Royalcrest, 45-65 Huntingdale Blvd: 1,400 sq ft and an All-In Fee

Royalcrest is where I send buyers who want house-sized rooms and one predictable monthly bill. Every suite in this 1975 complex on Huntingdale Boulevard is around 1,400 square feet, and the fee covers almost everything, including hydro and air conditioning. The fees are high in dollar terms, and I will show you why the number is less alarming than it looks. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

Every suite is a big suite

Most condo buildings offer a spread from studios to three-bedrooms. Royalcrest does not. Condos.ca lists suites in a tight band of roughly 1,395 to 1,490 square feet, and the current listings are two-bedroom-plus-den and three-bedroom plans. This was designed in 1975 as a replacement for the house, not a first step on the ladder.

That consistency is useful. It means the building is full of people who chose space on purpose, often families and long-term owners, and it means comparables are easy to find because the suites are so similar. The differences between suites come down to floor, exposure and how much renovation the owner has done.

The upper floor is marketed as a penthouse level. Ask about ceiling height and layout on those suites specifically, since I could not confirm whether they differ from the typical floor.

An all-inclusive fee, measured properly

The fee here covers common elements, heat, hydro, air conditioning, cable TV, building insurance, parking and water. In practical terms, apart from internet and your own contents insurance, there is very little else to pay for to keep the lights on.

Current listings show fees of about $1,012 to $1,072 a month. That looks steep next to a new one-bedroom, but on these suite sizes it works out to roughly 68 to 77 cents a square foot, with hydro and cooling already in. Add a summer of air conditioning and a winter of electricity back onto a 1,400 sq ft suite somewhere else and the comparison gets much closer.

The flip side is that you do not control those costs. When utility rates rise, the corporation’s budget rises, and so will your fee. Ask for the last three years of budgets to see how fast the fee has been climbing.

A Tridel tower from the 1970s

Condos.ca credits the building to Tridel, one of Toronto’s best-known condo builders, though its developer field for this building is blank and I could not find a second source that names the builder. Liv.rent’s building page also names Tridel. You will also see the complex called Royal Crest III, which suggests it was one of a series; I could not confirm what the other phases were.

One detail I found interesting: YCC-229 was registered on 17 October 1975, the same day as YCC-230, Dorset Towers on Kennedy Road. It is a reminder of how quickly Scarborough’s condo stock was built out in the mid-1970s, and how many of these buildings are now reaching the same stage of life together.

With 460 suites over two addresses, this is a large corporation. Large repairs are shared among many owners, which keeps each share manageable, but it also means the board is running a substantial operation. Its competence matters as much as the building itself.

Daily life in L’Amoreaux

L’Amoreaux runs from Victoria Park Avenue to Kennedy Road and from Huntingwood Drive to McNicoll Avenue, and it is a mature, settled part of Scarborough with mid- and high-rise towers mixed among houses from the late 1950s onward.

Bridlewood Mall at Warden and Finch is the largest retail building in the area, and L’Amoreaux Park and the L’Amoreaux Community Centre carry the neighbourhood’s name. This is a car-friendly, family-oriented area rather than a place for nightlife.

The data panel on this page covers transit, schools and what is walkable from the door. Most owners here drive for at least some errands, which is one reason parking in the fee matters.

Pricing: low per foot, high per suite

When I checked, three suites were listed for sale at $625,000 to $699,000, with none listed for rent. On these sizes that is roughly $420 to $500 a square foot asking, which is low for Toronto, though asking prices are not sale prices.

The reason for the low per-foot number is the same as at most 1970s Scarborough towers: age, an older finish standard in many suites, and the fact that large suites trade at a lower price per foot than small ones. The reason the total price is still meaningful is that you are buying a lot of space.

When I value a suite here, I separate renovated suites from original ones, and I adjust for floor and view. The tight size band makes that easier than in most buildings, because you are rarely comparing a small suite with a large one.

I would also budget the fee into your affordability numbers from the start. Lenders count a share of the condo fee when they qualify you, and with a fee over $1,000 a month that can reduce what you can borrow, even though much of it replaces utility bills you would otherwise pay yourself. For what has actually sold, ask me for my building sold report.

Building specifications

Amenities at Royalcrest Condominiums

Condos.ca lists a sauna, tennis court, party and meeting rooms, a garage and a security guard, and liv.rent adds a pool and an exercise room. For a 460-suite building, a staffed security desk and a full recreation package are what owners are paying for in the fee, so ask what condition each facility is in and whether any is due for work.

Jatin’s honest take on Royalcrest Condominiums

Royalcrest Condominiums — 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.