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Oakville Beaver | Thursday, April 27, 2023 | 18 insidehalton.com Real Estate Viewpoint Is Now a Good Time to Buy? - By DIANE BERTOLIN - After a year of interest rate hikes and falling house prices, buyers may be understandably confused about whether now's the time to purchase a home or condominium. Yes, it is a good time to buy. And here are some of the reasons why. If you look at recent real estate market reports, Ontario’s housing market is stabilizing after a tu- multuous 2022. According to the Canadian Real Estate Association, while home prices are down over last year, the market has started to pick up and buyers are com- ing off the sidelines. However, we aren’t yet seeing the frenzy of early 2022's market, which is a good ‘thing for buyers who don’t want to feel pressured into making a snap decision or get into bidding wars. The Bank of Canada has put a pause on further interest rate hikes. Inflation is slowing. The country hasn’t slipped into reces- sion and even if there is an economic slowdown later this year, experts predict it will be mild and brief. Ontario's job market is strong and growing. In the new home market, there's still demand for low-rise homes in suburban areas close to Toronto and condominium projects in desirable neighbourhoods catering to those who are buy- ing to live there themselves. If you're waiting for new home prices to fall - don’t. Builders are con- tending with significant increases in everything from development charges to labour costs to the price of building materials. New home prices and condos for end users aren’t going to drop - and likely will rise even more, so it may be prudent to act sooner rather than later if you're thinking of buying new. We have a housing supply problem in Ontario and that problem is not going away. Immigra- tion is booming and that’s going to fuel the de- mand for even more housing and the hard truth is, Ontario simply isn’t building enough homes. According to a 2022 report by Smart Prosper- ity Institute, the province is unlikely to meet its target of 1.5 million homes by 2031 to relieve the housing crunch. We're not just talking about new homes, either. There is a shortage of resale home listings too. If you are considering getting into the market and, it may be time to act. With no more interest rate hikes expected in the near future, a strong job market, no long-term recession looming, and the real estate market expected to rebound in 2024, it may be exactly the right time. Diane Bertolin is a partner in the Alliance United Corporation, the development company building The Residences of Bronte Lakeside in Oakville. She and her team bring over 30 years of experience building new low, mid and highrise homes across Ontario. https://aucorp.ca/ Alliance United | Av he CORPORATION IBNEWS HALTON NEWSROOM HONOURED AT OCNA AWARDS PAINE NAMED PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR FOR FIFTH TIME Halton photographer Graham Paine has bee named photographer of the year by the Ontario Com- munity Newspaper Associ: ation for the fifth tim "Gi Graham Paineisamas- ter photographer whose photos tell a story in cre- ative ways," judge Wayne Shiels. on seem- ingly ordinary events are presented in interesting ways." Showing the diversity that earned him the award, Paine also finished second in the best news photo, best spot news photo and best feature photo categories. He also shared in Hal- ton's other win along with Herb Garbutt and Louie Rosella, taking first place in the best online breaking news coverage for the cov- erage of a fatal shooting in Milton. Garbutt posted up- dates of shootings that crossed several jurisdic- tions, starting with the shooting of a police officer in Mississauga, followed by the murder ofa Milton auto shop owner and an employ- ee, a carjacking and finally with the suspect being shot by police in Hamilton. Paine provided photos and additional information from the scene in Milton. Rosella then picked up the coverage with the identifi- cation ofthe Milton victims and further information of the events of the day. The Milton Canadian Champion team provided “clear and comprehensive coverag f four local e Ol shootings," said judge Mar- GRAHAM PAINE tha Perkins. "There were many moving pieces in a i charged sphere. What made the cov- erage so compelling were profiles of two of the vic- which gave shape to understanding the events leading up to such tragic losses of life." ther aan Cditorial bs tee ea (third: place, Neath and wellness writing); Me- lanie Hennessey, Bambang Sadewo and Mansoor Tan- weer (third place, feature/ news series); Louie Rosella nt Sadewe (third place, online spec: initiative); Kathy yan (honourable mention, edu- cation writing). BOOK NOW. TRAVEL. PAY, LATER! At Book and Go Travel, our Zero Interest® Program gives you a better way to finance your travel! Phone 1-888-801-2463, visit booKandgo.ca or scan the QR code below to see how. PLUS, PAY \ INTEREST CRUISES For full terms and conditions visit (&BOOKANDGO.ca ‘Y 1-888-801-2463 “OAC. Subject to terms of your Flexi cardholder agreement. Offer vali for residents of Canada (excluding Quebec). SCAN FOR MORE INFORMATION -your-trip or scan the QR code.