50 Markham Road Townhouses: 18 Homes at Markham and Kingston Road

50 Markham Road is a small, 1999 townhouse condominium at one of Scarborough’s busiest corners, Markham Road and Kingston Road. Eighteen homes, a parking garage and a professional manager make it more organised than many complexes its size. It is also on a stretch of Markham Road that is about to change, and that should shape how long you plan to stay. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

Eighteen townhouses with a garage

Eighteen homes is small for a condominium but large enough to support a professional manager, and this corporation has one in JTB Management Group. That usually means proper financial statements, a managed reserve fund and someone to call when something breaks, which is not a given in complexes this size.

Condos.ca lists a parking garage among the features. Ask exactly what that means here. If it is a shared underground or enclosed garage, its slab, waterproofing membrane, drains and door are among the most expensive items a corporation maintains, and at 27 years old they may already be due. If each home has its own garage, the cost picture is much simpler.

Visitor parking is also listed, which matters on Markham Road, where street parking near a busy corner is not something to rely on. Barbecues are permitted, according to condos.ca; check the rules for where and what type.

Governance is personal at this size. The board is likely a few neighbours working with the manager, so read the minutes to see how decisions get made and how quickly repairs are approved, and ask how many owners live in their homes rather than renting them out.

A 1999 complex in its second repair cycle

Built in 1999, this complex has passed the point where the first roofs, windows and paving reach the end of their lives. The question is not whether that work is needed but whether it has been done, and how it was paid for.

Ask for the reserve fund study and the last two years of board minutes. Look for when the roofs and windows were replaced or are scheduled to be, what the garage needs, and whether the fund is on track. Then compare that with the fee: a low fee with a thin reserve fund is not a bargain.

Inside, check the furnace, air conditioner and water heater ages, and whether any are rented. Ontario rental contracts on water heaters and furnaces transfer to the buyer, so add them to your monthly cost.

Read the declaration as well. Townhouse corporations differ on who looks after roofs, windows, doors, decks and private yards, and in some complexes owners are responsible for more of the exterior than buyers expect. Know where the line falls before you compare this fee with another complex’s.

Insurance belongs on the same list. The corporation insures the buildings and owners insure their contents, improvements and liability. Ask what deductible the corporation carries, since owners are often charged it when a claim starts in their home, and with 18 owners a large claim is felt by everyone.

Living at Markham and Kingston

This is a commercial corner, not a quiet crescent. Kingston Road and Markham Road are both major routes, and the shops, plazas and buses along them are part of daily life here. The panel on this page lists the nearest transit, schools, shops and parks.

Noise is the first thing to check. A home facing Markham Road will live differently from one facing the interior of the site, so ask which way the windows and any outdoor space face, and visit at rush hour.

The Scarborough Bluffs and their lakefront parks are to the south, which is the reason many buyers come to this part of Scarborough in the first place. Living on a main road with the bluffs a short drive away is a trade many families are happy to make.

What is changing on Markham Road

Further north on Markham Road, at 253 Markham Road on the corner of Dunelm Street, Options for Homes has proposed a six-building development with buildings of 3 to 20 storeys and roughly 800 homes in total. It is still at the pre-construction stage, according to UrbanToronto.

A project of that size can bring new shops, a park and more transit demand to the corridor, and also years of construction traffic. It is worth following if you plan to stay, and it may affect resale both ways: more choice for buyers, but also a more established, busier Markham Road.

For a buyer today, the practical point is timing. If you expect to sell within a few years, you may be selling into a market with new competing homes nearby; if you plan to stay ten years, you are more likely to see the finished neighbourhood than the construction.

What 50 Markham Road costs

With 18 homes, this complex trades a few times a year at most. When I checked, there were no homes for sale or for lease, so there is no current asking range I can quote.

Condos.ca does not publish a fee inclusion list for this corporation. In many townhouse condominiums, the fee covers the common elements, exterior maintenance, building insurance and parking, while owners pay their own utilities. Confirm the actual split in the status certificate, and ask whether the garage is a common element.

Condition will separate one sale from the next. An updated kitchen and bathrooms, newer windows and mechanical systems, and the side of the site a home sits on can move the price more than a few square feet. The fair comparisons are other small townhouse complexes along Kingston and Markham Road, and freehold townhouses in Scarborough Village.

Use the panel for the recent sales record, or ask me for a building sold report before you offer.

Building specifications

Amenities at 50 Markham Road Townhouses

There is no gym or party room here. The practical package is what matters at this corner: covered parking, visitor spaces for guests and permission to barbecue outside.

Jatin’s honest take on 50 Markham Road Townhouses

50 Markham Road Townhouses — frequently asked questions

Looking at Scarborough Bluffs, West Hill, Guildwood, Woburn, Malvern and Rouge more broadly? Start with my Toronto community guide — the neighbourhoods, what each pocket is like, and how they compare.