Townhouses For Sale in Aurora Estates, Aurora

A few townhouse complexes inside estate country

Most of Aurora Estates is given over to large detached homes in English manor, French chateau, Georgian and colonial-revival styles, many on lots of an acre or more. The southern part touches Oak Ridges and the Oak Ridges Moraine, and Yonge Street runs through the middle.

Townhouses here are limited to a handful of condominium complexes, such as the group along Old Bloomington Road, plus some low-rise condo. That scarcity is the point for many buyers: a town in this area offers the setting and address without the upkeep of an estate property.

Golf courses, the moraine and a quieter Yonge Street

The surroundings are green. Bloomington Downs, a public course with a driving range, sits to the south, and Beacon Hall is a private club nearby. The moraine's woodlands and trails are close, and Lake Wilcox Park in Oak Ridges is a short drive south.

Services are mainly by car. Shopping is up Yonge at the Aurora Shopping Centre and the SmartCentres plaza, or south in Oak Ridges. Aurora GO is a drive north, and Bloomington Road leads east toward Highway 404.

Winter driving is part of the routine here. Private roads inside a condo complex are cleared by the corporation's contractor, while the public roads connecting to Yonge and Bloomington are handled by the town and region. Ask how the complex manages snow on its laneways and whether that cost is built into the fee or billed separately.

The Oak Ridges community to the south has its own library, community centre and pool beside Lake Wilcox, and many residents of this corner of Aurora use those facilities as much as the ones in central Aurora.

How these towns compare with the rest of Aurora

A townhouse in Aurora Estates is a different purchase from one in Bayview Wellington or the new rows near Leslie. The complexes are fewer, generally smaller, and set in a landscape of large lots and private roads. Units tend to come up for sale less often, and when they do, the buyer pool is narrower: people who specifically want to live in the southwest of town.

The trade-offs are clear. There is no walkable main street and no GO station nearby; the 404 is also further than from the east side. On the other hand, the surroundings are quiet, the moraine is at the door, and the golf courses and woodland give the area a country feel while staying inside town limits.

Families with school-age children sometimes find the distances harder, because most trips involve a drive. Buyers coming from a detached home nearby, who want to stay in the area but stop maintaining a large property, usually find the fit better.

Buying a condo town in Aurora Estates

Because complexes are few, each one has its own character, age and management. Before an offer:

• Get the status certificate and read the reserve fund study. Small complexes have fewer owners to spread the cost of big repairs.
• Ask what the fee covers: exterior maintenance, snow on private roads, landscaping, water.
• Check the Oak Ridges Moraine and conservation rules if the complex backs onto protected land.
• Think about the drive. Groceries, schools and transit all involve the car from most of this area.

Downsizers who already live in the southwest of Aurora or in Oak Ridges are a common buyer for these units, as are buyers who want a quiet setting and do not need to walk anywhere.