Townhouses For Sale in East Gardiners Rd, Kingston

A mixed-density pocket beside the Gardiners Road retail strip

Few parts of Kingston mix housing types as closely as this one. Recent listings have included townhouses and semis on streets such as Melrose Street, Barrow Avenue, Muirfield Crescent and Datzell Lane, alongside apartment-style condominiums on Kingsdale Avenue, Davis Drive and Armstrong Road. Neighbourhood profiles for the area show a real spread between detached homes, semis, multiplexes and apartment buildings.

The draw is convenience. The big shopping centres and box stores along Gardiners Road are a short drive, and in some cases a walk, from your door. Groceries, banks and restaurants are close by, which matters to buyers who don't want to plan every errand around a trip across town.

Townhouse or apartment-style condo a block over?

Buyers here often compare a condo townhouse with a unit in one of the nearby mid-rise buildings at a similar budget. The townhouse usually gives you your own entrance, more than one level, a small patio and a basement or storage area. The apartment unit usually gives you an elevator, no stairs and sometimes underground parking.

Fees tend to work differently too. Townhouse fees often exclude things like heat, while some apartment buildings bundle more utilities into the fee. Compare what each fee pays for, then look at the reserve fund and recent special assessments for both before deciding which is cheaper to own.

Noise, buses and the drive downtown

Most of this district is quiet once you're off the main roads, but homes near the rail line or backing onto Gardiners Road hear more traffic and train noise. Visit at different times of day.

Several Kingston Transit routes cross the district, and few homes are far from one, though frequency varies, so many households keep a car. Highway 401 access off Gardiners Road is quick, which helps commuters. Downtown and Queen's are a longer trip east along Princess Street or Bath Road.

Cyclists have a harder time. Cycling infrastructure in this part of the west end is limited, so getting to campus or downtown by bike means sharing busy roads for part of the trip. The terrain is fairly flat, which helps, but most riders here pick their routes carefully and stick to side streets where they can.

Who chooses this side of Gardiners Road

The mix of housing brings a mix of buyers. First-time buyers like that a condo townhouse here can come in below a freehold row in the newer subdivisions. Downsizers who want to stay in the west end like being able to run errands without driving across town. Investors look at the area because it sits between the college, the west-end employers and the highway, which keeps rental demand steady.

For resale, units that back onto green space or sit away from the busiest roads usually draw more interest than those facing a parking lot or an arterial road. Within a single complex, end units and units with updated mechanical systems also tend to stand out.

Before you buy, check whether the complex allows things buyers here often want, such as a second parked car, a home charger for an electric vehicle, or a fenced area for a dog. These rules vary widely between corporations.