10 Prue Ave Condos: 23 Suites of 1,500 to 2,500 sq ft Near Bathurst

10 Prue Avenue is a building for people leaving a house who do not want to give up a house’s worth of space. It has only 23 suites over ten storeys, and every suite condos.ca has on record is at least about 1,500 square feet. That makes it rare, and it also makes the building’s finances matter more than almost anywhere else. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

Twenty-three suites, about two or three per floor

Ten storeys and 23 suites works out to roughly two or three suites per floor. That is a different experience from a tower: fewer neighbours on your floor, more privacy, and a lobby where you will know almost everyone.

Condos.ca’s records here run from about 1,492 to 2,518 square feet. Suites of that size are usually corner or through-plans with multiple exposures, which is what downsizers coming out of detached houses in this part of the city tend to want.

I have not been able to confirm layouts, ceiling heights or balcony sizes from a source I trust, so ask for the floor plan and the measured size of any suite you consider, and check the renovation history. In a 1980 building, two suites of the same size can be worlds apart in condition.

A fee that covers nearly everything

Condos.ca lists heat, hydro, air conditioning, water, building insurance, parking and common elements in the fee. That is close to all-in. For a suite of 2,000 square feet, a separate hydro and heating bill would be large, so bundling those costs matters more here than it does in a small suite.

When you compare the fee with a newer building’s, add back the utilities and parking that newer buildings charge separately. The all-in monthly cost is the fair comparison.

The flip side is that with 23 suites, every shared cost is split among very few owners. A new roof, a garage repair or an elevator modernization costs roughly the same whether a building has 23 suites or 200, and here each owner carries a much larger share. That is not a reason to avoid the building, but it is a reason to read its finances before anything else.

What downsizing into a building like this involves

Most buyers I see at 10 Prue are selling a house nearby. The usual worries are furniture, storage and outdoor space, and a suite of 1,500 to 2,500 square feet answers the first one in a way a new condo does not. A dining table for eight and a proper living room still fit.

Storage and outdoor space are the details to confirm. Ask what locker comes with the suite, how much balcony or terrace space there is, and where the barbecue would go. Those three answers often decide whether a house owner feels at home here.

Also think about the sale itself. Buying first and selling later leaves you carrying two properties, and in a building with few listings in any year you may not get to choose your timing. Plan the sequence before you fall for a suite. A bridge-financing conversation with your lender early on, and a realistic read on how quickly your house will sell, makes the whole move far less stressful, and I am happy to map that out with you.

A small building in a mature neighbourhood

Prue Avenue is a short residential street just west of Bathurst, south of Lawrence. The area is mostly houses and small apartment buildings, with a handful of boutique condominiums nearby such as 500 Glencairn Avenue, a five-storey building from 1990, and One Glen Park at 1 Glen Park Avenue, from 2003.

Condos.ca’s amenity list here is short: visitor parking, a parking garage, a security system and BBQs permitted. There is no pool or gym, and no party room to book. For most buyers in this building, the suite itself is the amenity, and the absence of a pool or party room means there are fewer big-ticket facilities for 23 owners to maintain.

Change is happening to the north and west. Post City reported that the City’s Lawrence-Allen Secondary Plan guides the redevelopment of Lawrence Heights, bounded by Highway 401, Bathurst, Lawrence and Dufferin, replacing about 1,208 social housing units and adding about 4,400 market homes over more than 20 years. For owners on Prue, that means more residents and new services nearby over time.

Pricing: about $514 a square foot for house-size space

Condos.ca puts the average at about $514 per square foot. That is close to 500 Glencairn at about $525, and well below One Glen Park at about $689 and 3000 Bathurst Street at about $703.

Because the suites are so large, the total price is still substantial even at a lower per-foot figure, and the buyer pool is narrower. Fewer buyers want 2,000 square feet in a condo than want 800, which can mean longer selling times when you eventually sell. Factor that into how long you plan to stay. On the other hand, the same scarcity works for you: when a large suite in a small, well-run building does come up, there is often little direct competition from other listings in the same building.

There were no active listings when I checked, and in a 23-suite building there are few sales in any year. Use the 12-month trading data in the panel beside this review, and ask me for a building sold report that includes the nearby boutique buildings, since this building’s own record will be thin.

Building specifications

Amenities at 10 Prue Avenue Condos

There is little in the way of shared facilities, which keeps the operating budget simpler. Condos.ca notes that BBQs are permitted, a detail that matters to buyers coming from a house with a backyard grill.

Jatin’s honest take on 10 Prue Avenue Condos

10 Prue Avenue Condos — frequently asked questions

Looking at York Mills, Don Mills, Lawrence Park, Bathurst Manor and midtown-north Toronto more broadly? Start with my Toronto community guide — the neighbourhoods, what each pocket is like, and how they compare.