Newly-built condos in the Greater Toronto Area continued to be a difficult sell in September, with a 44 per cent drop in sales compared to the same month a year ago.

The Ford government will waive its portion of the sales tax on new homes for first-time buyers up to the value of $1 million as it bids to stimulate slumping home sales and housing starts in Ontario.

Policy-makers in Washington and Ottawa will take the spotlight in the coming week, with interest-rate cuts in those two capitals likely while the rest of the Group of Seven stays on hold.