-   Almost two in three choose houses, far above national average
    -   Main reasons to buy: not spending money on rent; good investment
    -   Main worry: financial commitment

    WINNIPEG, Feb. 29 /CNW/ - When it comes to home ownership, individual
women home buyers in Winnipeg, Regina and Saskatoon are more likely to buy a
house than women living in most other major urban areas, according to
TD Canada Trust's Women and Home Ownership Poll.
    64% of Prairie women poll respondents bought a house as their most recent
home purchase as an individual. Only 26% bought a condo; 5% a townhouse; 3% a
duplex, triplex or fourplex; and 3% other types of housing. For all of Canada,
the average choices were 34% houses, 42% condos, 13% townhouses, 6% duplex/
triplex/fourplex and 4% other types of housing.
    The findings are part of a national poll by TD Canada Trust that
portrays, on average, the individual Canadian woman homeowner as single,
financially savvy and most likely to purchase a condominium.
    "Clearly, better house prices here than the rest of Canada are giving
Prairie women homebuyers more choice when they enter the market, says
Joan Dal Bianco, Vice President, Real Estate Secured Lending. "And when they
have a choice, they are jumping right in and buying houses."
    The national poll, conducted in the first two weeks of this year by
Ipsos Reid, was among women aged 20 to 45 who have purchased a home as an
individual rather than jointly with a spouse or common law partner. Among this
group, the average age at which they purchased their first home is 29 years.
82% are single, 80% have no children and 49% have a university degree. The
vast majority (86%) still live in the last home they purchased and have made
only one home purchase as an individual (81%).
    The main motivators for individual Prairie women homebuyers are that they
no longer wanted to spend money on rent (79%) and that they thought it was a
good investment (77%). These were also the top two reasons for women across
the country.
    Seven in ten Prairie women (72%) cite affordability and financial
commitment as their main worry before making their first purchase. This is the
top worry cited by women in all regions, with Vancouver and Toronto women
being the most worried about affordability (86% each). Six in ten Prairie
women (59%) worried about assuming such responsibilities as home maintenance
and legal liabilities - but not enough to stop them from opting for a house.
    Respondents were asked what would be the main reason they would sell
their home. Half of Prairie respondents (49%) said they would do so to trade
up to a better home, 39% to gain more space and 38% if they were to get
married.
    The online survey was conducted among 713 women living in major
metropolitan areas across Canada and reflects the population of Canadian women
in these areas aged 20-45 according to 2006 Census data. The margin of error
for the national sample is +/-3.7%, 19 times out of 20.

    About TD Bank Financial Group

    The Toronto-Dominion Bank and its subsidiaries are collectively known as
TD Bank Financial Group. TD Bank Financial Group serves more than 14 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; Wealth Management, including TD Waterhouse and an
investment in TD Ameritrade; U.S. Personal and Commercial Banking through
TD Banknorth; and Wholesale Banking, including TD Securities. TD Bank
Financial Group also ranks among the world's leading on-line financial
services firms, with more than 4.5 million on-line customers. TD Bank
Financial Group had CDN$435 billion in assets, as of January 31, 2008. The
Toronto-Dominion Bank trades on the Toronto and New York Stock Exchanges under
the symbol "TD", as well as on the Tokyo Stock Exchange.

For further information: Kelly Hechler, Media Relations, Corporate and
Public Affairs, TD Bank Financial Group, (416) 982-2469