Call for Action
Mandatory Home Energy Audits

We need your help.

The Ontario Real Estate Association is urging the provincial government to amend Bill 150, the Green Energy Act, to make home energy audits voluntary.

Mandatory home energy audit reports can cost home sellers thousands of dollars in lost home equity. Those with less than ideal energy audit ratings will face pressure from homebuyers to either spend thousands of dollars to improve the energy rating of their home or lower their sale price.

Your e-mail will reinforce the message OREA will be sending to the Government of Ontario when we appear before the Standing Committee on General Government on April 22^nd.

Please tell your MPP that the government should be helping Ontarians achieve their dream of homeownership by amending Bill 150 to make home energy audits voluntary.

Send an e-mail to your MPP on this issue now by clicking here.

Thank you for your help.

Issue Summary
Press Release
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 The Hamilton-Burlington area real estate market showed a total of 1,044 unit sales in March, this is a decrease of 4.7 per cent from March 2008.

The average price of freehold residential properties sold in the month of March was $277,406.In the condominium market the average price of condominiums in March was $210,519.

March’s total average residential sales price decreased 9.4 per cent over the same month in 2008. Sales have been steady and many buyers are taking advantage of very competitive interest rates. Spring has certainly brought some welcomed activity to the market. I am hoping for a strong market in April.

 Carl

Ontario’s Budget 2009 dealt the real estate market a significant blow with the announcement of the harmonization of the Provincial Sales Tax (PST) with the federal Goods and Services Tax (GST).

The Provincial government will, starting July 10, 2010, convert the PST (8%) to a value-added tax structure and combine it with the GST (5%) to create a single federally administered harmonized sales tax. The single sales tax would have a combined tax rate of 13 per cent.

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