GREATER TORONTO – With Halton residents’ notices having been mailed out on June 27, most homeowners in the GTA should already have received their 2016 Property Assessment Notice from the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MCAP). When it comes to real estate, this is one of the most important documents in the province – as it […]
Assignment Sales and “Shadow Flipping”: An Ontario Perspective
GREATER TORONTO – While it has certainly garnered its share of media attention in Greater Vancouver, the practice now known as “shadow flipping” has yet to become a serious problem here in the GTA, according to the Real Estate Council of Ontario (RECO). In a nutshell, a real estate sales representative or broker may engage […]
OREA Poll Shows Increased Confidence in GTA Housing Market
TORONTO – After a record-breaking 2015 that saw major local increases in not only GTA real estate sales activity, but the average selling price of Toronto area homes, many area home buyers are – perhaps unsurprisingly – feeling positive about prospects for the area’s real estate market in 2016. According to the newly-released results of […]
Ontario Government Proposes Condo Act Overhaul
TORONTO – Originally introduced in 1998, Ontario’s Condominium Act may soon be updated once again, with the aim of more effectively protecting condo buyers across the province. Developed following an 18-month review of the existing Condominium Act, the Protecting Condominium Owners Act to amend it was officially unveiled on May 27 by Sault MPP David […]
Incoming Regulations Aim to Make Bidding Wars More Transparent
TORONTO – Across Ontario, “bidding wars” have become an increasingly common experience for real estate buyers – especially those in competitive markets like Greater Toronto. Set to take effect on July 1, 2015, a set of key changes to the Real Estate and Business Brokers Act, 2002 (REBBA) will aim to increase the transparency of […]
Pan Am Games Athletes Village Reaches Completion
Community’s post-games conversion will add more than 1,100 condos and townhouses to Toronto waterfront TORONTO – The Province of Ontario has passed another milestone in getting ready to host the 2015 Pan Am / Parapan Games this summer, by cutting the ribbon on the Athletes’ Village – a sprawling community that, come July, will serve […]
York Region Community Guidelines Win Provincial Award
YORK REGION – With its population predicted to grow to 1.79 million by 2014, the Regional Municipality of York has been focused on developing sustainable, multi-use communities since well before the publication of its Official Regional Plan in 2010. Now, the York Region’s road map towards realizing that vision, entitled New Community Guidelines, has been […]
The 2014 Municipal Election: A Guide for Homeowners
GREATER TORONTO – Most of our readers have probably already noticed that municipal elections are once again upon us, with a set general election date of October 27th, 2014. For Ontario residents, that means heading to the local electoral office to help select your area’s Councillor, School Board Trustee, and Mayor, as well as – wherever […]
Carbon Monoxide Safety Introduced into Ontario’s Fire Code
TORONTO – As Canadians prepared for another long and chilly winter, the Government of Ontario passed a significant new bill aimed to protect the province’s homebuyers from injuries caused by carbon monoxide. Bill 77 – entitled the “Hawkins Gignac Act (Carbon Monoxide Safety)” – passed its own third reading at the end of November, and […]