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it j despite signs ofa slowingeconomy the canada mortgage and housing corp cmhc has reported that the toronto housing market will enjoy one more good year before any potential downturn it predicts that housing prices will increase by 33 per cent by the end of 2001 jatthetend of november 2000 the average price of a resale home in toronto for 2000 was 242006rnextyear that figure is expected to rise to 250000 r n v ver the past few years the toronto real estate market has performed extremely well because j of a booming economy high job creation and low interest rates cmhc reported that employment growth is expected to be 4 per cent in 2001 and will dip to 35 per cent the following year the high demand for housing in toronto has also resulted from an increase in migration tothe j demand for multiple unit construction such as townhomes and condominiums is expected this year because these types of dwellings are more affordable than singlefamily homes iri 2000 the new home market was led by condominiums a trend which is expected to continue 1 this year sales of semidetached homes are expected to rise next year as well i t k cmhc also predicted that new honfe sales will increase to 45000 this year representing an 8 fe per cent increase over the 41500 sales last yearthe price of hew homes has femaihedalmost unchanged since last year while resale home prices have risen almost 6 per cent cvt t ryyx zv j c- due to any number of circumstances home owners sometimes have to consider putting their belongings into storage in this case these storage tips may come in handy a small efficiently packed unit is more costeffective than a larger unit where belongings are poorly arranged- t fill all boxes to capacity to avoid tipping or collapsing heavier items such as books or tools should be stored in small boxes and placed at the bottom of piles use bubble wrap for all fragile items and make sure light items are stored near the top of piles to prevent damage label boxes properly and keep the list handy this will eliminate a lot of time and guesswork when it comes time to retrieve your belongings inspect your storage space to make sure that doors and lockswork properly some storage units carry insurance polities some do not check with your insurance company to see if your belongings are covered off premises if a storage unit does not provide insurance coverage make sure that your belongings are insured before they are put into storage each storage company has its own hours of operation so choose one with hours that are convenient to you remax all stars r save money buying your first home the dream of buying a home is alive and well for many canadians in a recent survey nearly 35 of canadians aged 25 to 34 said they plan to purchase a home within the next two years for many of these purchasers saving the traditional 25 down payment may seem daunting but there arc several ways to save money on their big investment here are just a few 1 you dont need to sae 25 for a down payment with an insured mortgage from either ge capital or the canadian mortgage and housing 1 corporation all you need is 5 down of course you tpay a small premium for- this service ranging from 1 252 5 depending on the down payment but it can sure make a difference 2 you canjborrow money from your rrsp to help build or buy a first home up to 20000 taxfree can be borrowed 40000 per couple which must be repaid within 17 years during the past few years thousands of canadians have dipped into their rrsps to help finance a first home 13 negotiate the ibest terms for your mortgage firsttime buyers may find themselves with very little negotiating power when talking with a bank or institution nofso banks want your business sometimes offers cashbpnuses or higher limits to help you outat the beginning shop and find the right financial arrangement for 4 look for flexibility in your financial institution your financial situation may change over time and so you want to find a financial institution that allows someflexibiltiy for instance skipping a mortgage payment and longer mortgage terms arc popular benefits that may be worth considering i i s finallyiftyou arc in the category of firsttime home