Sommerset at Northtown, 18 Sommerset Way: Tridel, All-In Fees

Sommerset at Northtown is one of the late-1990s Tridel towers inside the Northtown enclave, just south of Yonge and Finch, and it is the kind of building that rarely makes headlines and rarely disappoints. The fee covers almost everything, including hydro and parking, and the suites were built for people who wanted room. What you are really buying is a 27-year-old building and how well it has been looked after. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

Part of Tridel’s Northtown enclave

Northtown is a cluster of Tridel buildings built through the 1990s on the land east of Yonge Street and south of Finch. It mixes towers such as Grandview at Northtown, Triomphe, Grande Triomphe and Parkside with the low-rise Northtown Casitas townhouses next door at 28 Sommerset Way.

Sommerset is one of the later buildings in the enclave, with its corporation registered in late 1999, a few years after Grandview (1996) and Casitas II (1997). It follows the pattern you see across Northtown: a brick-clad tower, landscaped grounds, gatehouse security and a full recreation package. A listing for the building describes a brick exterior and 24-hour gatehouse security.

That consistency is useful when you shop. If you have looked at another Northtown tower, Sommerset will feel familiar, and you can compare suites across the enclave on price, fee and condition rather than on very different building styles.

Suites built for space, not for investors

Condos.ca puts suite sizes at about 589 to 1,447 square feet across 283 suites. Even the smallest suites here are larger than many new one-bedrooms near Yonge, and the bigger plans are full-size two-bedrooms and two-plus-dens with room for a proper dining table.

Towers from this era tended to be designed for owner-occupiers, often people moving out of a house in North York. That usually means separate dining areas, more closet space and fewer narrow, galley-style plans than you see in towers built for investors.

The other side of that is age. Kitchens and bathrooms in many suites will be original or on their second renovation, and the price gap between an updated suite and an original one can be significant. Budget for it, and look at the quality of any past renovation, not only the finishes.

Parking is in the fee, but confirm how many spaces and lockers come with the suite you are buying, and whether they are owned or assigned. In older buildings that detail is sometimes recorded differently from what the seller remembers, and the status certificate is the document that settles it.

The fee covers hydro too

This is the part buyers misread most. The fee at Sommerset includes air conditioning, heat, hydro, water, building insurance, common elements and parking, according to condos.ca. A building listing also confirms heat, hydro and water in the fee.

When you put that fee next to a new Yonge Street tower, it will look high. But a new building typically charges you separately for hydro, often for heating and cooling as well, and frequently for parking. Add those back before you compare, and work out the true monthly cost of each option.

All-inclusive buildings do carry one specific risk: energy prices flow straight into the budget, and every owner shares the cost whether they use a lot or a little. Ask for three years of budgets to see how quickly fees have moved, and ask whether the board has looked at sub-metering.

Life between Yonge and the enclave

Sommerset Way sits inside the enclave rather than on Yonge Street, so you get quieter streets and landscaped grounds while staying close to the shops, restaurants and cafes on the Yonge strip around Finch. A building listing mentions a 24-hour supermarket nearby, and the Mitchell Field Community Centre is in the area.

The area is still changing. The Yonge corridor north of Sheppard has seen steady new tower construction, so check what is planned along Yonge near your suite’s view before you pay for it.

Transit, schools and walkability are covered in the data panel on this page. Day to day, this is a location where most errands are walkable and a car is optional, which is worth considering given that parking is already in the fee.

What Sommerset costs

Condos.ca puts the building average at about $749 per square foot. That sits in the same band as other 1990s Northtown towers, and well below new construction on Yonge between Sheppard and Finch.

There were no suites listed for sale when I checked, so I cannot give you a current asking range. In a 283-suite building that will change, but it does mean you should judge value from closed sales over the past year rather than from a single listing that comes up.

For the latest closed results, use the sold data on this page or ask me for a building sold report. When you weigh price per square foot, remember that a lower number here is partly paying for an older building and partly for a fee that includes your utilities.

Building specifications

Amenities at Sommerset at Northtown

The package is classic Tridel of the period: an indoor pool with hot tub and sauna, a gym, a billiards room, a library lounge with a fireplace, a party room and two guest suites. It is more than most new towers offer at this price, but the pool is also the most expensive thing in the building to maintain. Ask when the pool, change rooms and gym were last renovated, because that tells you whether the next upgrade is near.

Jatin’s honest take on Sommerset at Northtown

Sommerset at Northtown — 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.