Carriage Homes of Avondale II: Condo Townhomes Behind Yonge & Sheppard

Carriage Homes of Avondale II is what families look for when they want to live near Yonge and Sheppard and refuse to live in a tower. It is a 2002 enclave of 72 low-rise condominium homes on quiet side streets, with underground parking and a lean fee. You trade a pool and a concierge for your own front door. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

The second phase of a townhouse enclave

Baghai Development built Carriage Homes of Avondale in two phases, both registered in 2002. Phase One, at 11 Everson Drive, is a separate corporation, TSCC-1421, registered in January 2002. Phase II followed in April 2002 as TSCC-1434, with homes spread over three short streets: Avondale Avenue, Humberstone Drive and Everson Drive.

The two phases share a builder, a style and a neighbourhood, but not a budget. Each has its own board, its own reserve fund and its own manager. Phase One lists Maple Ridge Community Management; Phase II lists Goldview Property Management. When you compare homes across the two, compare the corporations too.

Condos.ca classes Phase II as a low-rise condominium. The Phase One homes are three-storey townhouses of roughly 2,050 square feet, and the name and layout of Phase II follow the same idea, but condos.ca does not publish suite sizes for this phase. Ask for the floor plan and measured size of any home you look at, rather than assuming it matches Phase One.

What owning a condo townhouse here means

The appeal is simple: a home with its own entrance and several floors of living space, on a street of similar homes, right behind one of the busiest condo districts in North York. Most of what surrounds Yonge and Sheppard is high-rise, so a family-sized low-rise home in this pocket is a different product.

The single home listed for sale when I checked was a three-bedroom, which fits the family profile. In a townhouse, check the stairs as carefully as the bedrooms. Three or four floors of stairs are easy at 35 and harder at 75, and that shapes who buys from you when you sell.

Condos.ca lists a parking garage, visitor parking and an enter-phone and security system. Underground parking under a townhouse complex is convenient in winter, but the garage roof slab and membrane are among the most expensive things the corporation has to maintain. Condos.ca also tags pets and barbecues as permitted features; confirm both in the declaration and rules rather than relying on a listing site.

A lean fee, because you pay your own utilities

Condos.ca lists common elements, building insurance, parking and water as included. Heat and hydro are not on that list, so expect to pay them yourself, along with property tax and contents insurance. That is normal for condo townhouses, and it is why fees here look low next to a tower.

A lean fee is not automatically a cheap one. With no amenities to run, most of the fee goes to insurance, landscaping, snow clearing, the garage and the reserve fund. When roofs, windows, exterior doors and the garage membrane come due, a 72-home corporation has fewer owners to share the bill than a 400-suite tower.

That is why the reserve fund study matters more here than almost anywhere else. Read what it says about the roofs and the garage, and how the corporation intends to pay for them.

It is also worth asking what the corporation maintains and what you maintain. In many townhouse condos, owners are responsible for some items inside their exclusive-use areas, such as a deck, patio or front steps, while the corporation handles roofs and walls. The declaration sets that split, and it can change your real cost of ownership more than the fee does.

Life behind Yonge and Sheppard

Avondale is the pocket east of Yonge Street and south of Sheppard Avenue, a mix of condo towers and low-rise townhouse enclaves like this one. These streets are quiet and residential, while the shops, restaurants and services of Yonge and Sheppard sit just beyond them.

The neighbourhood suits people who want the subway and Highway 401 nearby without living on a main road. Yonge and Sheppard is where Line 1 and Line 4 meet, and the 401 runs just south. The panel beside this review shows the exact walking and transit details, schools and parks. For a family, that combination of a quiet street and big-city convenience is the reason to be here.

How to price a home here

Condos.ca does not publish a reliable average price per square foot for this phase, and with only one home listed for sale when I checked, I will not quote an asking price. Nothing was listed for lease. Low turnover is normal for small townhouse corporations, and it makes pricing harder.

The best comparables are recent sales in this phase and in Phase One next door, adjusted for size, renovation level and position on the street. After that, look at semi-detached and detached houses in Willowdale East, because that is who a family buyer here is really choosing between.

Remember to add heat and hydro to the fee before you compare with a condo apartment. For what homes here have actually sold for, see the sold data in the panel, or request my building sold report.

Building specifications

Amenities at Carriage Homes of Avondale II

There is no pool, gym or concierge here, and that is the point: the fee pays for a well-kept exterior, a garage and the grounds rather than for amenities you may never use. If you want a gym, Yonge and Sheppard has plenty within walking distance.

Jatin’s honest take on Carriage Homes of Avondale II

Carriage Homes of Avondale II — 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.