Crossroads, 10 Muirhead Rd: Big 1974 Suites With Every Utility in the Fee

Crossroads at 10 Muirhead Road is for buyers who want space first and everything else second. The smallest suites here start above 800 square feet, the fee covers every major utility, and the price per square foot is among the lowest you will find for a high-rise in the city. Nothing was listed for sale when I checked, so it pays to understand the building before a suite comes up. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

Large suites are the whole point

The defining fact about Crossroads is the suite size. Recorded sizes run from about 831 to 1,278 square feet, so even the smallest plan here is larger than most new one-bedroom-plus-den suites in the area, and the largest is family-sized by any condo standard.

That is a product the market has largely stopped building. New towers along Sheppard and around Fairview Mall are full of 500 to 750 square foot suites, because that is what pencils for developers and investors. If you need three bedrooms, a real dining area or a separate home office, a 1970s building like this is often the only way to get it in a high-rise at a price most families can carry.

Expect suites to vary widely in condition. Original 1970s kitchens and bathrooms sit alongside fully renovated units, and the price difference should reflect that. Ask what has been updated, when and with what permits, and whether the corporation requires approval for flooring or plumbing work.

An amenity package from another era

Crossroads lists an indoor pool, a sauna, a tennis court, a car wash bay, a security guard and an underground garage. The car wash is a small detail that tells you who this building was designed for: car-owning households who wanted the convenience of a house without the maintenance.

I could not confirm the original developer or architect, and I won’t guess. What I can say is that its neighbour at 5 Old Sheppard Avenue was registered earlier the same year at the same height, with a very similar fee structure, and the two are useful comparisons. They are separate corporations with their own boards, budgets and reserve funds.

Pleasant View, the 404 and Fairview

Pleasant View is a residential pocket on the east side of Highway 404, north of Sheppard Avenue East, with a mix of towers, low-rise housing, parks and schools. It is quiet by Toronto standards, and it suits people who drive or who are happy to take a short trip to the subway.

Fairview Mall and Don Mills station, the eastern terminus of Line 4 Sheppard, sit just across the highway to the west. The 401 and 404 interchange makes driving easy in most directions. The panel on this page shows the actual walking and transit times; I would test the route at rush hour before buying.

The highway is also the main drawback. Suites facing west toward the 404 can pick up traffic noise, and some views look out over the highway rather than green space. Ask about exposure and visit the suite at more than one time of day.

Pets, rules and a long-established corporation

Condos.ca lists a pet restriction here. That can mean anything from a weight or number limit to a broader restriction, and I have not seen the rules, so read the declaration and rules carefully before you buy if you have, or plan to have, a pet.

A corporation registered in 1974 has been through several major repair cycles. Many original systems will already have been replaced or refurbished once, and some will be due again. The reserve fund study and the board minutes tell you where the building is in that cycle, and whether owners have been asked to pay special assessments in the past. A building that has kept up with its repairs is a far better buy than one that has kept its fee low by putting them off, even if the second one looks cheaper today.

Pricing: the lowest per square foot, the highest fixed cost

The building average is about $429 per square foot, which is very low for a Toronto high-rise. On a 1,000 square foot suite, that is a fraction of what a new tower nearby would cost for half the space.

There were no suites for sale when I prepared this review, which is common for a building where owners tend to stay. That makes the sales panel on this page and my building sold report the best guides to what suites actually trade for.

The fee covers hydro, heat, air conditioning, water, cable and parking, so it will be high in dollar terms. When you compare it against a newer building, add back the utilities and parking you would pay there. Then ask your lender how the fee affects your approval, because high fees reduce borrowing capacity.

When a suite does come up, be ready. Have your financing pre-approved with the fee factored in, know which floor plans and exposures you want, and line up a lawyer who will review the status certificate within your conditional period. In buildings with low turnover, the buyers who have done that homework are the ones who get the suite.

Building specifications

Amenities at Crossroads

An indoor pool, a sauna and a tennis court give families and active retirees real recreation on site, and the car wash bay and underground garage make winter car ownership easier. Those facilities are costly to maintain, and you pay for them through the fee whether or not you use them.

Jatin’s honest take on Crossroads

Crossroads — frequently asked questions

Looking at Downsview, Weston, York University Heights, Rexdale and northwest Toronto more broadly? Start with my Toronto community guide — the neighbourhoods, what each pocket is like, and how they compare.