70 Elmsthorpe Ave: A 15-Suite Boutique Condo Near Avenue Road

70 Elmsthorpe Avenue is about as small as a Toronto condominium gets: 15 suites on six floors, on a residential side street off Eglinton West, close to Avenue Road. Every suite is over 1,200 sq ft, so it lives like a set of stacked houses rather than a condo tower. Small buildings like this are wonderful to live in and harder to buy into well, and I want you to know both sides. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

Fifteen suites, and what that means

With 15 suites across six floors, 70 Elmsthorpe works out to two or three suites per floor. You share an elevator and a lobby with a handful of neighbours, and you will know all of them by name within a few months.

That intimacy is the appeal, and it is also the main thing to understand before you buy. In a 300-suite tower, the cost of a new roof or elevator is split 300 ways. Here it is split 15 ways. A well-run small building can be excellent, but the reserve fund and the board’s planning carry far more weight than they do in a large one.

Condos.ca lists the developer as Yan on Investments. I could not find more about the firm or the architect in public sources, so if the design history matters to you, the original declaration and plans in the status certificate package are where to look.

Large suites with house-sized living space

The smallest suite on record here is about 1,267 sq ft and the largest about 1,781 sq ft. That puts every unit in the range of a semi-detached house’s main living area, laid out on one floor.

For buyers coming out of a house in Forest Hill, Lawrence Park or Chaplin Estates, this is the right size bracket. You can keep a real dining table, a guest room and a study, and you are not paying for amenity floors you will never use.

Because the suite count is so low, there may be only a few different floor plans in the whole building. Ask for the floor plan, exposure and ceiling height of any suite you are considering, and compare it with the one above or below if it has traded in the past.

Also check the age of the kitchen and bathrooms. Many suites in buildings of this era have been renovated at least once, and a suite that still has its original finishes may need a significant budget, which should be reflected in the price you pay.

A lean building with heat and parking in the fee

This is not an amenity building. Condos.ca lists a parking garage, visitor parking and a security system, and that is the package. There is no gym, pool or party room recorded, which keeps the running costs focused on the structure and the suites.

The fee covers common elements, heat, building insurance, parking and water. Having heat included in a suite of 1,300 sq ft or more is worth real money each winter, and parking in the fee means one less separate charge.

Condos.ca also lists the building as pet-friendly. In a small building, the rules and the neighbours’ expectations matter more than usual, so read the declaration and rules if you have a pet.

Living a block from Eglinton West

Elmsthorpe Avenue is a quiet residential street of large houses that meets Eglinton Avenue West near Avenue Road, and the building sits a short walk south of Eglinton. You are close to the cafés, bakeries and restaurants of Eglinton West and Avenue Road without living on either.

The Eglinton corridor around you has been the focus of a lot of new mid-rise and high-rise development, and that is likely to continue. Side streets like Elmsthorpe tend to stay residential, but it is worth checking what is planned on the nearest main-street lots. The transit, schools and parks nearby are in the data panel on this page.

A condo on a street of detached houses has a particular feel. The building is the exception on the block, and the setting is the reason people pay to live here. Walk the street in the evening and on a weekend before you commit, and look at what overlooks your exposure, because in a low building the trees and the houses next door are your view.

Pricing a building that rarely trades

There were no suites for sale when I checked, and condos.ca does not publish an average price per square foot for the building. With only 15 suites, a year can pass with one sale or none, so there is no deep pool of comparables to price from.

That changes how I approach an offer here. I look at the most recent sales in the building over several years, adjust for time and condition, and then compare against similar boutique buildings around Avenue Road and Forest Hill. Renovation level matters a lot, because a suite last updated in the 1990s and one redone recently can be priced very differently.

On fees, compare total carrying cost rather than the monthly figure alone. With heat, parking and water included, a fee here should be set against a newer building’s fee plus a parking charge and a winter heating bill.

If you want a private read on what a suite here is likely worth, book a call and I will walk you through the comparables.

Building specifications

Amenities at 70 Elmsthorpe Ave

There is no amenity floor here, and for the right buyer that is a feature. Your fee pays for the building, heat and parking rather than a pool and gym, which keeps a small corporation’s costs predictable.

Jatin’s honest take on 70 Elmsthorpe Ave

70 Elmsthorpe Ave — frequently asked questions

Looking at Yonge & Eglinton, Davisville and North Toronto more broadly? Start with my Toronto community guide — the neighbourhoods, what each pocket is like, and how they compare.