Home is where her heart is:
3rd annual TD Canada TrustWomen and
Home Ownership Poll reveals the growing importance of having a
place to call your own
TORONTO, January 20, 2010
– Although financial security continues to top the list
of home ownership benefits, the comforts of home are increasingly
important to Canadian women. According to the third annual TD Canada TrustWomen and Home Ownership Poll,
which surveyed women who have purchased a home independently, key
features of home ownership, including being able to renovate to
suit individual tastes and having a garden, are now more essential
to Canadian women than they were in 2008.
When asked to describe the best things about home
ownership, Canadian women said it is about making a house a home.
Having a place of their own (34%), being able to decorate or
renovate the way they want (34%) and having a backyard or garden
(32%) were some of the responses that increased dramatically from
the first survey conducted in 2008. Women had cited having a place
of their own at 22%, being able to decorate or renovate the way
they want at 14%, and having a backyard or garden at only 5% back
in 2008.
“Even though the comforts of home have
become increasingly important to women, the financial reasons for
home ownership have also increased in importance,” says
Chris Wisniewski, Group Product Manager, Real Estate Secured
Lending, TD Canada Trust. This year 44%
of women ranked financial security as the best thing about home
ownership compared to 23% of a similar sample of women in 2008.
Second on the list of best things about owning a home was not
having to pay rent or pay other people (38% versus 13% in 2008).
“It’s not surprising that the financial reasons
for ownership have increased in importance for people. People are
looking for ways to feel financially stable again and see home
ownership as a way to build equity and invest in their
future.”
The financial commitment of owning a home can be a
double-edged sword; for many women home ownership offers a sense of
financial security yet the financial responsibility can be a
headache for others. Twenty-nine per cent of women say that the
additional expenses and financial responsibility related to owning
a home are their least favourite things about home ownership.
The financial commitment of owning a home can be a
double-edged sword; for many women home ownership offers a sense of
financial security yet the financial responsibility can be a
headache for others. Twenty-nine per cent of women say that the
additional expenses and financial responsibility related to owning
a home are their least favourite things about home ownership.
In fact, getting more advice when talking to
experts and asking even more questions is something most women
surveyed wished they had considered when buying their first home.
When asked which topics they wish they knew more about when they
purchased their home, 40% of women wished they had more knowledge
about the fees and costs associated with purchasing a home, 32%
wanted more information about the expected annual expense of owning
a property and 30% wanted more information about mortgage
options.
To discuss financial options for buying, selling or
renovating a home, including things like expected costs, Canadians
can visit any TD Canada Trustbranch or
arrange to meet with its Mobile Mortgage Specialists at a time and
place that’s convenient for them. For more information
about mortgages and home equity lines of credit or TD Canada TrustMobile Mortgage Specialists,
visit
www.tdcanadatrust.com/mortgages or call 1.800.722.3098.
About the TD Canada
TrustWomen and Home Ownership Poll
The TD Canada
TrustWomen and Home Ownership Poll surveyed women 18 years
of age and older from across the country, to explore home ownership
behaviour among women. The survey was conducted by Angus Reid
Strategies with English and French speaking Canadians using the
Angus Reid Forum. The sample size includes 1,000 women who have
purchased a home independently. The answers from 361 women aged 20
to 45 were used to compare to the 2008 poll which surveyed this age
group exclusively.
About TD Bank Financial
Group
The Toronto-Dominion Bank and its subsidiaries are
collectively known as TD Bank Financial Group. TD Bank Financial
Group is the sixth largest bank in North America by branches and
serves more than 18 million customers in four key businesses
operating in a number of locations in key financial centres around
the globe: Canadian Personal and Commercial Banking, including
TD Canada Trustand TD Insurance; Wealth
Management, including TD Waterhouse and an investment in TD
Ameritrade; U.S. Personal and Commercial Banking, including TD
Bank, America's Most Convenient Bank; and Wholesale Banking,
including TD Securities. TD Bank Financial Group also ranks among
the world's leading online financial services firms, with more than
6 million online customers. TD Bank Financial Group had CDN$557
billion in assets on October 31, 2009. The Toronto-Dominion Bank
trades under the symbol "TD" on the Toronto and New
York Stock Exchanges.
For further information:
Carolyn Abbass / Jennifer Meneses
Paradigm Public Relations
416-203-2223
cabbass@paradigmpr.ca /
spresant@paradigmpr.ca
Tashlin Hirani
TD Bank Financial Group
416-982-3375
Tashlin.hirani@td.com
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