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Kitchener-Waterloo

KW realtors see highlights, red flags in Premier Wynne's housing plan

James Craig, president of the Kitchener-Waterloo Association of Realtors, hopes some of the measures announced by Premier Kathleen Wynne this week will cool the demand for housing that is coming outside the region.

Local real estate president hopeful it will ease demand for local housing from the GTA

James Craig, the president of the board of directors for the Kitchener-Waterloo Association of Realtors, hopes 16 measures announced by Premier Kathleen Wynnethis week to cool the hot housing market in southern Ontario will ease the demand for the local market.

"It's tough. What we really wanted to see is how do you get more units into the marketplace," Craig told The Morning Edition with Craig Norris on Friday.

"Increasing the amount of supply I think was key and I don't think we saw enough of it."

The local real estate association took a close look at all of the items on the list and Craig said among the highlights was to a move to make land available from municipalities to create low-income housing or other new homes.

He admits the rent control measure, which expands rent control to all private rental units including those built after 1991, caused a bit of a concern.

"Challenge with that is if you look at an apartment say at a thousand dollars a month, that's basically $25 a month increase which costs of hydro alone are likely going to exceed that," said Craig.

"To be able to keep these places maintained properly and in good condition for people to want to own them we don't think that's reasonable enough."

Listen to the interview with James Craig here: