Pulse II Condos, 5508 Yonge St: The Taller Pulse Tower with Bigger Suites

Pulse II is the taller of the two Pulse towers near Yonge and Finch, and the one I look at first when a buyer needs more than a one-bedroom. Pemberton finished it in 2009, 27 storeys and 258 suites, with plans reaching about 1,520 sq ft. It looks almost identical to its twin, but the suite mix and the fee inclusions are not quite the same. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

The north tower of a matched pair

Pemberton built Pulse as two towers on one site: a 2008 construction report described a 27-storey tower and a 26-storey tower, about 510 suites in total, with three levels of underground parking. Pulse II at 5508 Yonge is the 27-storey north tower, and Pulse at 5500 Yonge is the 26-storey south tower.

They registered separately, with Pulse II as TSCC-2029 in September 2009, six months after its twin. With a shared garage and amenities, expect a shared facilities agreement between the two corporations. Read it, because it sets out who pays when something shared, such as the garage or a common room, needs work.

Burka Varacalli Architects kept the design plain. Some forum commenters called it blank, while others thought the podium suited Yonge Street. Either way, nobody buys here for the architecture; they buy for the location and the running costs.

Seventeen years in, a building’s track record is visible, and that is an advantage over buying new. Ask for recent board minutes along with the status certificate, and look at how the board has handled routine repairs, fee increases and any projects shared with the south tower.

A wider range of suites than its twin

Condos.ca lists suites here from about 530 to 1,520 sq ft, compared with about 530 to 950 sq ft at Pulse next door. That top end matters. Most buildings of this age near Yonge and Finch offer little above 1,000 sq ft, so the larger plans here are worth tracking if you have a family or are downsizing from a house.

Most of the stock is still compact. Current listings include a one-bedroom of 500 to 599 sq ft and several two-bedrooms of 800 to 899 sq ft, and forum discussion from the sales period describes most suites as 500 to 650 sq ft with corners near 800.

I could not find published ceiling heights, so ask for the floor plan and measure during your viewing. On the larger suites, check that the extra space is in usable rooms and not in long hallways.

Ask about parking and lockers for the specific suite. Parking is listed in the fee, but it helps only if a space is actually deeded or assigned to your suite, and in a building with many small units some were likely sold without one.

Air conditioning in the fee, but not heat

Condos.ca lists common elements, air conditioning, building insurance, parking and water as fee inclusions here. Heat is not listed. Oddly, the same source does not list air conditioning for Pulse next door, so confirm the inclusions on the status certificate for whichever tower you are buying in.

Across current listings the fee works out to about $0.79 per square foot. That is moderate for the corridor, and with parking and cooling included, it compares well with newer towers where both are extra.

Condos.ca also flags pet restrictions. I have not seen the actual rules, so read them in the status certificate before you buy if you have a pet.

Because heat is not listed, ask the seller for a year of utility bills. In an older tower, a corner suite with more glass can cost noticeably more to heat than an interior one, and that belongs in your monthly budget.

Living near Yonge and Finch

The appeal is location. During pre-construction, forum commenters pointed to transit at Yonge and Finch as the reason these suites would rent well, and the panel on this page has the transit details. Yonge has shops, restaurants and services in both directions.

Yonge and Finch is busy, with heavy bus and car traffic and a lot of pedestrian activity. Upper floors of the taller north tower get more distance from the street, which is one reason I would look high in this building if noise bothers you.

Change is coming north of here. Metrolinx’s Yonge North Subway Extension is planned to run north from Finch, and new tower applications continue along Yonge. Check the City of Toronto development applications map before you pay for a view, because a new tower on a neighbouring site can block it.

What Pulse II costs

Condos.ca puts the building average at about $751 per square foot, almost identical to Pulse at about $746. The market treats the two towers as one product, so look at sales in both when you judge a price.

When I checked, four suites were for sale and four for lease. Asking prices ran from $519,000 to $699,000. The one-bedroom ask is high per foot compared with the two-bedrooms, so check what it includes before you treat it as a benchmark.

With only a few suites listed at once, compare a suite with others of the same size band and exposure in both towers rather than with the building average, and adjust for whether parking and a locker are included.

Asking prices are not sale prices. For what has actually traded, use the market data on this page or ask me for the building sold report, which I can run for both Pulse towers.

Building specifications

Amenities at Pulse II Condos

Condos.ca lists a concierge, guest suites and media, meeting and party rooms. The 2008 construction report described fitness and billiards rooms and a virtual golf room for the Pulse project as a whole, so confirm which tower holds them and how access works under the shared agreement.

Jatin’s honest take on Pulse II Condos

Pulse II Condos — frequently asked questions

Looking at Willowdale, Yonge & Sheppard, Bayview Village and North York Centre more broadly? Start with my Toronto community guide — the neighbourhoods, what each pocket is like, and how they compare.