The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

housin itc j gst to boost sales before 1991 deadline kate gilderdale correspondent an upswing of 15 per cent in new home sales in november is seen as an attempt by consumers to beat the proposed goods and services tax deadline of jan 1 1991 according to frank gian- none president of the toronto i home builders association bverall november sales totalled 1269 against 1103 in oc tober of these 988 were freehold homes and 281 were condominiums freehold sales in markham were substantially ahead of other localities in the area served by the association with sales of 388 or- 39 per cent of the total mississauga was a distant se cond with a total of 148 as an industry we are pleased to see another rise in sales stated giannone it boosts the local economy but we are puzzl- t ed by ottawas reluctance to even hint at how the gst will now impact on new home purchases canadians are alreday saddled with an inordinate number of tax- related charges and levies hous ing should not be viewed by ot tawa as an easy target for ex cessive taxation the november resale market showed little hange according to michael rosen president of the toronto real estate board both the number of sales and the average price were down slightly in november he said but a sales adjustment of less than five per cent is certainly nothing to be alarmed about minor fluctuations are common in an otherwise stable market uncertainty over taxation and the approaching holiday season have had a levelling effect on the market he pointed out he ex pressed concern aboutthe effects of the proposed gst a fiveper cent tax oh resale housing would dash the dreams of many pro spective homeowners and pre vent them from realizing the sense of security that comes from owning a home total resales in markham bet- ween jan 1 and nov 30 were 1949 with an average price of 320891 compared with an over all average of 273708 for proper ties listed in the treb area sue meadows of century 21 s markham office predicts that resales will take off next spring the market is usually slower at this time of year because pepr i pie are thinking of christmas but rethink its also soft because theyre so confused about the tax situation she commented no one is coming out and saying what it will be so they dont know what to do she believes that the market will be open up when peo ple know where they stand theyre holding back until the spring but if too many people do that you end up with a glut she advises those who are con sidering a move to get a good real estate agent and listen to what the agent says that ad vice is echoed by leslie cavender at sadie morahis the best thing f to proceed with caution people v should make sure they have all c the information necessary to help them make the move aureal estate expert is the person to help them obtain all the information november has been stable she said and if we look at history generally the first few months of the year are very good we have vthowtiftmxtoiifiblilvtflilv f erent the indications are that well have a good 1990 ii the uncertainty surrounding gst has caused confusion with some people believing its already in effect noted cavender she agreed that if the tax is implemented it could in crease activity in the market next year most people are go ing to want to make their move and be closed on that other pro perty prior to 1991 if it gst does take place who knows what will happen in 1991 dana richard of min com classic realty says the outlook for the next few months is anybodys guess in september we thought it was going to pick up but it ended up by actually dropping off in november it did go up a bit but now were close to christmas its dying down he too believes gst will be an im portant factor in what happens next year if housing is affected he said in the early spring theyre go ing to try to sell their house and move up before they have to pay it right now its a waitandsee situation sales for december at family trusts unionville branch are doing better than they were in november stated linda killackey its already looking quite strong with trebstatistics showing january arid february as the busiest months traditionally were looking forward to a healthy market in the new year generally she advised anything thats well priced seems to be selling okay while- prices are down marginally theres a lot of fluctuation in dif ferent areas prices have re mained fairly stable considering that it hasnt been such a great market this year joe katz at living realty ex pects the market to pick up in the second week of january and to stay strong through march i expect new home prices to be stable arid the new home market to be brisk prior to the gst in 1991 he observed the new home people are offering reduced mortgages and special packages to motivate vendors into buying new homes with the advent of gst loom ing seasonal adjustments might not be as prevalent in 1990 as in previous years he added i think the market will be somewhat strong until 1991 he envisions a drop in new home prices once the tax is in place sears portrait giveaway 17 free portraits 110x13 wall portrait and 16 portrait petites when you buy our 20piece package r qc 28x10s and 15 wallets io totals portraits price includes 2 deposit portraits on traditional backgrounds white and black backgrounds double rjeature vignette and other special effects portraits hoc available in advertised package poses our selection 2 for each additional person in portrait no appointment necessary use your sears card cannot be combined with any other offer not redeemable for cash adults families welcome sears canada inc also available instant colour passport photos approximate sizes kk coupon good through jan 271990 studios located insears retail stores and in clearance i centres in dixie value mail rexdale boulevard and warden bmjn3 avenue also in catalogue stores in momingskje in your monej wohini more scarborough and galleria mall in toronto t- present coupon at time of sitting i boxing day sale wednesday dec 27th merchandise values throughout the mall for every member of your family from the following stores services fashion activei v world aftcrtrkiugrfrskdsmart 47712844796207 jogger spats 4796276 dover shoes 4749493 peggys distinctive ladies fashion 4773053 trendytees 4776136 wily wonderful 4741746 young canada 4758887 home decorating ugffllng unlimited st oar rants paper financials legal mackay associates torontgoommon bank 4755297 4753535 specialty bulkbarn hllebrand wines radio shack golden zales jewellery demsonvdeo 4759705 4758329 4753299 4798063 4756935 4709478 4707484 foodrefreshments ccsnackbar frankgoodness ginospeza mmfvuwewusrvwmuffws marthas fantastic donut house mce restaurant swiss chalet your super burger services cadet cleaners supertooch hah design supertickets the markham 1 galatraawc remember to visit mmmarvelous mmmufrns 4776938 4708767 4796000 4796135 4770713 4702211 4750368 4707630 4753097 479w63 4777086 9404660 4796135 kennedy w deriison fliis mmm i j