351 Military Trail Townhouses: Split-Level Homes in a 1972 Corporation

351 Military Trail is a small and early condominium: 42 townhouses whose corporation was registered in July 1972, barely five years after Ontario passed its first condominium law. The homes are split-level, with a garage at the front, a finished lower level and a living room you step down into, and that layout is why people buy here. The age is why you read the paperwork twice. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

Corporation number 53, and what that tells you

Ontario passed its Condominium Act in 1967, and the province’s first condominiums were low-rise townhouse projects that people moved into from 1968. A York Condominium Corporation number of 53, registered in July 1972, puts this complex in that first handful of years. It registered a few months before its neighbour at 341 Military Trail, which is YCC-63.

Being early has a practical meaning. The corporation has more than half a century of budgets, reserve fund studies and board minutes behind it, so you can see how it has handled big repairs instead of guessing. It also means every original exterior component has either been replaced already or is due, and the documents will tell you which.

With only 42 homes, the cost of that work is shared among fewer owners than in the larger complexes along this road. A small corporation can be run tightly and cheaply, but one roofing or paving project weighs more on each owner. The reserve fund matters even more here than usual.

Split-level plans with the garage at the front door

Recent listings describe a multi-level layout. The dining room sits a half-level above the living room, which walks out to a rear patio, the bedrooms are on the top level, and there is a finished basement below. Listings place the homes in the 1,200 to 1,399 sq ft bracket and describe them as three bedrooms plus a den or fourth bedroom.

Every home I reviewed had a built-in single garage and room for a second car on the driveway, which listing records count as two parking spaces. One describes an enclosed front porch with indoor access to the garage, a small detail that matters a great deal in a Scarborough winter.

Mechanical systems are not uniform. One listing recorded electric baseboard heating, while another, a home that had been substantially updated, recorded gas heat with central air. Expect each home to differ depending on what its owners have done, and price that in rather than assuming the neighbour’s upgrades came with yours.

Listing records describe the exterior as brick with wood. Wood siding and trim need painting and eventual replacement on a schedule, so find out whether that cost sits with the corporation or with you.

What the fee covers, and what it doesn’t

Condos.ca has no inclusion list for this corporation. MLS listing records show building insurance in the fee, and condos.ca lists a parking garage, visitor parking and permission for barbecues. Beyond that I would not assume anything, water included, until you have the status certificate in hand.

There was only one home for sale when I checked, so I can’t quote a fee range from current listings. Ask for the corporation’s current budget, which shows what the common fee actually pays for, and for the fee history over the past five years.

In a townhouse complex the line between what the owner maintains and what the corporation maintains is set by the declaration, and in older corporations it is often drawn differently from newer ones. Windows, exterior doors, garage doors, decks and fences are the usual grey areas. Read it before you firm up, not after.

Listing records also say pets are allowed with restrictions. That is a summary field, not the rule itself, so read the actual rules for size or number limits if you have a dog.

Military Trail at Neilson: the daily reality

This stretch of Military Trail runs near Neilson Road between Ellesmere Road and Highway 401, and it is lined with 1970s townhouse corporations side by side: 331, 341, 351 and 431 Military Trail. Listings give Neilson and the 401 as the cross streets, and the highway is the big practical advantage for anyone driving to Markham, Pickering or across the city.

Further along the same road you reach the Tam Heather Country Club at 730 Military Trail and, beyond it, the University of Toronto Scarborough campus. The data panel on this page shows what is actually walkable from your front door, including transit stops and groceries.

The longer-term change is transit. The City of Toronto’s planned Scarborough East Rapid Transit line, formerly the Eglinton East LRT, would run 18.6 km from Kennedy Station to Malvern Town Centre, with stops planned at UTSC and the Pan Am Sports Centre. It has no funding or opening date, so I treat it as upside, not something to pay for today.

Pricing a split-level at 351 Military Trail

With one home for sale when I checked, there is no asking range I can fairly quote, and no current fee range either. The sold figures in the panel on this page are the better guide, and with 42 homes, sales here come up only a handful of times a year.

Because the plans repeat, condition does most of the work in separating one sale from another. Newer windows and doors, a switch from baseboard heat to a gas furnace with central air, a renovated kitchen and a finished lower level can each move the price materially. Compare like with like, and check whether a home’s improvements are the owner’s own or work the corporation did across the complex.

The neighbouring corporations on Military Trail are the natural comparables, since they sell similar family plans of similar age. Adjust for fees and inclusions when you compare, because the fee line on its own can mislead. If you want a proper read before you offer, my building sold report pulls the aggregates for you.

Building specifications

Amenities at 351 Military Trail Townhouses

There is no pool, gym or party room, which keeps the corporation’s budget focused on roofs, roads and exteriors. What you get is the practical townhouse package: your own garage, a driveway space, visitor parking for guests and permission to barbecue on your patio.

Jatin’s honest take on 351 Military Trail Townhouses

351 Military Trail 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.