Sellers Market — It’s an Open House for First-Time Buyers

In life and love, there are possibilities that you’ve never imagined, and what better location to nurture that potential than in your very own home? After vows have been exchanged and cake has been served, the most important experience for newlyweds is purchasing their first family home together. An investment for the future, real estate continues to be the most tangible, stable and secure asset one can make. According to the Annual RBC Homeownership Study conducted by Royal Bank of Canada, Canadians, supported by a strong banking system, have a strong interest in purchasing a home over the next two years. This is a positive sign for buyers in 2011: new government mortgage regulations ensure a more stable housing market; as prices rise, equity increases, making for better long-term home investments. The low-interest rates we currently see are enticing, and greater consumer confidence results from stable employment and rising incomes. All this translates Read more

Will the new tax Become McGuinty’s Legacy?

Whether or not you agree with his policies, Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty has never shied away from controversial decisions. The latest of several rather contentious policies his government has introduced in its six years in power is the Harmonized Sales Tax (HST). The name sounds nice – the word ‘harmonized’ evokes images of consumers, business owners and tax-gatherers living happily together to a peaceful choral soundtrack. However, the mere thought of another new tax, especially one that increases the price of some things, is enough to make a lot of people bristle.

It has been a little over 13 years since McGuinty became leader of the Ontario Liberal Party and almost six and a half years since he became the premier of Ontario. This period has been eventful to say the least. In the 2003 election, the incumbent Progressive Conservative Party was turfed out, Read more