Manoj Arora

Home Renovation Tax Credit

The proposed Home Renovation Tax Credit (HRTC) will provide a temporary 15 per cent income tax credit on eligible home renovation expenditures for work performed, or goods acquired, after January 27, 2009 and before February 1, 2010. The credit may be claimed for the 2009 taxation year on the portion of eligible expenditures exceeding $1,000, but not more than $10,000, and will provide up to $1,350 in tax relief.

For more information on all of the home ownership and housing related stimulus in Budget 2009, go to http://www.budget.gc.ca/2009/plan/bpa5a-eng.asp#Personal or to the Canada Revenue Agency Web site at www.cra-arc.gc.ca and search for "Home Buyers Plan."

What's eligible and what's not for the Home Renovation Tax Credit?
The federal government hopes the Home Renovation Tax Credit (HRTC) will get Canadians spending now to help create jobs in industries typically hurt by an economic downturn. Now through January 31, 2010, homeowners can claim a tax credit for 15 per cent of renovation expenses between $1,000 and $10,000. Here's a sample of what qualifies under the program and what does not.

Eligible

• renovating a kitchen, bathroom or basement
• new carpet or hardwood floors
• building an addition, deck, fence or retaining wall
• a new furnace or water heater
• painting the interior or exterior of a house
• resurfacing a driveway
• laying new sod

Ineligible

• purchase of furniture and appliances (e.g. refrigerator, stove, and couch)
• purchase of tools
• carpet cleaning
• maintenance contracts (e.g. furnace cleaning, snow removal, lawn care, and pool cleaning)

TORONTO, March 5, 2009 - Toronto Real Estate Board Members reported 4,120 sales in February 2009 compared to 6,015 sales recorded in February 2008. The average home price was $361,305 last month compared to $382,048 during the same month last year.

"A considerable number of transactions continued to take place in February 2009. Motivated buyers and sellers, who were aware that market conditions changed over the past few months, were able to negotiate transactions acceptable to both parties," said Toronto Real Estate Board President Maureen O'Neill.

To see the detailed report, please visit my blog at http://www.aceteamrealty.com/blog.asp

March 3, 2009 - The Bank of Canada announced this morning that it is cutting interest rates by 0.50%. This take the target for the overnight rate to just 0.50% This takes the total easing to 4.00% since December 2007.

The bank said in it's release that the global economic outlook has worsened since January with slower growth than expected in the major economies and the US recession with the weak car and housing growth is a big challenge for Canada. Q4 2008 also showed a sharp decline in Canadian economic activity.

To see the detailed report, please visit my blog at http://www.aceteamrealty.com/blog.asp

Between September 1, 2008 and December 31, 2008, Toronto Real Estate Board (TREB) Members reported 3,433 rented condominium apartments and townhouses in the Greater Toronto Area.

This represented a 30 per cent increase over the 2,635 transactions recorded during the same time frame in 2007. A good part of this increase likely came from rental listings in newly completed condominium apartment buildings containing investor-owned units.

"The increasing strength of the rental market combined with low interest rates and reasonable home prices mean that now could be an excellent time to purchase an investment property," said Maureen O'Neill, President, Toronto Real Estate Board.

To see the detailed report, please visit my blog at http://www.aceteamrealty.com/blog.asp

Greater Toronto REALTORS® reported 2,670 sales in January compared to 5,075 in the first month of 2008. "Demand for existing homes in the Greater Toronto Area moderated as the housing market followed the broader economic slowdown in Canada," said Jason Mercer, the Toronto Real Estate Board's Senior Manager of Market Analysis.

The average home price in the Greater Toronto Area was $343,632, compared to $374,449 last January. The median price was $303,000 compared to $319,000 last year. "Current selling prices are a reflection of more choice in the existing home marketplace," said Mercer. "At the same time, low mortgage rates have helped keep ownership housing an affordable option. Given that we are not facing an early-1990s-style affordability crisis, the rebound in the housing market will likely be quick once economic recovery takes hold," added Mercer.

To see the detailed report, please visit my blog at http://www.aceteamrealty.com/blog.asp