Rory Road Townhomes, 102-220 Rory Rd: 60 Condo Towns in Maple Leaf

The townhouses at 102 to 220 Rory Road are what I suggest to buyers who want a house-sized home in northwest Toronto but cannot stretch to a detached bungalow in Maple Leaf. There are 60 homes, built in 1998, and they rarely come up for sale. When one does, the questions that matter are about the corporation, not the kitchen. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

A townhouse condo on a street of houses

Rory Road is mostly a residential street of houses, and this complex sits among them. That matters when you search. Not every Rory Road address is part of the condominium, so when you see a listing on this street, check that it is in the even-numbered run from 102 to 220 and that it is part of MTCC-1223, not a freehold house next door.

The difference is real. A freehold house carries no monthly fee, but you pay for your own roof, windows and driveway. Here you pay a fee each month, and the corporation handles the shared parts. Which suits you depends on how much you want to manage yourself.

Maple Leaf runs from Lawrence Avenue north to Highway 401, between Culford Road and the rail line east of Keele Street. It is an established postwar area with a long Italian presence, and it has its own municipal parks and the Falstaff Community Centre. The developer’s name, Falstaff Heights, comes from this pocket of the city.

Size and layout: about 1,220 square feet

Condos.ca records the homes here at about 1,223 to 1,224 sq ft. That very narrow range most likely reflects only the sales it has measured, not every home in the complex, so do not assume each townhouse is identical. Measure the one you are looking at, and ask whether the listed area includes the lower level.

Condos.ca lists the complex as one storey, which is how its database often treats townhouse complexes. In practice these are multi-level homes. A home currently listed here is described with three bedrooms plus an extra room, which tells you the layouts are aimed at families rather than single buyers.

At around 1,200 sq ft over several floors, you get a separate living room, a proper kitchen and bedrooms away from the main floor. That is a very different daily life from a 1,200 sq ft condo apartment, mostly because of the stairs, the private entrance and the absence of a shared hallway.

What the fee covers, and what it does not

Condos.ca lists the fee as covering common elements, building insurance, parking and water. Water is worth noticing. Many townhouse complexes put each home on its own water bill, so having it in the fee makes monthly costs more predictable for a family that does a lot of laundry.

Heat and hydro are not listed, so expect to pay your own gas and electricity, as you would in a house. When you compare this fee with a condo apartment, remember that apartment fees often include heat and pay for staff, elevators and amenities you would not have here.

Ask the property manager, which condos.ca lists as Atrens Management Group, exactly what the corporation maintains. In townhouse condos the split between owner and corporation for windows, doors, decks and driveways varies from one declaration to another, and it decides what you pay for later.

A 1998 complex: where it sits in its life cycle

The complex is now more than 25 years old. That is the stage where roofs, windows, exterior doors, paving and site drainage tend to come due in a townhouse condo, often within a few years of each other. How well the corporation has saved for that work matters more than anything else in the purchase.

With only 60 homes sharing the cost, each large project is a noticeable amount per owner. A well-funded reserve can absorb it. A thin one means higher fees or a special assessment, so read the reserve fund study and the latest status certificate before you firm up any offer.

Walk the site as well as the unit. Look at the condition of the roofs from the street, the paving in the shared lanes and parking areas, and how water drains around the homes after rain. In an older townhouse complex the grounds tell you a lot about how the board spends money, and they are free to inspect before you make an offer.

Pricing in a 60-home complex

At the time of writing there was one home for sale here and none for lease. I do not quote a single listing’s asking price or fee, and condos.ca did not publish a building price per square foot for this complex, so there is no clean building average to anchor on.

With 60 homes and a slow turnover, sales are infrequent and each one moves the figures a lot. The recorded sales and leases in the data panel on this page are the place to start. Beyond those, compare with other 1990s condominium townhouses between Jane and Keele, south of the 401, and adjust for parking, basement finish and what each fee includes.

The other comparison worth making is with freehold houses on nearby streets. If the gap between a townhouse here and a small freehold house is narrow, the house may be the better long-term buy. If it is wide, the townhouse gives you house-style living at a lower entry price. I can pull both sets of comparables for you through my building sold report.

Building specifications

Amenities at Rory Road Townhomes

There is no gym, pool or party room here, and that is by design. In a townhouse complex your amenity is your own front door and the space inside it, and the fee is not paying for staff and shared facilities you may never use.

Jatin’s honest take on Rory Road Townhomes

Rory Road Townhomes — 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.