Rodeo Walk, 30 Greenfield Ave: Family-Size Suites, Utilities In

Rodeo Walk is one of the buildings I look at first when a family wants two bedrooms and a real den near Yonge and Sheppard on a budget. The suites are bigger than the new towers nearby, some have a solarium that works as a third bedroom or office, and the fee covers your utilities. You pay for that in the monthly fee, and at 35 years old, the building needs a careful look. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

Two-bedroom plans with a solarium

Rodeo Walk’s stock is mostly two-bedroom and two-bedroom-plus-den suites, with some three-bedrooms. Every one of the six suites for sale when I checked was a two- or three-bedroom plan. In a part of North York dominated by new one-bedrooms, that makes it a family building.

In some plans the den is a solarium: a glassed-in room off the living area that you can use as an office, a nursery or a small third bedroom. One recent listing described a south-facing split plan with two full bathrooms, separate living and dining rooms and a solarium of exactly that kind.

Sizes run from about 669 sq ft to about 1,613 sq ft. The largest plans are well into townhouse territory, and the split-bedroom layouts give parents and children, or roommates, real separation.

Ask for the floor plan and the exposure of any suite you consider. In a 24-storey building, a higher south- or west-facing suite gets far more light than a low one facing a neighbouring tower, and that difference shows up in resale.

Condition varies a lot in a building this age. Some suites have been renovated with new floors, kitchens and bathrooms; others are close to original. Price the renovation into your offer rather than assuming the asking price already reflects it.

Who built it, and why that is unclear

Condos.ca does not name a developer for Rodeo Walk. A listing page on REW credits Tridel and lists both 1989 and 1990 as the construction year. The registration date of 5 March 1990 is firm.

I would not rely on a developer’s name for a building this old in any case. After 35 years, how the corporation has been run matters far more than who poured the concrete. That said, the original declaration in the status certificate package will name the declarant if you want to know for certain.

Condos.ca lists a pet restriction without details. If you have a pet, read the declaration and rules before you make an offer.

An all-inclusive fee, and what it really costs

The fee covers common elements, heat, air conditioning, hydro, cable TV, building insurance, parking and water, and one listing says internet is included as well. On the suites for sale when I checked, fees ran from about $1,189 to $1,789 a month.

That is a high monthly number, and it is the main reason the price per foot here is low. But compare like with like. A newer North York building with a lower fee usually meters hydro and heating to each suite and charges for parking separately. For a 1,000 to 1,600 sq ft suite, those bills add up quickly.

The other benefit is predictability. With utilities in the fee, your cost does not swing between a mild month and a cold one, which suits retirees and families on a set budget.

Parking is in the fee, and one recent listing came with a single underground space and a large locker inside the suite. Confirm both for any suite you consider.

Greenfield Avenue, just off Yonge

Greenfield Avenue runs east from Yonge just north of Sheppard. You are a short walk from the shops, restaurants and supermarkets along Yonge and around the Sheppard intersection, while living on a quieter side street. Atrium II at 65 Spring Garden Avenue and Platinum Towers XO at 18 Spring Garden Avenue are close neighbours.

This part of Willowdale continues to densify, and that affects views and sunlight more than anything else. Ask what has been proposed nearby, especially for south- and west-facing suites. Walk the street at rush hour too, since side streets this close to Yonge can carry more traffic than they first appear to. The transit, schools and parks around the building are in the data panel on this page.

Where Rodeo Walk sits on price

Condos.ca puts the building average at about $567 per square foot, which is low for the Yonge and Sheppard area. Low price per foot and high fees go together: the market prices in the carrying cost.

That is also where the opportunity sits for an end user. If you plan to live here rather than rent the suite out, a higher all-in fee matters less than it would to an investor, and the lower price per foot means a smaller mortgage for the same space.

Six suites were for sale when I checked, asking from about $628,800 to about $899,000. They ranged from two-bedroom plans through two-bedroom-plus-den to three-bedroom suites, so the spread mostly reflects size, floor and renovation level.

With six suites on the market at once, buyers have choice and comparables, which is a good position to negotiate from. Look closely at the condition of kitchens and bathrooms, because a suite with original finishes can need a meaningful budget.

To see how the building has traded over the past year, my building sold report shows aggregate figures.

Building specifications

Amenities at Rodeo Walk

The pool, gym and guest suites are the practical core here. Guest suites are especially useful for families with visiting relatives, and the pool is one more cost the reserve fund has to cover as the building ages.

Jatin’s honest take on Rodeo Walk

Rodeo Walk — 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.