Townhouses For Sale in City Northwest, Kingston

Freehold rows and stacked units on newer K7P streets

The townhouse stock in this district is young by Kingston standards. Freehold rows on streets such as Tenley Drive, Janette Street, Tremont Drive and Crimson Crescent usually pair a one-car garage and driveway out front with a modest yard out back. They appeal to buyers who want the space of a house without paying for a detached lot.

Alongside them are stacked condominium townhouses, such as the complex at 1005 Terra Verde Way, where units carry apartment-style numbers. In a stacked building you own either a lower or an upper unit, not a full slice from ground to roof. Lower units usually have easier access and sometimes a patio; upper units tend to get more light and no one overhead. Both share a condo corporation with a monthly fee.

Buying where the subdivision is still filling in

Parts of the northwest are still being built, which brings a few practical things to check:

• Warranty status. New Ontario homes come with Tarion warranty coverage that runs in stages over the first several years. On a resale, find out how much coverage is left and whether the seller filed any forms.
• Unfinished items. Final grading, sod, fencing and driveway paving are sometimes still outstanding on recently closed homes. Ask who is responsible and when.
• Construction nearby. Vacant lots next to a row usually mean trucks and noise for a while. Check the subdivision plan to see what will go up beside you.
• Shared elements. Some freehold rows share a private road or services. If there is a common elements fee, read what it pays for.

How the northwest stacks up against the rest of the west end

Compared with the older subdivisions south of Taylor-Kidd Boulevard, a northwest row usually means newer mechanical systems, better insulation and an open-concept main floor, in exchange for smaller lots and younger trees. Compared with Amherstview just over the line in Loyalist Township, you stay inside the city, on Kingston Transit, and closer to the Gardiners Road shopping corridor.

Day to day this is a car-first district. The Gardiners Road interchange puts the 401 close by, which helps commuters heading toward Napanee, Belleville or Brockville. Trips downtown run along Princess Street or Bath Road and take longer at rush hour than the map suggests.

Who ends up in a northwest row

Many buyers here are moving out of an apartment for the first time and want a garage, a yard and a second bathroom without stretching to a detached house. Young families like the newer schools and parks being built into these subdivisions, and military households posted to CFB Kingston often favour this district because the homes are recent, the layouts are predictable and resale has historically drawn steady interest from the next wave of arrivals.

If you have school-age children, check which schools an address is assigned to with the Limestone District School Board and the Algonquin and Lakeshore Catholic District School Board. In growing areas, boundaries and bus routes can change as new schools open, so an answer from a neighbour a few years ago may already be out of date.

Resale buyers also tend to compare units in the same phase, which makes upgrades easier to price. A finished basement, a fenced yard or an end unit with extra windows usually stands out more than countertop choices.