High Tech Tax Man

Would you like to know the difference in the tax rate of a home in Trenton compared to other wards within Quinte West? Well, now you can with Quinte West's new online 'TAX QWEST'. Quinte West is one of the only cities in the province to provide this service. For example, if you are thinking of buying a home in the Trenton or Sidney wards that has been assessed at a certain value, you can now go online to see what the difference in taxes would be between the two locations. You might be surprised at what you discover. Want to know more? Check it out at www.city.quintewest.on.ca/services/finance/tax_calculator.htm.

Burn Baby Burn!

It's that time of year when homeowners with functioning wood fireplaces/stoves in the Trenton, Belleville and Brighton areas should be checking the safety and compliance of their wood burning appliances. Did you know that home insurance companies make it mandatory for you to have a certified inspection? To get a stove certified a WETT inspector has to check it for you. WETT stands for Wood Energy Technology Transfer and local WETT certified inspectors can be found at www.wettinc.ca If you are buying a home with a wood burning stove/fireplace why not use a Home Inspector who can do both inspections at the same time! Contact me for more info. I'm at 613.848.0615. Cheers until next time.

NOT 109,000!

It's my understanding that since WWI over 108,000 Canadian soldiers have lost their lives in battle. While lives are lost every day, most are not members of a voluntary force in defence of our freedoms and beliefs. Donna and I did not serve in a theatre of war during our military careers but we, like many others, are deeply touched every time a soldier's repatriation ceremony takes place at CFB Trenton ... 3 minutes from our front door. Let's hope and pray we don't lose another son or daughter in a foreign land in defence of our freedom. Lest we forget ... today or any other.

MINUS ONE

The recent announcement regarding the one percent reduction in GST for 2008 will be another plus for the Quinte housing industry. Not only will there be a savings on new home construction (normally the GST is built into the price), but it will also impact all the other services associated with new and resale home purchases for which you pay GST i.e., legal fees, real estate commission, survey fees, etc.

The one per cent reduction in the GST will also help residents of Trenton, Belleville, Brighton and other Canadian cities pay for upgrades such as home renovations or the purchase of appliances or furniture. "According to research conducted by CREA, Canadians spend an average of $7,475 on renovations when they buy a home, and spend another $3,950 on furniture and appliances. The GST cut represents $114 in savings based on these averages."

Of course, if you are a resident of Toronto you may have lost a lot of these gains now that the Mayor has insituted yet another government grab with their own Land Transfer Tax. Lets hope that mindset doesn't make its way east!