"HST" and Real Estate.  Unless Bill Vanderzalm works miracles, it looks like the HST will be kicking in July 1. 

Now I think one of the biggest misconceptions people have is that they will have to pay this 12% Tax when they buy a home.  Not true!  As with the GST, HST only applies to new construction, and again it will be scaled down depending on the price of the new construction.  As before, if you are looking for an "existing house" (or ReSale if you will), you do not have to pay HST on it.  You will have to pay the 12% (as opposed to the existing 5%) on Legal Fees etc..  And if you are a seller, you would have to pay the extra 7% on Real Estate Commissions.  For example, if commissions were say $10,000, you would have to pay an additional $700.  It will be confusing for a couple of months, but basically, as a buyer, you will not be paying any additional tax on existing homes.

I hope this makes some sense.