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Home sales in Ottawa are running 5.5 per cent ahead of last year's pace, and are likely to exceed the threshold of 13,000 by year's end. The Ottawa Real Estate Board says its members sold 1,092 homes in September, compared with 1,078 in September 2005. "We are on track to surpass 13,000 sales this year," says board president Ron Levine. "Ottawa's housing market is still growing, though it is a more controlled growth now than it has been in the past several years. Interest rates are still low, and many buyers are taking advantage of the diverse housing choices available to them. So far this year, board members have sold 11,226 homes, compared to 10,638 in the same period a year ago. Average home prices continue to increase. The board says the average price of the homes sold in September through its MLS system was $255,026, an increase of 6.5 per cent over the same month a year ago.
The Drury Hotel chain on Friday sued the developer and general contractor of a downtown Marriott Courtyard hotel, saying the construction site has become a hazard to Drury guests and property. During a news conference at the 150-room Drury Inn & Suites Riverwalk at 207 N. St. Mary's St., Drury spokesman T.J. Connolly showed pictures of a black tarp shielding the construction site floating in the wind over the adjacent Drury's driveway. He alleged that bricks and cement have fallen on the Drury driveway where guests exit, which creates a hazard. The lawsuit by Auburn Investments, a subsidiary of Drury, claims defendants Lyda Swinerton Builders Inc. and NSHE TX Gainesville LLC — developers of the hotel — have trespassed on Drury property with falling debris and construction equipment.
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