Harmonized tax would hit renovations, resales Mandatory energy audits on home sales wrong, real estate agents say Scholarships offered by real estate board Harmonized tax would hit renovations, resales Harmonized tax would hit renovations, resales The Toronto StarFeb 21, 2009 The already battered real estate industry had reason for concern when Premier Dalton McGuinty said last month that "we owe it to ourselves to take a good, long hard look" at harmonizing the GST with the Ontario provincial sales tax. In his column in this section on Jan. 31, Stephen Dupuis, president of the Building Industry and Land Development Association, pointed out that buyers of new homes would be hit particularly hard if Ontario harmonized the PST with the federal GST. Full Story Mandatory energy audits on home sales wrong, real estat Mandatory energy audits on home sales wrong, real estate agents say February 25, 2009 - In the wake of a new municipal land-transfer tax and unmoored by a sinking economy, Toronto real estate agents are bracing for a new storm on the legislative horizon: Mandatory energy audits for home sales.Ontario Minister of Energy and Infrastructure George Smitherman's proposed Green Energy Act, which was introduced to the Ontario legislature Monday, contains loosely defined "mandatory conservation and energy efficiency practices" that would cost home sellers about $300.But with homes lingering on a stagnating market, and average sale prices dropping throughout the GTA, even the distant possibility of one more fee or one more bureaucratic obstacle, leaves real estate agents feeling seasick. KATE HAMMER The Globe and Mail Full Story Scholarships offered by real estate board Scholarships offered by real estate board  February 20, 2009 -- In recent months the world has come to recognize the significant effect that the housing market has on our global economy. In Ontario, it is estimated that that every resale housing transaction generates more than $33,000 in economic spin-offs on items like renovations, furniture and appliances. It follows therefore that what's good for real estate also benefits our communities. Full Story Lea Barclay Sales Representative