Toronto Homeowners See Kitchen (52%) and Bathroom (15%) Upgrades as Those Most Likely to Improve Home Value

Toronto, ON - A new survey of Toronto homeowners conducted by Ipsos Reid on behalf of the City of Toronto reveals the top upgrades city residents believe would improve the value of their homes.

Rising to the top of the list is updating the kitchen (52%), followed by updating the bathroom (15%), and installing a new roof (7%) or furnace (7%) to round out the top three. Other value-improving upgrades include putting in new gutters and drainage systems (5%), updating the basement (3%), upgrading floors (2%) or paint (2%), or some other type of upgrade (2%).

Protecting home's from basement flooding should be on the minds of all homeowners who occupy residencies that have them, although the data reveal that homeowners might be less pro-active than they should be about this type of prevention.

Half (47%) of Toronto homeowners say they've done nothing to help prevent basement flooding in their home, with the most mentioned protections coming from extending or re-directing downspouts away from the home (8%), adjusting the grade of the land away from the house (7%), and weather/waterproofing walls and foundation (7%).

A main reason that many have done nothing towards basement flood prevention is due to the lack of knowledge surrounding pipes and drainage systems in the home. Only one-third (32%) know a lot about the condition of their pipes and drainage system of their homes, compared to majorities who know a lot about the condition of their furnace (60%) or their roof (57%). In contrast, a majority know a little (46%) or nothing (22%) about the condition of their pipes and drainage systems, while only minorities say they know a little (33% - furnace, 36% roof) or nothing (7% -furnace, 7% roof) about the condition of their furnace or roof.

Another reason for inactivity could be the decrease in concern for basement flooding. Two in five (39%) homeowners are `concerned' (11% very/28% somewhat) about basement flooding in 2014, which is down from half (48%) who were `concerned' (29% very/19% somewhat) about this in 2011. Six in ten (61%) are `not concerned' (22% not at all/39% only a little) about basement flooding this year.

These are some of the findings of an Ipsos Reid poll conducted between April 16th and 24th, 2014 on behalf of The City of Toronto. For this survey, a sample of 500 City of Toronto homeowners from Ipsos' Canadian online panel was interviewed online. The precision of Ipsos online polls is measured using a credibility interval. In this case, the poll is accurate to within +/- 5.0 percentage points had all Toronto homeowners been polled. All sample surveys and polls may be subject to other sources of error, including, but not limited to coverage error, and measurement error.

For more information on this news release, please contact:

Sean Simpson
Vice President
Ipsos Reid
Public Affairs
(416) 572-4474
[email protected]

About Ipsos Reid

Ipsos Reid is Canada's market intelligence leader, the country's leading provider of public opinion research, and research partner for loyalty and forecasting and modelling insights. With operations in eight cities, Ipsos Reid employs more than 600 research professionals and support staff in Canada. The company has the biggest network of telephone call centres in the country, as well as the largest pre-recruited household and online panels. Ipsos Reid's marketing research and public affairs practices offer the premier suite of research vehicles in Canada, all of which provide clients with actionable and relevant information. Staffed with seasoned research consultants with extensive industry-specific backgrounds, Ipsos Reid offers syndicated information or custom solutions across key sectors of the Canadian economy, including consumer packaged goods, financial services, automotive, retail, and technology & telecommunications. Ipsos Reid is an Ipsos company, a leading global survey-based market research group.

To learn more, please visit www.ipsos.ca.

About Ipsos

Ipsos is an independent market research company controlled and managed by research professionals. Founded in France in 1975, Ipsos has grown into a worldwide research group with a strong presence in all key markets. Ipsos ranks third in the global research industry.

With offices in 86 countries, Ipsos delivers insightful expertise across six research specializations: advertising, customer loyalty, marketing, media, public affairs research, and survey management.

Ipsos researchers assess market potential and interpret market trends. They develop and build brands. They help clients build long-term relationships with their customers. They test advertising and study audience responses to various media and they measure public opinion around the globe.

Ipsos has been listed on the Paris Stock Exchange since 1999 and generated global revenues of e1,712,4 million (2 274 M$) in 2013.

Visit www.ipsos.com to learn more about Ipsos' offerings and capabilities.