DEVELOPMENT SERVICES COMMITTEE

 

 

 

 

 

TO:

Mayor and Members of Council

 

 

 

 

FROM:

Jim Baird, Commissioner of Development Services

Valerie Shuttleworth, Director of Planning & Urban Design

 

 

 

 

PREPARED BY:

Geoff McKnight, Manager - Strategy & Innovation

 

 

 

 

DATE OF MEETING:

2004-May-18

 

 

 

 

SUBJECT:

Town of Markham New Home Buyers' Guide

 

 

 

 

RECOMMENDATION:

 

  1. That the Development Services Commission report dated May 18, 2004, entitled “Town of Markham New Home Buyers' Guide”,  be received, and;

 

  1. That the new publication “Town of Markham New Home Buyers’ Guide” be endorsed and made available to the general public, and;

 

  1. That standard conditions of draft plan approval be revised to include a provision requiring that residential sales offices provide the guide to their clientele, with printing costs covered by developers/home builders, and;

 

  1. That similar clauses be added to subdivision, sales trailer and model home agreements to ensure effective distribution of the New Home Buyers’ Guide.

 

PURPOSE:

The purpose of this report is to gain Council’s endorsement of a new informational tool to aid prospective new home purchasers – the “Town of Markham New Home Buyers’ Guide”.

 

BACKGROUND:

Purchasing a new house is often a daunting task, particularly when it is one’s first home.  The angst-filled process generates a myriad of questions typically related to the future of a new neighbourhood – school and park locations, proximity to shopping facilities, transit routes, etc.  Providing answers to these questions can help prospective home buyers have greater confidence in the selection of their new home.

 

 

Traditionally, planning staff have responded to these types of inquiries over the phone or at the front counter.  Given the volume of inquiries and the standardized nature of the questions, it has been recognized over the past few years that there would be great value in producing a document that could address the questions of new home buyers.  This interest has led to the production of the “Town of Markham New Home Buyers’ Guide” (provided under separate cover).

 

New Home Buyers’ Guide to be available via the internet

The buyers’ guide consists of an introductory section, followed by overviews of each of Markham’s new communities, and concludes with an FAQ section addressing the typical questions of new home buyers.  The guide provides many web links and phone numbers for people requiring more detailed information.

 

The guide has been prepared with the intent of posting it to the town’s website.  This facilitates easy access to a broad audience and allows for immediate updates of the document.  In fact, the guide should be considered “live”, as it will be constantly updated to add new FAQs, reflect the status of existing communities, and the introduction of new neighbourhoods.

 

To promote the distribution of the document, staff will be adjusting standard conditions of draft plan approval to require that all residential sales offices display a sign advising people of the town’s website and home buyers’ guide.  Clauses will also be added to subdivision, sales trailer and model home agreements to ensure that new home sales centres provide their clientel with copies of the new home buyers’ guide.  The clauses will state that reproduction costs of the guide will be covered by the builder/homebuilder.

 

Markham New Home Buyers’ Guide is somewhat unique in GTA

An informal poll of GTA municipalities was conducted to determine what approaches have been taken to assist new home buyers.  Of those municipalities who responded, most provide home buyers’ guides, but their content and currency appear to vary considerably.  It is clear that the new Markham guide is among the more comprehensive productions.

 

Staff also inquired as to what extent municipalities become involved in homeowner/builder disputes.  Responses indicate that no formal assistance or facilitation services are offered by the municipalities polled.  However, dispute resolution services are available through the provincial new home warranty program, now known as the “Tarion Warranty Program”.

 

FINANCIAL CONSIDERATIONS:

It is not staffs’ intention to charge members of the public for copies of the home buyers’ guide; rather, we will encourage people to access the document via the town’s website in order to minimize reproduction costs.  If there is significant public demand for printed copies, it may be necessary to seek an increase in the department’s external printing budget in 2005.

 

As mentioned previously, staff recommend that developers/builders pay for the copies of the guide that they will be required to provide at their sales offices.

 

 

 

 

ENVIRONMENTAL CONSIDERATIONS:

n/a

 

ACCESSIBILITY CONSIDERATIONS:

n/a

 

ENGAGE 21ST CONSIDERATIONS:

The Town of Markham New Home Buyers’ Guide should be viewed as an improved level of service to existing and future members of the community, as well as a promotional tool for marketing the significant attributes of new Markham communities.

 

BUSINESS UNITS CONSULTED AND AFFECTED:

The home buyers’ guide was developed through the efforts of planning, urban design, engineering, and corporate communications staff. 

 

ATTACHMENTS:

1.  Town of Markham New Home Buyers’ Guide

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Valerie Shuttleworth, M.C.I.P., R.P.P.

Director of Planning & Urban Design

 

Jim Baird, M.C.I.P., R.P.P.

Commissioner of Development Services