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THE HALTON HILLS HOMESTYLE Wednesday Jane 11 Page Canadian real estate consumers show similar traits The emergence of first time home buyers as a driving force in most large cities Canada and the reluctance of investors to enter the residential real estate market are among the major fin dings of the Royal LePage Na Survey of Canadian Real Estate Consumers released to day Canadian real estate con sumers are not a homogeneous group but there are similarities across the country according to the study that examined over real estate transactions in the past 18 months and compared them with annual statistics going back to In most localities first time buyers are leading the market says Gmo Romanese Executive Vice President of Royal LePage We believe it s a result of pent up demand lower interest rates and a realization that prices are at their lowest level Nationally the number of first time buyers has increased from 32 per cent to 39 per cent of the market up per cent since This cross Canada trend is strongest in Montreal where 60 per cent of all purchases in the first three months of 1991 were made by this group In Toronto per cent of all homes were bought by first time buyers Typical first time buyers are couples between the ages of per cent were without children and per cent bought detached homes The second major trend titled in the Royal study is the sharp decline in the number of people buying residential pro perty as an investment In 1988 19 per cent of real estate transac tions involved investment proper ties By the spring of this figure had dropped to per cent While the trend is national ECOLINE Bui these chemicals also kill earthworms and which are part of a healthy lawn Switch to a safe and drugfree lawn Don b ud Hand pick unwanted whan they appear and to dig out the roots too Cut your grass high about Inches and leave the dippings on ma grass Whan watering eoefc the lawn to encourage deep Remember the best defence against weeds Is a healthy lawn When it comes to academics the women of 14 Croissant Crescent are stars this month I bragged to you last week how our 15yearold daughter got an A on her science project Well Em just got an A in the French class been taking To cele brate she took us all out for din ner at Fromagc Bleu to impress us with her French When she translated the menu for us Belinda and Kyle decid ed they wanted sweetbreads until they found out that sweet breads were neither breads nor sweet They settled for lettcs We had just received our meals when a flushed looking cook hurried from the back to urgently discuss something in French with the d Em listened intently to what the man was saying Hcs say ing that there s a fire she hissed Sure enough the d hustled us all out of the dining room as a few wisps of smoke came from the kitchen Fortunately it a major fire and we received vouchers for a free meal but as we drove home occurred to me that while I thought our house was pretty free of electrical fire ha wc didn t have an escape plan for our family should ever have a fire Weve got smoke detectors installed and a fire extinguisher in the kitchen but Em noted that we havent put our emergency numbers into the memory of the new kitchen phone or stuck hem up on the wall So wc did that and mapped out an escape route for each member of the family plus an alternative Wc also estab lished where we would meet out side to count heads There were a few ground rules to talk about as well The first of course is to get your family out of the house You never open a door if the knob is hot to the touch Always call the fire department from a neighbours house and never ever reenter your house for any reason until you got official permission So next week we II try Bleu again And this time Im going lo order snails and ask them if hey happen to know the one who ale my gera niums last year newspaper in conjunc tion with Ontario Hydro is bringing you Phils Basement to help bring home ideas on how to save energy lo receive the brochures Prevent Elec trical fires In Your Home call Ontario Hydro at I 2639000 and tell them Phil sent you treat and Ottawa are the cities where it is most evident Only 3 per cent of real estate purchases in these cities were made as in vestments Toronto and Winnipeg were close behind with 4 per cent Speculators are not a major factor In any residential real estate market in the country Romanese said The Survey shows that while there are national trends most cities are unique markets Some highlights Nationally in 39 per tent of home buyers have more than two homes in I heir lifetime per cent of hi me buyers were couples per of home buyers were aged to per cent bought a detached home and per cent bought a principal residence The number of single women buying homes has edged up every year since Royal LePage began the survey in 1987 In Vancouver for example 51 per cent of all single home buyers last year were women Vancouver also has the greatest proportion of older buyers with one in four over the age of 50 in 1990 Surprisingly in the first quarter of 1991 over buyers in Vancouver dropped to The youngest home buyers in Canada are now in with per cent in the 2029 age group Hamilton is not far behind at per cent In past years condominiums were most popular in Vancouver Ottawa and to where they accounted 20 per cent of all sales In Edmonton join this group for the first time Vancouver shows increasing buyer activity in condominium townhouses and apartments where they represent 37 per cent of all purchases so far this year compared to per cent in 1987 In Calgary families with children account for per cent of all purchases which is the highest such figure in the coun The Royal National Survey of Canadian Real Estate Consumers is the largest most comprehensive study of its kind in Canada with detailed demographic information on real estate consumers and types of housing in cities from coast-to- coast The Survey includes historical data back to 1987 Information contained in the Survey is based on Royal sales and purchase data filed by company residential real estate specialists Since the Survey was begun in 1987 over tran sactions have been analysed Royal LePage is Canadas leading full service realtor with over 11000 employees and representatives in close to residential commercial and associate broker offices in Canada the United States and overseas Choose a good location The purchase of a home means finding the one that is nght for you one that you are comfortable in one that you can enjoy Yet the purchase of a house also represents the familys single largest investment Although the deciding factors are based on lifestyle needs and the future consideration of resale value cannot be overlooked The greatest influence on resale value is that of location The house itself can always be changed or renovated but the lot can never be moved Being close to transportation shopping and schools is a prevalent aspect in determining resale value A lack of certain amenities although they may not affect you personally will definitely come into play if you decide to sell your home The lack of a nearby school for example may not mean anything to I REAL ESTATE AND YOU Jamie Johnston you if you dont have school aged children yet you are eliminating all possible families with schoolaged children from buying your home These local amenities are key to deciding whether or not your location is a good one Even if transportation parks shopping and schools are not important to you now they can be the deciding factors when you try to sell your home For a free copv our How to Buy A Home brochure please cat or visit a Canada Trust Really office near you REflflK 2 MILL STREET E ACTON 4168734937 TORONTO LINE HEATHER WHITING SCOTLAND Associate Broker 8532086 LONG LOW AND LOVELY rhis LONG custom brick rancher with LOVELY light filled spacious rooms and neutral decor is LOW priced for action Call today Heather Whiting Scotland Associate Broker at 853 STATELY OLDER RESIDENCE Set back from road on private well groom ed lawns with mature trees is this spacious triple brick home which features 5 bedrooms and bathrooms family rooms plus a den enclosed porches and enough garage space for 7 cars This fine home would suit a large or extended family as well as an in home occupation To arrange your personal tour please call Heather Whiting Scotland Associate Broker at 2086 RMACtlU LETS GO BACK TO YESTERDAY Experience the charm of original wood work and plate railing a cozy fireplace French doors etched glass windows and enclosed porcres This conveniently located solid older home features 3 bedrooms with closets plus a developable attic updated wiring and plumbing just waiting for your decorating touches Call Heather Whiting Scotland Associate Broker at 2086