Overwhelming majority of Ontarians want to know if the home they’re planning on purchasing was a former Marijuana Grow-Op or Clandestine Drug Lab, new Ipsos Reid poll reports

Ninety three per cent of Ontario residents agree they want to know if the home they’re planning on purchasing was formerly used as a Marijuana Grow-Op (MGO) or Clandestine Drug Lab, according to a study by Ipsos Reid. The Ipsos Reid poll found that one in four (24 per cent) Ontarians report seeing or knowing … Continued

Want to Warm Up Your Heart?

Volunteering your time is one of the most rewarding things you can do. On Friday, July 13, 2012, REALTORS Care Foundation and OREA staff participated in a Habitat for Humanity Toronto Adopt A Day Program or Build Day. Working alongside Habitat volunteers, staff hammered, drilled and painted. By the end of the day we were covered in sweat, … Continued

Ontario residential home sales edge up in December

Sales activity recorded through the MLS® Systems of Ontario real estate Boards and Associations rose 5.6 per cent from December 2010 to December 2011. Activity rose in more than half of all local markets, with monthly declines posted in most of the remaining markets. A total of 10,089 homes traded hands via Ontario MLS® Systems … Continued

Ontario home starts rise in 2011

Preliminary estimates of all area home starts across the province of Ontario grew to nearly 68,000 units in 2011, up 12 per cent from 2010, according to the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC). All of the increase last year came from a jump in construction for multi-family housing, which includes semi-detached, row and apartment … Continued

Ontario government introduces ‘Healthy Home Renovation Tax Credit’

OREA has written the Minister of Finance, the Honourable Dwight Duncan, in support of the provincial government’s plan to implement a Healthy Home Renovation Tax Credit (HHRTC). Homeowners will qualify for a tax credit when they undertake a home retrofit for accessibility purposes. As part of OREA’s “Home Ownership Matters” REALTORS® are advocating in support … Continued

NDP endorses retrofit rebates in election platform

The New Democratic Party Leader Andrea Horwath announced that if elected, a government under her leadership will offer rebates of up to $5,000 for people who want to retrofit their homes. In addition, an NDP government will offer lower-income homeowners and tenants grants of up $5,000 and up to $10,000 in low-interest loans that can … Continued

OREA and OHBA team up to promote reno tax rebate

OREA and the Ontario Home Builder’s Association have teamed up to advocate in support of a permanent home renovation tax rebate for provincial home owners. If created, a permanent home renovation rebate would give home owners an incentive to use a professional contractor who pays taxes and maintains liability insurance. Similar to the federal home … Continued

PC Party endorses grow op registry in Changebook

Progressive Conservative (PC) Party Leader Tim Hudak announced that if elected Premier on October 6th his government will introduce legislation to create a registry of former marijuana grow operations. OREA has lobbied the provincial government for close to six years to create a registry to protect home buyers from the health and safety risks associated … Continued

More Stability in Ontario Housing Markets

Ontario housing activity has stabilized in recent months and housing demand will show a modest recovery through the latter part of 2011 and into 2012, according to the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC). Highlights of the Ontario forecast include: • Ontario economy lags activity in rest of Canada during 2011/12 after leading in 2010. … Continued