301 Washburn Way Townhouses: A 1975 Malvern Complex on a Future LRT Stop

301 Washburn Way is one of the older condominium townhouse complexes in Malvern, and it is the kind of place where a family can still buy a home with stairs, a front door and a parking space for a fraction of a Toronto house price. The catch with any complex this age is that the condition of the corporation matters more than the kitchen. And the street it sits on has its name on a proposed rapid transit stop. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

From Malvern’s first decade

Malvern as most people know it today is a planned community. In the late 1950s the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation expropriated the farms here to build a model community of affordable homes, and the first residents moved in in 1972.

301 Washburn Way registered as a condominium in November 1975, only a few years later, so it belongs to that first wave. The corporation number tells the same story. YCC numbers come from the old York County system that predates the Metro Toronto (MTCC) and Toronto (TSCC) series, and a three-digit YCC number marks this as one of the earlier condominiums in the city.

Condos.ca does not name the builder, and I could not confirm one. For a complex of this age that matters less than you might think. Fifty years on, the roofs, windows, paving and plumbing have almost certainly been through at least one replacement cycle, and how well that was planned and paid for tells you far more than the original builder’s name would.

What a 51-year-old complex asks of a buyer

Buying into a 1975 condominium is buying into a maintenance history. The status certificate, the latest reserve fund study and two or three years of board minutes are where that history lives, and I would not firm up an offer here without reading all three.

In the reserve fund study, look for the big exterior items: roofing, windows and patio doors, siding or brick repairs, asphalt roads and walkways, and any shared garage structure. The useful question is not whether work is coming, because at this age it always is, but whether the plan to pay for it is realistic without a sharp jump in fees.

Then read the declaration for the line between your responsibility and the corporation’s. In townhouse complexes, items like windows, doors, decks and fences are split differently from one corporation to the next, and that split decides who pays when something fails.

Inside the home, a 1970s townhouse can vary widely depending on what previous owners have done. Ask about the age of the furnace, air conditioner and water heater, the electrical panel, and any renovation permits. Two homes with the same floor plan can be very different purchases.

Parking, the garage and the fee

Condos.ca lists a parking garage and visitor parking. In a complex like this, that can mean private garages attached to each home or a shared parking structure, and the difference matters for both convenience and the corporation’s long-term costs. Confirm exactly what parking comes with the home you are looking at, and whether it is owned or exclusive-use common element.

There is no fee-inclusion list for 301 Washburn Way on condos.ca, and I am not going to guess at one. Older townhouse complexes in Scarborough are split between ones where you pay your own utilities and ones where some are bundled into the fee, and the answer changes the true monthly cost by a lot. Ask for the corporation’s budget and a year of the seller’s utility bills.

Barbecues are listed as permitted, which is a small point that matters to a lot of townhouse buyers. Read the rules for any limits on fuel type or where grills can sit.

Living near Neilson and Sewells, and what is planned

This is the residential heart of Malvern, a short trip from Malvern Town Centre on Neilson Road. The Toronto Zoo and the Rouge Valley are close by, and the area has seen public investment over the past two decades, including a renovated Malvern library branch and the Nike Malvern Sports Complex, which opened in 2006. The panel on this page lists the nearest schools, transit and shops.

The bigger change is transit. The City and the TTC are planning the Scarborough East Rapid Transit line, previously called the Eglinton East LRT, an 18.6-kilometre line from Kennedy Station that passes through the University of Toronto Scarborough campus and ends at Malvern Town Centre. The proposed stop list includes one named Washburn, on Sheppard Avenue at Washburn Way and Lapsley Road, and a branch that runs north on Neilson Road to the mall.

It is still a plan, not a construction project, and Scarborough has seen transit plans change before. I would treat it as upside, not as the reason to buy. But if it is built, few complexes in Malvern would be better placed than one on the street the stop is named after.

What 301 Washburn Way costs

When I checked, there were no homes listed for sale or for lease at 301 Washburn Way, so there is no asking range I can fairly quote. Condos.ca also does not publish suite sizes or an average price per square foot for this complex.

That is normal for a 54-home complex, where a handful of sales a year is typical. It also means a single sale can make the building look cheap or expensive in any given year, so I would look at several years of sales rather than the latest one.

Condition is what separates one sale from the next here. Updated kitchens and bathrooms, newer mechanical systems and finished basements, where they exist, move the price far more than small differences in size. Compare like with like, and compare against other Malvern townhouse complexes from the same era, not against newer stacked towns.

For recent sold figures, use the panel on this page, or ask me for a building sold report before you make an offer.

Building specifications

Amenities at 301 Washburn Way Townhouses

There is no gym, pool or party room here, and you should not expect one in a 1975 townhouse complex. What you get is practical: parking, visitor spaces for guests and the freedom to barbecue, with the money that would have gone to amenities staying in the reserve fund instead.

Jatin’s honest take on 301 Washburn Way Townhouses

301 Washburn Way Townhouses — frequently asked questions

Looking at Scarborough Bluffs, West Hill, Guildwood, Woburn, Malvern and Rouge more broadly? Start with my Toronto community guide — the neighbourhoods, what each pocket is like, and how they compare.