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Home Newspaper of Halt Hills News For The Home Owner And Home Buyer Toronto MLS sales up over 1974 Toronto November A still stable realty market with apparently Increased activity In the higher brackets brought November soles through Multiple Listing SorvicetoUlltngil9m898compared with 101548553 in November last year T Zldner president of the Toronto Real Estate Board said that In the first 11 months of this year MLS transactions totalled compared with Si on 19401 transactions In 11 months last year In November there were MLS transactions up from a year earlier but down from in October The figures we have may not tell the whole story Mr Zidner said Interruption of mall service has affected the reporting of sales so the number of transactions may have beet greater than it appears On the other band economic uncertainty may have bad a slight cooling effect on what has been a very good fall market But the number of transactions reported was still significantly higher than In November last year Resale house account for a percentage of MLS sales In November residential sales amounted to SB averaging In the first months of this year sales on MLS totalled for an average of The previous peak for the MLS house average was reached last March at November seems to have increased activity at the top of the market Residential MLS transactions over represented 7 percent of all MLS house sales compared with 1 per cent in October Up 132 SO 45001050000 1S7 112 50001to55000 153 to 134 70001to75000 3 to Over 120 1666 100 Those 120 houses sold as follows Forty houses sold between 191000 and and between and Another 16 sold between and 149000 and nine between and Four more were between 175000 and three between 200000 and and one above Buyers In those brackets usually have less difficulty than others In arranging financing Uncertainty In the stock market la often a factor encouraging a potential investor to choose a bigger house Instead Mr said Condominium apartments and townhouses accounted Tor 18 percent of all residential sales through MLS in November and 13 percent of dollar volume In October It had been percent of dwellings and 15 percent of dollar volume The 178 condominium apartments that sold In November for averaged 36471 and the 124 condominium townhouses that sold for 6027600 averaged In October apartments averaged and in September The October average for townhouses was 43709 up from Septembers 48414 Theres no housing shortage There is no housing crisis In Canada and Its about time the housing Industry started ad toting to that fact cording to M M Ryan director of Securities Ltd of Vancouver Old more unsuitable now than they have been over the last two years Ryan In the Morguard Trust Co monthly newsletter Me says there has been a constant real shortage of housing since and it Is very difficult to accept that the situation has changed New construction activity is not responding to the In creased aallabillty of mortgage money con tractors are faced with surplus capacity and now units particularly con dominiums ore not selling briskly he says The tightness In the rental market however has continued to fortify the belief that there Is a shortage In housing In a few years the demographic trends will finally dispel this myth He says the expansion of housing from the baby boom has long passed and the proportion of the population in normal age roups seeking to buy bousing will be declining rapidly The demand Tor housing therefore will decline and the existing housing stock will start toappearto be far more adequate than Is now generally believed Ryan says Ryan argues that there la no reason to In the Income Tax Act or make more mortgage money available as these moves would only Intensify the cost pressures on housing The last wave of mor tgage money that became available earlier this year was used almost exclusively to finance the previous speculative rise In housing prices says Ryan Very little of It was used to provide new accommodation Pumping more funds Into the system now would probably do nothing more than cause the existing stock of bousing to rise in price because more people would be able to get the money to pay for it He says changes in the Income Tax Act dont lower the cost of housing they merely shift the coat taxpayer winds up sub sidising tho renters or for a what been from A duJhfl 1975 units starts I made draggj month add tit unitgfj Turn off your Christmas tree lights to save energy Turning off Christmas lights before retiring is not only a good safety practice but also a wlae energy conservation measure according to Ontario Hydro In order to conserve energy Hydro and the ministry of energy bolh appealing to householders to wait until after the dinner hour to turn on Christmas lights and to make sure they are turned off again at bedtime Hydro itself will have a modest outdoor display at Its head office location and the same practice will be followed In its seven regions across the province Decorative lighting will be turned on after and off by midnight Hydros electrical Inspection department notes no one can blame shoppers for trying to squeeze a title more out of their Christmas budgets this year but warns of Ignoring potential hazards concerning older festive lighting supplies An annual danger la that lights and outdoor displays which have already been used for several seasons Jim Little supervising electrical approvals inspector says If your lights have been used before examine them carefully especially around the base of each socket and discard any set that has wom insulation damaged sockets or a faulty plug Attempting to repair light sets by splicing or taping worn wiring can be dangerous Mr Little warns When buying lights and appliances shoppers should check to be sure they bear mark of approval he adds Lights approved for indoor use should never be used outdoors Strings of lights should be securely fastened and cords should be positioned so hat they cannot be bumped or tripped over Plugs should not be overloaded with two or three sets of light Leaving a light socket erne after removing a burned out broken bulb can also I hazardous The empty sock may tempt an Inquisitive ch to put his finger In he sock and receive a severe shock Care should also be tax when using metal reflectors metallic garlands on tree They can become thi contact an empty socket damaged wire One hazardous which appeared on the mark this season is a plug In chll ping ornament for Christnu trees It has now been remove from store shelves on order of Hydros Inspection staff The ornament la a A open mesh plastic sphere which contains a piece aluminum foil a tiny and an electronic clrcul I package having exposed I 120 volt terminals The foil could contact tb live terminals and J definite shock