About London's Byron

Over the weekend I was helping a client purchase a home and one of their concerns were some repairs that this home required. The estimated repairs were around $5,400 and I asked if they were aware of the home renovation tax credit and other incentives provided by various government agencies?

They were not so I provided them with a number and website to go to. And this morning, I went on a listing interview (which was successful) and in suggesting some minor upgrades which would maximize the selling price, my new clients were not aware of any incentives. Again, I gladly provided this information and thought I would write this blog to allow more home buyers and home sellers to become aware of these incentives. Briefly, the following will give a few examples:

Save up to $1,350 on home improvements purchased before February 1, 2010. This credit is provided by the Canadian Government and is based on elegible expenses for improvements to your house, condo or cottage.

Some of the eligible expenses you can claim:

. Renovating a kitchen, bathroom or basement

. New windows, doors or flooring

. Building an addition, garage, deck, shed or fence

. New furnace, fireplace

. New driveway or resurfacing

. New roof or re-shingling

. Landscaping

. Permanent swimming pools, in-ground and above-ground

. Fixtures blinds, shutters, awnings, lights, fans etc

For more information and forms, go to www.actionplan.gc.ca or call 1-877-959-1-CRA

I, like most Canadians are inundated daily with news paper headlines, TV evening news and morning radio news about unemployment numbers, plant closures, government incentives, health care costs and on and on.

Are we listening or are we putting our heads in the sand? Here are some recent polls that indicate what Canadians are actually thinking. (Attention all news reporters: the sun is still going to come up tomorrow!)

78% of Canadians expect family incomes to either increase or stay the same during the next year.

44% of Canadians think this is the best time to buy a house. (I, being biased, agree. Some of the lowest interest rates ever and a balanced buyer/seller market in London, Ontario).

In the United States for example, the economy has caused them to experience 66% stress, 35% Canadians, 57% of Americans have anxiety with Canadian anxiety being 30%, 46% of Americans lost sleep over the economy and Canadians only lost 40% (the hockey playoffs are over, right) and sadly 32% of our neighbours to the south have suffered depression while we hardy Canucks experienced depression 15% of the time, which is still much to high.

33% of the world cut their spending on mobile phones, in Canada only 22%. 10% of Canadians reduced their internet spending and only 17% cut spending on digital, satellite or cable TV.

So, in summary, do we Canadians not listen, are we stubborn, do we wear rose coloured glasses or are we just simply optimists who go on with our daily lives, doing the best we can and having confidence that the future can only get better?

Enjoy your day and if you can, help some one else enjoy theirs too!

Oh, by the way, I am not picking on our neighbours to the south, I have a tremendous respect for what the United States stands for and their willingness and ability to help others in crisis. Without America, where would we all be?