What do Canadian women want? Financial security, outdoor space and privacy

- What don't they want? The hassle of cutting the lawn or shoveling the driveway! - TD Canada Trust Women and Home Ownership Poll reveals the attitudes of women who have purchased their own home TORONTO, March 4 /CNW/ - Financial security, a backyard or garden and a quiet and private space to themselves. Women who have purchased a home say these are the top three best things about home ownership, according to the TD Canada Trust Women and Home Ownership Poll. Forty-three per cent of women say financial security is the best thing about home ownership, followed by having a backyard or garden (35%) and having a quiet, private space to themselves (34%). The TD Canada Trust Women and Home Ownership Poll, which reveals behaviours and attitudes of Canadian women who have independently purchased a home, shows that the most important factor impacting the decision to buy is cost (98%), with neighbourhood and location (97%) and security and safety (96%) close behind. Surprisingly, proximity to work (72%) and to family (65%) are lower on the list of factors impacting home purchase. "The 2009 poll results show that women continue to see a home as an important part of their financial security," says Joan Dal Bianco, Vice President, Real Estate Secured Lending, TD Canada Trust. "And since the poll shows that cost is the number one deciding factor, the lower housing prices and attractive mortgage rates we are experiencing mean this is a great time for women who have been planning to purchase a home to get into the market." What do women like least about home ownership? Forty-three per cent say the cost of maintenance and repairs and 42% say the actual maintenance is a nuisance. Third on the list of dislikes are yard work and snow removal (28%) which is very similar to last year's poll results. Two-thirds (66%) of Canadian women polled purchased their first home more than 10 years ago and 41% of the women surveyed are still living in their first home. Canadian women of all ages purchase homes independently, with 37% of women purchasing their first home on their own between the ages of 18 to 29, 30% between 30 to 39 and 33% over 40 or over. When asked if their first home was a house, townhouse, condo, duplex/triplex/fourplex, or other, houses (67%) were the most popular type of home purchased. Condominiums (14%) and townhouses (9%) were the second and third most popular. When asked if they would be more or less likely to buy a home now due to the current economy, the majority of women (64%) said that the economy had no impact on their decision to either not buy or buy a home right now while 26% of women said they would be less likely and 10% said more likely to buy a home now due to the current economy. Other TD Canada Trust Women and Home Ownership Poll findings: - Sixty-six per cent of Canadian women polled purchased their home more than 10 years ago. This was similar across the country with 71% of Atlantic Canadians, 70% of Quebecers, 66% of Ontarians and 61% of Western Canadians purchasing their home more than 10 years ago - Sixty-seven per cent of Canadian women were most likely to have purchased a house over a condo, duplex, townhouse or other. This number was 80% in Atlantic Canada, 61% in Quebec, 70% in Ontario and 65% in Western Canada - More than three-quarters of Quebecers (78%) say that their commute to work was an important factor in their decision to purchase a specific home compared to 67% of those in Western Canada, 70% in Atlantic Canada and 73% in Ontario (versus 72% nationally) To discuss financial options for buying, selling or renovating a home, Canadians can visit any TD Canada Trust branch or arrange to meet one of our 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 Trust Mobile Mortgage Specialists, visit www.tdcanadatrust.com/mortgages or call 1.800.722.3098. About the TD Canada Trust Women and Home Ownership Poll The TD Canada Trust Women 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 from February 4 - 10, 2009 with English and French speaking Canadians using the Angus Reid Forum. The sample size includes 1,000 women who have purchased a home independently. 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 approximately 17 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 Trust and TD Insurance; Wealth Management, including TD Waterhouse and an investment in TD Ameritrade; U.S. Personal and Commercial Banking through TD Banknorth and 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 5.5 million online customers. TD Bank Financial Group had CDN$585 billion in assets on January 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/jmeneses@paradigmpr.ca; Tashlin Hirani, TD Canada Trust, (416) 982-3375, Tashlin.hirani@td.com

What do Canadian women want? Financial security, outdoor space and privacy

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