2020 Pharmacy Avenue Townhouses: 32 Homes from 1973 Off Sheppard

2020 Pharmacy Avenue is a small townhouse complex that most people drive past without noticing: 32 homes, registered in April 1973, just north of Sheppard. Small complexes like this can be very good places to own, or very expensive ones, and the difference is almost entirely in the paperwork. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

Thirty-two homes, one small corporation

With 32 homes, every cost the complex has is split 32 ways. Snow clearing, insurance, a new roof cycle or a repaved laneway land on very few owners. That is the single most important fact about buying here, and it shapes everything I would check.

The YCC-103 number dates the corporation to the old York County register, two numbers after 150 Palmdale Drive Townhouses a short distance east. These were among the first condominiums in the Toronto area, registered only a few years after Ontario allowed condominium ownership.

Small size also has an upside. Owners tend to know each other, the board is made up of people who live there, and decisions can be made quickly. A well-run 32-home corporation is often a calm, stable place to live for a long time.

The risk is concentration. If two or three owners fall behind on fees, or one large repair arrives early, the effect on everyone else is immediate. Ask the manager whether any owners are in arrears, how many homes are rented rather than owner-occupied, and how often the board has had trouble filling its seats.

A professional manager in a small complex

Condos.ca lists Sterling Condominium Services Inc as the property manager. Many complexes this size are self-managed, so having a professional firm is a useful sign: there should be proper financial statements, a reserve fund study on schedule and a single point of contact for repairs.

It also costs money. In a small corporation, the management contract is a noticeable line in the budget. Ask how long Sterling has managed the complex, when the contract renews and how the fee has changed. Frequent changes of manager in a small complex are worth asking about.

Before you go firm, request the status certificate, the latest reserve fund study, the audited statements and at least two years of board minutes. A good manager will produce them promptly, and how quickly they arrive is itself useful information.

Garage, bikes and the townhouse format

The listed features are practical ones: a parking garage, visitor parking, bike storage and permission to barbecue. Bike storage is less common in Scarborough townhouse complexes of this age, and it helps if you have children or commute by bike along Sheppard.

Condos.ca records the complex as one floor, which is how it classifies many townhouse complexes, so confirm the levels, bedrooms and basement of the specific home you are viewing. In complexes of this era, homes vary widely in condition, from original 1970s kitchens to full renovations.

Ask how the parking works. In an older complex, a listed parking garage can mean attached garages or a shared structure, and a shared garage brings its own membrane, drainage and lighting costs. Confirm how many spaces come with the home and whether they are owned or exclusive-use.

Living on Pharmacy Avenue itself is a trade-off. It is a busy north-south arterial, which is convenient for buses and for getting to the 401, but homes facing the road will hear more traffic than homes set back inside the complex. Visit at rush hour and on a weekend, and ask where the specific home sits on the site.

Pharmacy and Sheppard, then and now

The corner of Pharmacy and Sheppard has a longer story than its plazas suggest. From 1927 to 1946, Harry C. Hatch ran a racing farm there and trained five King’s Plate winners. The Bridlewood subdivision to the north, and later Bridlewood Mall, took their name from his racetrack.

Today the area is suburban Scarborough. Wishing Well Plaza sits at the intersection, Bridlewood Mall at Warden and Finch has a Metro, an Asian supermarket and an expanded library branch that opened in 2024, and Agincourt Mall is east along Sheppard. Most households here drive for larger shopping trips.

New townhouses are arriving on the same street. Further north on Pharmacy at Huntingdale Boulevard, Profile Developments proposed 85 back-to-back and standard townhouses of about 1,068 to 1,640 sq ft on a former strip plaza. Projects like that are a useful benchmark: compare what a new town costs against an older one here with more land around it. The data panel on this page covers transit, schools and walkability.

How to price a home here

There were no active listings and no building average price per square foot in the data when I checked. With 32 homes, sales are infrequent, and a single renovated home can make the building’s history look stronger than an original home would justify.

I price homes here against recent sales in this complex and in similar 1970s townhouse complexes nearby, adjusting for size, bedrooms, basement finish, parking and condition. Newer stacked or back-to-back towns are a ceiling, not a comparable, because their fees, finishes and layouts are different.

Look at the fee alongside the reserve fund. In a small complex, a fee that has been held flat for years can be followed by a sharp increase or a special assessment. My building sold report shows what has actually traded here.

If you are set on this complex, get pre-approved and be ready before a home appears. In a 32-home corporation, a well-kept home at a fair price does not stay on the market long, and a buyer who still needs to sell first is usually the one who misses it.

Building specifications

Amenities at 2020 Pharmacy Avenue Townhouses

These are the amenities of a townhouse, not a tower: somewhere to park, somewhere for guests to park, somewhere for bikes and a barbecue on your own patio. With no pool or gym to fund, more of the fee should be going to the reserve fund, which is exactly where you want it in a 1973 complex.

Jatin’s honest take on 2020 Pharmacy Avenue Townhouses

2020 Pharmacy Avenue Townhouses — frequently asked questions

Looking at Agincourt, L’Amoreaux, Milliken, Dorset Park and Wexford in Scarborough more broadly? Start with my Toronto community guide — the neighbourhoods, what each pocket is like, and how they compare.