142 Pears Ave: Townhouse-Style Condos With a Pool, Steps From Yorkville

142 Pears Avenue is how you get a townhouse within a short walk of Yorkville without paying for a freehold. It is a 1980 complex of 32 multi-level condo homes tucked onto a side street north of Davenport, with an outdoor pool and underground parking. The trade-off is age, and the fee does not cover your heat. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

Townhouses, not apartments

The format is what sets this building apart. Units here are townhouse-style homes rather than apartments off a corridor. Recent listing descriptions describe two storeys above grade plus a finished lower level, with an open main floor, bedrooms upstairs and a recreation room, second bathroom, laundry and storage downstairs.

Recorded sizes run from about 1,440 to 1,896 square feet. That is family-sized space, spread over several floors, so the stairs are part of the deal. Buyers who want single-level living should look at an apartment building instead.

Some units have private terraces off the living room. Outdoor space that you have the use of, on a quiet street this close to Yorkville, is rare and is a large part of the appeal.

The layout also changes how a home lives. With bedrooms on one floor, living space on another and a recreation room below, a family or a couple working from home gets real separation, which is hard to find in a central apartment condo of similar size.

An outdoor pool on a side street

For a 32-unit complex, the shared facilities are unusually generous: an outdoor pool, separate men’s and women’s saunas, a gym and a recreation room that was renovated recently, according to listing descriptions. The condos.ca profile also lists a security system and an underground garage.

An outdoor pool in a small corporation is a pleasure in July and a cost the rest of the year. Maintenance, liners, pumps and eventual replacement are shared among relatively few owners, so look at how the reserve fund study treats the pool before you buy.

Parking is underground, with one space typical per unit based on listings. That keeps cars off the street frontage and is one reason the complex feels calmer than its location suggests.

Built in 1980: what to expect

This complex is more than 45 years old. Expect original construction details, a garage that has been through at least one membrane or repair cycle, and units whose interiors range from original to fully renovated. Condition varies a lot from one unit to the next.

Multi-level townhouse units also have their own maintenance questions: roofs, terraces, exterior doors and windows, and who is responsible for each. In some corporations the owner pays for certain exterior items; in others the corporation does. The declaration answers that, and it is worth reading before you budget.

Finished lower levels deserve a closer look in any older building. Check for signs of past moisture, ask whether there have been any water issues in the garage or lower units, and read the board minutes for drainage or waterproofing work. A good home inspection is worth it here, even though it is a condo.

The fee includes building insurance, parking and water along with common elements, but not heat or hydro, so ask for the actual utility bills. Multi-storey units with a lower level can cost more to heat than a similar-sized apartment.

Pears Avenue, between the Annex and Yorkville

Pears Avenue runs west from Avenue Road just north of Davenport. You are close to the Annex’s residential streets, a short walk from Yorkville’s restaurants and galleries, and within reach of the Avenue Road and Dupont corridors. The street itself is quieter than either Avenue Road or Davenport.

The area has densified. Newer condominiums on Pears and Avenue Road, including AYC Condos and Pears on the Avenue, have brought more residents to the block, which means more foot traffic and more services nearby, while the complex itself stays low and set back. The data panel on this page covers transit, Walk Score and nearby parks.

Price per square foot looks low, and here is why

The condos.ca building average is about $667 per square foot, far below most Annex and Yorkville condominiums. Part of that is format: townhouse-style units with finished lower levels count below-grade space in their square footage, which pushes price per square foot down. Part of it is age and condition. Treat the average as a starting point, and compare against other townhouse-style condos rather than apartment buildings.

There were no units listed for sale or lease at the time of writing. In a 32-unit complex, months can pass between listings, so serious buyers often need to be ready when one appears.

Because sales are so infrequent, I also look at how long units take to sell and how condition affected the result. In a complex like this, an original unit and a fully renovated one can trade far apart, and the building average blurs that difference. A buyer who understands the renovation cost can often find value in the less polished unit.

When you compare total monthly costs, remember that heat and hydro are on you here, while parking and water are covered. Against a freehold townhouse nearby, you trade a monthly fee for shared maintenance of the pool, garage and exterior, plus a far lower purchase price.

Building specifications

Amenities at 142 Pears Avenue

A pool, saunas and a gym in a 32-unit townhouse complex are uncommon in central Toronto. They make summer living here very pleasant, but every owner shares the cost of keeping them running. Ask when the pool was last resurfaced and what the reserve fund study sets aside for it.

Jatin’s honest take on 142 Pears Avenue

142 Pears Avenue — frequently asked questions

Looking at Yorkville, the Annex and Midtown more broadly? Start with my Toronto community guide — the neighbourhoods, what each pocket is like, and how they compare.