Grand Opening of Parkside Village on Danforth
Last weekend Options for Homes launched our newest development, Parkside Village on Danforth! Parkside Village is to be located in the Danforth and Eglinton area, close to a large park with walking trails, basketball courts and an outdoor swimming pool! On Saturday, May 5th almost 100 people attended either an 11:00 AM session or our 2:00 PM session, to hear about the development. They were able to look at floor plans and price lists, and to speak with our advisors regarding making a reservation to purchase a unit at this location. Our new development will feature car sharing, a library, lounge, solar panel, carbon filtration system for improved air quality and individual monitoring of heating, cooling and electricity. Don’t forget about the Options for Homes contribution of 13% to help you boost your down payment as well!
Don’t miss out on this opportunity, and be one of the first to purchase at this great new community. The next information session will be held on Saturday, June 9th at 11:00 AM or 2:00 PM, this is the next chance you have to reserve your suite! Call the office at 416-867-1501 ext. 221 to speak with Courtney, or visit www.optionsforhomes.ca/register to register for this session!
Options for Homes give new immigrants hope
New immigrants face many challenges when they come to a new country, for example, difficulty with communication, finding work and finding affordable housing. As a new immigrant to Toronto, I often come across articles relating to the lack of affordable housing, such as the following;
http://canadianimmigrant.ca/news-and-views/immigrants-need-more-affordable-housing-transit-say-new-report
My boyfriend and I arrived in Toronto almost two years ago. We both have a strong educational background, and before long, we both had jobs. We are currently renting a very reasonable basement apartment, which is helping us to build our savings. Our goal is to become homeowners in Toronto, before long.
We have truly fallen in love with Toronto, job opportunities, the convenience of the public transit, endless social events and many other aspects of Toronto life. Throughout the past two years we have made many great friends.
When homeownership came up in conversation among friends, many of them have told us stories of their move to the suburbs because they were unable to afford housing in the city. They now commute to Toronto by car or GO train. For us, this news was very disheartening. We believe that a move like this would really affect our present quality of life.
Then we learned about the Options for Homes model. Many new immigrants in a similar situation to us have received the help they needed, and now own their very own home. Now my future is full of hope, and I know that our dream of homeownership in Toronto will come through in the near future.
Sarah, New Immigrant, Toronto
Tax Rebate & Credit Available To Qualified Ontario Homebuyers
Did you recently purchase a new home? Congratulations! Please read on for information on the rebates available in Ontario for new homeowners.
New homes purchases in Ontario, will have a portion of the HST embedded in the purchase price (64% of the federal portion and 25% of the provincial portion). When you purchase a home as your primary residence, the purchase price is the price you will pay as you will be receiving the portion of the HST that is not embedded (36% of the federal portion and 75% of the provincial portion), in the form of a rebate at closing. Purchasers can apply for the rebate by completing Form GST190, GST/HST New Housing Rebate Application for Houses Purchased from a Builder. The form is available at http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/E/pbg/gf/gst190/.
New rental housing, including residential investment properties, receive a similar rebate however, you will need to pay the non embedded portion of the HST at closing and apply for the rebate following closing. This rebate supports affordable rental housing in Ontario. For more information, visit: http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/E/pub/gp/rc4231/rc4231-e.html
If you purchased your home through Options, we will review the rebate form with you at your occupancy clearance appointment, which takes place one month prior to your occupancy date. Your lawyer will be able to assist in determining if you qualify for the rebate.
We wish you all the best on your home buying process!
Marc Asks: Could You Live Without Your Car?
My wife and I own a six year old Toyota Sienna van. We mostly use it to shuffle one or another of our three kids to school, swimming lessons or to pick up the groceries. I usually bike to work and my wife works close by enough that she often does the same - unless the weather’s bad or she’s late. The kids are now quickly moving into the teenage years and require less chauffeuring and we could be more disciplined around car use. We are fortunate to have access to a nearby Options for Cars vehicle that could serve our needs 90% of the time (hard to beat the van for summer vacations though). But there is something very comforting about just having our own vehicle sitting out front faithfully waiting to be of service at any time - just in case. The cultural hurdle that needs to be overcome to go carless is perhaps more significant than the adjustment in lifestyle.
An upcoming Options project “The Low Carbon Condominium” will be a building that will feature some of the latest in green building technology. Green building is a hot topic at the many builders and energy conferences and a lot of innovative thinking goes into devising cool new energy saving devices that will allow us to save energy and reduce our carbon footprint. The best part is that most of these savings can be accomplished without seriously compromising creature comforts.
There is however, one exception: private car ownership. Giving up owning a car is a line in the sand that many of us aren’t quite ready to cross. But it is a choice that’s becoming more viable all the time. And maybe it’s not that unusual. After all, most people in New York City don’t own cars.
The Low Carbon Condo will have no private parking. Instead, it will have space for ten Options for Cars car share vehicles. Membership in the car share will come with the purchase of a suite. The building will be walking distance to the subway and connected to a network of roads with dedicated bicycle lanes.
Are you ready to go carless?
