The Carlisle, 1101 Pharmacy Ave: A 46-Suite Mid-Rise in Wexford

The Carlisle is the kind of building most buyers drive past without noticing, and that is part of its appeal. It is eight storeys, it has only 46 suites, and its fee covers heat and hydro, in a part of Wexford where the shopping strip on Lawrence does most of your errands for you. It is also a 1974 building with a very small owner base, and that changes how you should buy it. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

One of the smallest condo buildings in Wexford

With 46 suites on eight storeys, The Carlisle has about six suites per floor. It is a mid-rise, not a tower, and it lives like one: one elevator lobby, short hallways and a building where most owners recognise each other.

It is also an early condo. The corporation number, YCC-138, comes from the old York County register, and it was registered on 1 May 1974, only a few years after Ontario first allowed condominium ownership. Condos.ca leaves the developer field blank, and I could not confirm the original builder from other sources.

A building this small is a different purchase from a 300-suite tower. Every repair, every legal cost and every reserve fund contribution is shared among 46 owners. That is the single most important thing to understand before you buy here.

There is an upside. In a small building, owners tend to stay longer, the board is made up of people you will see in the lobby, and problems are noticed quickly. Before you buy, go to the building on a weekday, look at the common areas, and ask the manager how many owners live in the building versus renting out their suites. Those answers tell you a lot about how it is run.

Layouts from one-bedrooms to large two-bedrooms

Condos.ca records suites from about 691 to 1,150 sq ft. At the small end that is a generous one-bedroom by today’s standards, and at the large end it is a two-bedroom or more with separate living and dining space.

Those sizes are typical of 1970s mid-rises built for owner-occupiers. Rooms are usually squarer, closets are real, and kitchens tend to be enclosed rather than open to the living room. Some buyers love that; others plan to open up the kitchen, which in a small building needs board approval.

Condition varies suite to suite. Some will have been fully renovated, others will be close to original. Price the suite you are looking at on what it needs, and get an inspection even though it is a condo.

Heat and hydro in, cooling not listed

Condos.ca lists common elements, heat, hydro, water, building insurance and parking as included. That covers most of your household bills. Air conditioning is not on the list, which in a 1970s building often means suites rely on their own units, so ask how the suite you are viewing is cooled.

An inclusive fee looks high on paper next to a newer building, so compare like with like. Add back the hydro, heating and parking bills you would pay in a building where they are separate, and the gap usually narrows.

The shared-utility model also means rising energy costs flow straight into the fee. In a 46-suite building, there is not much room to absorb increases. Ask the manager for the fee history over the past five years, and whether any energy-saving work has been done.

Daily life near Lawrence and Pharmacy

The Carlisle sits on Pharmacy Avenue near Lawrence Avenue East, at the western end of Wexford. Lawrence between Victoria Park and Birchmount is the neighbourhood’s main street, and the Wexford Heights Business Improvement Area along it has about 245 members, according to Wikipedia, with Wexford Heights Plaza and the Westford Shopping Centre serving the area.

Wexford is mostly post-war bungalows. Wikipedia notes a long-standing Greek community, and the 2006 census counted South Asian residents as the area’s largest visible-minority group. The Lawrence strip hosts an annual street festival, and Wexford Park is in the southwest of the neighbourhood.

This is a practical, unflashy location: groceries, restaurants and services on Lawrence, quiet residential streets behind them. The data panel on this page shows the transit options and walking scores for this address.

What The Carlisle costs

Condos.ca puts the building average at about $411 per square foot. That is close to Village Gate at 1665 Victoria Park Avenue, another older mid-rise in Wexford at about $433, and far below the 2150 Condos towers on Lawrence and Birchmount at about $613. You are paying older-building prices for older-building space.

When I checked there was only one suite for sale and none for lease. In a 46-suite building that is normal. Listings are rare, and when one appears it may be the only option for months.

With so few sales, a single transaction can move the building average noticeably, so treat the per-square-foot figure as a guide. When you do find a suite, be ready with financing in place, because a well-priced listing in a building like this does not sit long. Recent sold prices are the only reliable benchmark here, and I can pull them through my building sold report.

Building specifications

Amenities at The Carlisle

The amenity list is short: a gym, a recreation room, an underground garage and a security system. That suits owners who would rather keep the fee focused on utilities and upkeep than pay for a pool or a concierge they will not use.

Jatin’s honest take on The Carlisle

The Carlisle — 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.