Monterey, 175 Bamburgh Circle: Big Suites, Fee Covers Hydro and Cable

Monterey at 175 Bamburgh Circle is where I would look if you want a condo that lives like a house: suites run to almost 1,800 square feet, and the fee already pays for hydro, heat, cooling, water, parking and even cable. It is a 1988 building, and it trades at one of the lowest prices per square foot in this part of Scarborough. That is either a bargain or a warning, and the status certificate tells you which. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

Large suites are the whole point

Condos.ca records suites at Monterey from about 700 to 1,785 square feet. The bottom of that range is the size of a generous new two-bedroom, and the top is larger than many semi-detached houses in the area. Very few condos in Toronto, at any price, offer that much floor area in one suite.

That size is why the building appeals to families and downsizers coming out of houses. You can keep a dining room set, a home office and guest space, and you are not paying for it in the way you would in a new tower, where every extra square foot is priced at today’s construction costs.

The trade-off is age. A suite built in 1988 will have that era’s layout, windows and, unless it has been renovated, its kitchens and bathrooms. Walk the suite with a contractor’s eye, and price the updates before you make an offer.

Think about resale as well. The pool of buyers for a 1,700-square-foot condo is smaller than for a one-bedroom, and those buyers are usually comparing you against townhouses nearby. A well-renovated large suite sells; a tired one can sit. That is a reason to buy the best-kept suite you can afford rather than the cheapest.

A fee that includes hydro, heat and cable

Monterey’s fee covers cable TV, air conditioning, common elements, heat, hydro, building insurance, parking and water. That is about as complete as a Toronto condo fee gets. Hydro and cable are the two items most buildings leave out.

On a suite of 1,200 square feet or more, the fee will look large in dollars. Before you react, add up what you would pay on top of a newer building’s fee: an electricity bill that covers heating and cooling, an internet and TV package, and often a separate parking charge. The honest comparison is all-in monthly cost, and on that basis buildings like this often come out closer than the headline suggests.

The flip side is that the corporation buys energy for 331 suites, and when utility rates climb, so does every owner’s fee. In a 1988 building, the central heating and cooling plant is also a major future cost. Look at the reserve fund study to see when those systems are due and how the fund is set up to pay for them.

Concierge, guard and an indoor pool

The amenity list includes a concierge, a security guard and security system, an indoor pool, a sauna, a games room and an underground parking garage. For a building of this vintage, that is a full package, and the staffed front desk is something many owners in larger suites specifically want.

Monterey shares Bamburgh Circle with other condominiums, including the Bridlewoode Place buildings at 25 and 75 Bamburgh Circle. If you are shopping the street, compare corporations rather than suites alone: fee inclusions, reserve funds and recent special projects can differ a lot between neighbours that look similar from the road.

Life near Warden and Steeles

Bamburgh Circle sits in the Steeles neighbourhood, on the north side of Scarborough near the York Region boundary. It is a settled area of towers, townhouses and houses, with daily shopping in plazas along Warden, Steeles and Finch rather than on a main street you would stroll.

Bridlewood Mall at Warden and Finch is the local enclosed mall, and it has been the subject of redevelopment plans for years. Wikipedia notes that the City approved a condo redevelopment there in 2010 that has not been built, and UrbanToronto reported in 2016 on a proposed 12-storey, 242-unit building at the mall’s southwest corner after an earlier condo project at the north end was shelved. I would not buy here counting on that site changing on any particular timeline.

Drivers have Highway 404 to the west and the 401 to the south. Finch and Warden are both major bus corridors, and the panel beside this review shows the nearest transit, groceries and parks.

What Monterey costs per square foot

Condos.ca puts the building’s average around $420 per square foot. That is low for Toronto, even for Scarborough, and it reflects a mix of the building’s age, the size of its suites and the fact that large suites always sell for less per square foot than small ones.

There is one suite listed for sale and two for lease as I write, so I will not quote an asking price; one listing does not describe a building. To price a suite properly here, compare it against recent sales of similar sizes in this tower and adjust for renovation, view and floor. My building sold report does that.

When you weigh the fee, divide it by the suite’s square footage, then compare that figure with a newer building’s fee per square foot plus that building’s hydro, cable and parking. With this many inclusions, Monterey’s fee is close to your whole monthly housing cost before mortgage and property tax.

Building specifications

Amenities at Monterey Condos

The concierge and guard give the building a staffed front desk, which matters for parcels and for owners who travel. The indoor pool and sauna are the kind of amenities that newer, smaller buildings in Scarborough often skipped.

Jatin’s honest take on Monterey Condos

Monterey Condos — frequently asked questions

Looking at Agincourt, L’Amoreaux, Milliken, Dorset Park and Wexford in Scarborough more broadly? Start with my Toronto community guide — the neighbourhoods, what each pocket is like, and how they compare.