The Classics, 177 La Rose Ave: 44 Large Townhomes in Richview

The Classics is a complex of 44 townhouses on La Rose Avenue in Richview, and the homes are big: condos.ca records them at about 2,300 square feet, which is detached-house territory. It was built in 1998 and sits in one of the steadier family pockets of central Etobicoke. The question with a home like this is how it compares with the freehold houses around it. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

Townhouses at the size of a house

Condos.ca records the homes at The Classics at about 2,309 to 2,310 sq ft. That narrow range is almost certainly based on only a few measured homes, so do not assume all 44 are the same size. Still, it puts these townhouses well above the size of a typical Toronto condo townhouse.

At that size, you are usually looking at three or four bedrooms over several levels, with room for a family room or a home office as well as a living room. Ask whether the listed area includes a basement or lower level, because that changes how the size compares with a house.

Condos.ca lists the complex as one storey, which is how its database records many townhouse complexes. In reality these are multi-level homes, and that means stairs, so they suit families more than buyers who want single-floor living.

A lean fee, and what you pay yourself

Condos.ca lists the fee as covering common elements, building insurance and parking. Heat, hydro and water are not listed, so expect each home to carry its own utility bills, as a house would.

That makes the fee comparatively lean. You are paying the corporation to insure and maintain the shared parts of the complex and to keep parking and the grounds in order, not to heat your home. When you compare costs with a condo apartment, remember that you will be paying for heating and cooling a home of more than 2,000 sq ft on your own meter.

Before you buy, ask exactly what the corporation maintains. In townhouse complexes, roofs, windows, doors, decks and driveways can fall on either the corporation or the owner depending on the declaration. That split decides how much you will spend on the house yourself over the next ten years.

Ask the seller for a year of gas, hydro and water bills. In a townhouse of this size those costs are a real part of the monthly budget, and they vary a lot with the age of the furnace, the windows and the insulation. Adding them to the fee gives you the true cost of living here.

Richview and La Rose Avenue

Richview, formally Willowridge-Martingrove-Richview, is bounded by Royal York Road on the east and Eglinton Avenue on the south, with Highway 401 and Dixon Road to the west and north. The Classics sits near its eastern edge, on La Rose Avenue close to Royal York Road. The area began as a 19th-century postal village and grew into a suburban neighbourhood of houses, townhouses and low-rise buildings.

La Rose Avenue has several townhouse condominiums, including the complex at 208 La Rose Avenue, along with low-rise buildings and detached houses. That mix gives you real comparables, which is helpful when a complex this small rarely has more than one home for sale.

Daily life here is car-friendly and quiet. TTC buses on the main roads connect to the Bloor-Danforth line at Royal York, Islington and Kipling stations, and the Eglinton corridor is within reach to the south. The data panel on this page has the transit details.

If you have children, the panel’s school information is worth a careful look, because school catchments are often the deciding factor for families choosing between Richview and neighbouring pockets of Etobicoke.

A 1998 complex entering its repair years

The Classics is more than 25 years old. That is the stage when a townhouse condominium faces its largest exterior projects: roofs, windows, exterior doors, paving and sometimes the parking structure. In a complex of only 44 homes, each of those projects is a meaningful cost per owner.

Large homes add a second point. If the corporation is responsible for windows or roofs, a 2,300 sq ft townhouse has more of both than a small one, and the reserve fund has to be sized for it. Read the reserve fund study and see whether the planned contributions look realistic for the work ahead.

Look at the grounds when you visit. The state of the roofs, the paving and the landscaping tells you how the board spends money, and in a small complex the board’s habits matter as much as the reserve fund balance.

What The Classics costs

Condos.ca puts the average here at about $504 per square foot. That figure is low for central Etobicoke, and it is normal for large homes: bigger homes almost always sell for less per square foot than small ones, so do not read it as a discount.

There were no homes listed for sale or lease when I checked. With 44 homes, sales here are infrequent, so the recorded sales in the data panel on this page may be few, and one sale can move the average a long way.

The comparison that matters most is with freehold houses in Richview. A townhouse here gives you a lot of space for less than a detached house, but you share decisions with a board and pay a monthly fee. If the price gap to a freehold home is narrow, the house is often the better long-term buy. If you want the numbers for both, ask me for the building sold report.

Building specifications

Amenities at The Classics

The amenities are the kind you use every day in a townhouse: visitor parking for guests, permission to barbecue and a security system. There is no clubhouse or pool to fund, which is part of why the fee stays lean.

Jatin’s honest take on The Classics

The Classics — frequently asked questions

Looking at Downsview, Weston, York University Heights, Rexdale and northwest Toronto more broadly? Start with my Toronto community guide — the neighbourhoods, what each pocket is like, and how they compare.