Townhouses For Sale in L'Amoreaux, Scarborough

Bridlewood rows and the complexes off Finch

Most of L'Amoreaux's residential building happened in the post-war decades, with detached homes on the side streets and townhouse complexes, apartment towers and condominiums placed along and near the main roads. The Bridlewood development grew up around Bridlewood Mall at Warden and Finch, and that area is where a lot of the neighbourhood's townhouse stock sits.

The typical listing here is a two- or three-storey condominium town with a small yard and parking, in a complex old enough that its first round of major replacements is either done or under way. That age is the main thing to understand when you shop here.

Layouts from this period tend to be practical: a living and dining room across the back, a kitchen at the front, three bedrooms upstairs and a basement that may or may not be finished. Many owners have opened up the main floor over the years. If a unit has been renovated, ask whether permits were pulled and whether the corporation approved any changes that touched common elements.

Questions worth asking the property manager

In complexes of this vintage, the property manager or the status certificate can answer most of what matters. Useful questions:

1. When were the roofs, windows and patio doors last replaced, and who paid for them: the corporation or the owners?
2. What does the reserve fund study say is coming up in the next five to ten years?
3. Has the board discussed a special assessment or a fee increase above inflation?
4. Is the unit's parking owned, exclusive-use, or assigned, and is there a waiting list for a second space?
5. Are there leasing restrictions, and what share of units are currently rented?
6. Has there been any insurance claim history for water in basements?

Fees in older complexes reflect what the corporation is maintaining. A useful habit is to compare the fee against the list of upcoming work rather than against the fee in a different complex.

Getting around from Victoria Park to Kennedy

L'Amoreaux is on the west side of Scarborough, which makes driving easier than in the east end. Highway 401 is a few minutes south and Highway 404 and the Don Valley Parkway are reachable to the west. The Stouffville GO line runs along the eastern side of the district, with Agincourt and Milliken stations within a short drive or bus ride for many addresses.

TTC buses on Finch, Victoria Park, Warden, Birchmount and Kennedy connect to Line 1 at Finch station and to Line 2 to the south. Check the bus frequency on the specific street before you buy; it varies a lot between main roads and interior streets.

Parks, the tennis centre and the mall

L'Amoreaux Park is one of the larger green spaces in this part of Scarborough, and the community centre and tennis centre nearby share the neighbourhood's name. Bridlewood Mall, an enclosed mall at Warden and Finch, is the main retail anchor, with more shopping along Steeles to the north.

Schools are run by the Toronto District School Board and the Toronto Catholic District School Board. Catchments can change from one side of a road to the other, so check the exact address directly with each board.

For buyers, the appeal is an established, settled area with mature trees and a short drive to the 401 and 404. The thing to accept is that almost every townhouse here is a resale unit in an older complex, so due diligence on the corporation is part of the purchase.