Williamson Garden Townhomes, 1 Bastedo Ave: Self-Managed Danforth Towns

Williamson Garden Townhomes is what I show buyers who want the space of a Danforth semi without a roof, a furnace and a snow shovel of their own. It is a small 2000 enclave of three-storey condo townhouses on a quiet side street by East Lynn Park, with parking below ground. The catch is that the owners run it themselves, and that changes how you buy here. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

Townhouses, not apartments

This is not a condo building in the usual sense. The suites are three-storey townhouses, so you have your own front door, stairs inside your home and rooms spread over several levels rather than one floor off a corridor. Parking is in a shared garage under the complex, with visitor spaces on site.

Listing descriptions I have reviewed put a typical suite at roughly 1,600 to 1,700 sq ft, laid out as two bedrooms plus a den with three bathrooms. That is house-sized space by east-end condo standards, and the den works as an office or a third bedroom.

The trade-off is stairs. Three storeys suit families, couples who work from home and buyers coming out of a semi, but not anyone who needs one-level living or an elevator. Walk the stairs a few times before you commit.

Light is the other thing to look at. Townhouse rows get windows on two sides at most, and the end units usually get more. The listings I reviewed mention tree views in summer and park views in winter, so ask which way the suite faces and visit at different times of day.

Sixteen or twenty-four homes, and why it matters

The published suite count does not agree. Condos.ca’s data says 24 suites, but its own overview describes 16 three-storey units. I would confirm the real number in the status certificate before you make an offer.

In most buildings a difference of eight suites is a footnote. Here it is not. Every roof, window, garage membrane and paving job is shared between a small number of owners, so each owner’s share of a major repair is large, and the count sets that share.

Small complexes also trade rarely, so there are few recent sales to compare against. Expect to price a suite here by looking at several years of history and at similar townhouse condos nearby, not just at last month’s numbers.

A self-managed corporation

Condos.ca lists the corporation as self-managed. That means there is no property management company on contract; the volunteer board, made up of owners, handles budgets, contractors, insurance renewals and the reserve fund itself.

Self-management can work very well in a small complex. Fees tend to stay lean because there is no management fee, and owners who care about the place make decisions quickly. It can also go the other way if a few volunteers carry the load and then move on.

So the documents matter more than usual. Read the status certificate, the latest reserve fund study and at least a year of board minutes, and look at how the board records decisions and collects arrears. Ask who does the bookkeeping and who signs off on contractors.

If you are the sort of owner who would join a board, this is a building where your voice counts. If you want to be completely hands-off, think about whether you are comfortable relying on your neighbours to run it.

The park on the doorstep

Condos.ca places the complex just north of the Williamson Ravine and its path on a quiet residential street. The listing descriptions I reviewed stress its closeness to East Lynn Park, which hosts a seasonal farmers’ market and community events through the warmer months.

Day to day, the Danforth’s shops, cafés and restaurants are a few blocks away, and the Upper Beaches and Gerrard East are within reach on foot. The automatic panel on this page covers transit, schools, Walk Score and nearby parks in detail.

What you will not get is a doorman or anyone to sign for parcels, so think about deliveries. For many buyers the quiet street and the park are the point, and they are hard to find this close to a main street in the east end.

How to think about price here

There is no reliable building average to quote. Condos.ca shows no price per square foot for this complex and no suites were listed at the time of writing, which is normal for a small, owner-occupied enclave where people stay for years.

That makes pricing a judgment call. I would compare against other east-end condo townhouses of similar size and age, then against freehold semis on nearby streets. A condo town usually trades below a comparable freehold house, because you share ownership of the land and pay a monthly fee, and it should trade well above an apartment-style condo of the same size.

On fees, the inclusions are short: common elements, building insurance and water. Heat, hydro and cooling are on your own meters, so ask the seller for a year of utility bills. Parking is in the garage, but confirm whether a space comes with the suite and how it is registered.

Remember too that a fee here is set by the owners, not by a manager trying to keep a contract. A low fee can be good news or a sign that the reserve is being underfunded. The reserve fund study tells you which, and it is worth paying a little more each month in a building that is saving properly.

Building specifications

Amenities at Williamson Garden Townhomes

There are no gym, pool or party room to pay for, which is part of why fees can stay lean. The practical amenities are underground parking, permission for a barbecue and a park next door.

Jatin’s honest take on Williamson Garden Townhomes

Williamson Garden Townhomes — frequently asked questions

Looking at Leslieville, Riverdale, the Beaches, Danforth and Leaside more broadly? Start with my Toronto community guide — the neighbourhoods, what each pocket is like, and how they compare.