TheStar.com - Athome - Boomers put an old spin on home renos

TheStar.com - Athome - Boomers put an old spin on home renos: "Darlene Melanson's north Toronto home is in the final stages of a multi-year, million dollar renovation in which it was gutted and rebuilt room by room.

After years of mess and stress, she and her husband will finally have their dream home, the one they intend to enjoy for the rest of their lives.

'This is it. We knew this was our forever home,' Melanson says"

TheStar.com - Athome - Housing starts seen slowing

TheStar.com - Athome - Housing starts seen slowing: "Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. says the housing construction boom will slow this year, predicting starts will ease to 213,425 units after hitting 227,395 units in 2006.

In its second-quarter Housing Market Outlook, the corporation predicts that residential construction will continue to decline in 2008 to 200,175 units.

That still means seven consecutive years in which housing starts exceed 200,000 units.

The corporation says higher mortgage carrying costs and the erosion of demand that built up in the 1990s will mean fewer starts, but sales of existing homes will remain strong, forecasting 487,500 transactions this year. Prices for existing homes are forecast to grow almost 10 per cent this year, mainly because of strong price pressures in the West."

TheStar.com - Athome - May hotter than ever for resales

TheStar.com - Athome - May hotter than ever for resales: "Greater Toronto's hot, hot, hot resale housing market hit a new high in the first 15 days of May, registering the biggest mid-month sales total ever with 5,003 transactions reported, an 11 per cent increase over the same period last year.

'All signs point to a very healthy market for the remainder of the spring,' said Dorothy Mason, president of the Toronto Real Estate Board, which released the figures this past week. 'In terms of activity, this year is about 6 per cent ahead of last year's pace.'

This means right now is a good time for anyone diving into the housing market for the first time or wanting to move up the property ladder, Mason said.

'There's a lot of confidence in this market,' she added."