TREB’s President’s News Beat: TREB: Home Ownership a Marker of Successrs
Posted by: Toronto Real Estate Admin / Category: Toronto RealtorTREB President’s Column as it appears every Friday in the Toronto Sun’s Resale Homes and Condos section.
April 21, 2015 — I believe that buying your first home should be counted among life’s most important milestones. Home ownership is more than just a step in securing your financial future.
Making the transition to home ownership is often regarded as a marker of maturity and success, suggesting that you have the discipline to make the sacrifices necessary in achieving this important goal.
Owning a home has equally positive emotional and psychological effects, which collectively, are vital to our city’s future. In a 2012 Habitat for Humanity GTA study, respondents reported a 25 per cent increase in their community involvement upon making the transition to owning a home, stating that they had been friendly with five or more neighbours. Half of respondents reported feeling safer walking outside their homes. An incredible 76 per cent reported improvements in their children’s grades, and 88 per cent reported improvements in children’s confidence once they moved into their home
The physical health benefits of home ownership are also well documented. Single-family, low-rise dwellings offer the advantage of neighbourhood walkability and as many seasoned homeowners can confirm, property maintenance alone can serve as a thorough workout. Alternatively, if a condominium home is more suited to your lifestyle, you can often look to amenities such as onsite gyms, swimming pools and rooftop gardens to keep you active. Habitat’s study also documented home ownership’s health benefits, of those who recently transitioned to ownership housing through Habitat’s initiatives, 84 per cent reported improvements in asthma.
This is just a snapshot of the many reasons that buying a home is as important to growing up as donning that proverbial cap and gown, so if you’re ready to mark the next milestone in your personal journey, I encourage you to talk to a Greater Toronto REALTOR®. They can advise you on the many government programs, rebates and incentives that make the goal of home ownership easier to achieve. They can also advise you on the many housing options, both new and resale, that are suited to your lifestyle, and guide you through the entire process from making an offer to moving day essentials.
For more information, visit TorontoRealEstateBoard.com where you will find market updates, neighbourhood profiles, explanations of commonly used real estate forms and more.
Paul Etherington is President of the Toronto Real Estate Board, a professional association that represents 40,000 REALTORS® in the Greater Toronto Area.
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Article source: http://www.torontorealestateboard.com/market_news/president_columns/pres_sun_col/index.htm
Tags: Toronto Realtor