Home of the Week, Ridge House, 395910 11th Line, Clarksburg, Ont.Mitchell Hubble/Mitchell Hubble/Modern Movement Creative
Here are The Globe and Mail’s top housing and real estate stories this week and one home worth a look.
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Federal land could be used for housing to bring down costs, minister says
As Ottawa attempts to accelerate its strategy to create cheaper housing options, new ideas on how to use federally owned land have been taking shape, write Rachelle Younglai and Erin Anderssen. Housing Minister Sean Fraser said Monday that there’s an opportunity to create housing on existing federal land — adding 60 storeys-worth of new housing on top of a Canada Post building, for example. Non-profit housing developers have said access to land is one of the most critical components of delivering affordable housing because land is scarce and expensive to purchase. Fraser said developing on top of existing federal property would allow the government to help the housing crisis without permanently losing the land to private developers.
Condo buyers get an unpleasant surprise: a stiff bill for rental equipment
Residents and owners of a recently-built Toronto condominium building facing collection letters and demands for thousands of dollars are warning others to beware of vague references to HVAC rental contracts in closing documents and sales agreements, writes Shane Dingman. Residents of an east-Toronto condo say Reliance Home Comfort Inc. presented them with pricey rental contracts for air-conditioning units installed in their homes. Some say the rental contract never appeared in their purchasing agreement, and others say a small line was included last-minute. But residents who made even a single rental payment to Reliance get hooked even deeper in their contract.
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The post Ottawa considers building housing on federal land: Canadian real estate news for February 17 first appeared on Insie Mesenza.