it comes back as a bigger bill, usually split ten ways at a time when nobody planned for it.

Living near Castle Frank and Bloor East

The complex sits near Castle Frank Road and Bloor Street East, at the quieter, eastern side of Rosedale. The ravines and trails of the Don Valley and Rosedale Valley are close, and the shops and restaurants of Bloor East, Yonge Street and Yorkville are reachable on foot or by a short ride. The data panel on this page covers transit, schools and parks.

This is a residential pocket with almost no retail of its own, which is exactly what most buyers here want. Expect mature trees, quiet streets and a neighbourhood that is protective of its character. If you are weighing other options, The Fudger Mansion a few doors away is the obvious comparison, and older Bloor Street East buildings nearby offer a very different, more urban kind of condo living.

Pricing: Rosedale address, townhouse price

There were no homes listed for sale or rent when I checked, and with ten homes, there is no meaningful building average price per square foot. Sales here are infrequent, so each one is set largely by condition and by what buyers believe a Rosedale address is worth.

To value a home, I would compare it with other South Rosedale townhouses and semis of similar size, and with condo suites in nearby boutique buildings. Against a freehold house on the same street, you give up land and pay a monthly fee, but you pay much less and gain underground parking.

Ask what the fee includes, since I did not find a published list. In an older complex, a fee that looks low may mean the reserve fund is being under-funded, so read the fee next to the reserve fund study, not on its own. My building sold report can show what has actually traded nearby.

Lenders and insurers sometimes look harder at very small, older corporations, so speak to your mortgage broker early and make sure your insurer has the corporation’s details before you firm up an offer.

Building specifications

Amenities at 44 Maple Avenue Condos

There are no shared facilities beyond the practical ones. The underground garage and visitor parking are what you are paying for, along with the street and the neighbourhood.

Jatin’s honest take on 44 Maple Avenue Condos

44 Maple Avenue Condos — 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.