Bayview Manor, 15 & 23 Rean Dr: A Quiet Daniels Mid-Rise by Bayview Village

Bayview Manor is one of the smallest condominiums on Rean Drive and, for the right buyer, one of the most private. It has 101 suites over nine storeys, two street addresses and some of the largest floor plans in Daniels’ NY Towers neighbourhood. It rarely comes up for sale, which is both its appeal and the main difficulty in pricing it. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

The small building in a big Daniels community

Rean Drive is the spine of Daniels’ NY Towers community at Bayview and Sheppard. Daniels says it has built more than 3,000 homes in the community, which is now home to more than 5,000 residents, close to the subway and Bayview Village Shopping Centre. Most of those homes are in the big towers: The Chrysler at 1 and 3 Rean has 672 suites and The Waldorf at 2 and 8 Rean has 529.

Bayview Manor is the opposite. With 101 suites, it is smaller than Claridges across the street at 112, Merci at 27 Rean at 159 and NY2 at 18 Rean at 140. Fewer neighbours means a calmer lobby, fewer people waiting for the elevator and a building where owners tend to know each other.

It carries two addresses, 15 and 23 Rean Drive, under one corporation. I could not confirm whether that is one structure with two entrances or two connected wings, so walk the building and look at the plan in the status certificate before you buy.

Suites sized for people who are moving out of a house

Condos.ca lists suites from about 636 to 2,420 square feet. The top of that range is far larger than anything in the newer towers around it, and it points to a building planned with downsizers in mind rather than first-time buyers.

That shapes who you will be living with and who you will eventually sell to. A building of large, owner-occupied suites usually has fewer tenants and less turnover, which is reflected in the very small number of listings: one for sale and one for rent when I checked.

Because so few suites change hands, check that the floor plan you are shown matches the registered plan, especially for larger suites, which may have been customised by their first owners.

What the fee covers

Condos.ca lists air conditioning, common elements, heat, building insurance, parking and water. Hydro is the main cost not on that list. With heating and cooling both in the fee, your monthly budget swings far less between January and July than it would in a building with suite-metered heat pumps.

Condos.ca also lists FibreStream internet in the building. Whether it is a bulk service included in the fee or simply available to subscribe to is something to confirm with management, because the answer changes the real cost comparison with other buildings.

In a building this small, the fee per square foot can be on the high side, simply because fixed costs such as concierge staffing and insurance are spread over fewer suites. Compare the total monthly cost of the suite you want, not just the headline fee.

Across from Bayview Village

The location is the second half of the appeal. Bayview Village Shopping Centre sits across Sheppard from the Rean Drive buildings, which puts groceries, a pharmacy, restaurants and services within a short walk. For an owner who wants to drive less, that matters more than any amenity room.

Rean Drive itself is a side street, so it is quieter than Sheppard or Bayview. The transit, schools, parks and walkability details are in the data panel on this page.

Buying where few suites come up for sale

Low turnover is a good sign for a building, but it makes buying harder. With only a handful of sales in a given year, you will not have a neat list of recent comparables for the exact suite type you want, and the asking price may be set by an owner who has not tested the market in a decade.

My approach in buildings like this is to widen the comparison. Look at recent sales of similar-sized suites in Merci, NY2 and Claridges, then adjust for age, fee inclusions and the size of the suite. A large suite in a small building should not be priced off a one-bedroom average from a 600-suite tower.

It also pays to register your interest early. If you are serious about Bayview Manor, tell your agent to watch it specifically, because the right suite may only appear once or twice a year.

Pricing a building that rarely trades

Condos.ca does not publish a building average price per square foot for Bayview Manor, which is common when a building has few recent sales. There was only one suite listed for sale when I checked, so there is no meaningful asking range to quote either.

For context, condos.ca puts Claridges across the street at about $636 per square foot, Merci at about $745 and NY2 at about $763. A newer, smaller building with large suites could reasonably sit anywhere in that band, and the size of the suite matters a great deal, because very large suites usually sell for less per square foot than small ones.

The recorded sales in the data panel are the best guide. If there are only a handful, I would look at the closest comparable suites in Merci and NY2 as well, adjusted for size and fee inclusions, before settling on a number.

Building specifications

Amenities at Bayview Manor

Bayview Manor has a modest, owner-focused amenity list: a concierge, guest suites, a party room and a meeting room. There is no pool or large gym listed, so the reserve fund is not carrying those costs, and the shopping centre across the street does much of the rest.

Jatin’s honest take on Bayview Manor

Bayview Manor — frequently asked questions

Looking at Willowdale, Yonge & Sheppard, Bayview Village and North York Centre more broadly? Start with my Toronto community guide — the neighbourhoods, what each pocket is like, and how they compare.