TORONTO,
            November 18, 2008 –  Falling house prices are giving
            first-time homebuyers a reason to celebrate. And BMO Bank of Montreal
            is helping remove the complexity that comes with making the biggest
            purchase of their life with a new home-buyer's ‘kit' specifically
            for the first-time buyer.
      Based on talks with prospective and recent home purchasers, the BMO
        First Home Essentials kit was created as a step-by-step guide for entering
        the real estate market. The kit includes helpful tips, worksheets to
        calculate various home purchasing scenarios, access to an online planning
        tool and more than $1,800 in special offers.
      “Your home is the largest investment you'll ever make and
        we understand that buying your first place, while exciting, can also
        be a stressful and confusing experience, even in the best of markets,” said
        Lynne Kilpatrick, Senior Vice President, BMO Bank of Montreal. “When
        combined with the expertise of your home buying team including your realtor
        and lawyer, the First Home Essentials guide is a great first step in
      shopping for your home with confidence.” 
      In addition to the guide, the BMO First
            Home Essentials package offers
        BMO mortgage customers more than $1,800 in special discounts including:
      
        - Free banking
            for five years when a 5-year fixed rate closed term is booked on
            mortgage or
            Homeowner ReadiLine (HRLC)
 
        -  Up to $1,000 cash back 
 
        -  Refund of the cost of the BMO First
              Home Essentials package when a mortgage
                or HRLC is booked
 
        -  Collect up to 20 per cent more AIR MILES each month on purchases made
                  with a BMO debit card and BMO Mosaik MasterCard
 
      
      
       With the shift from
          a seller's to a buyer's market, questions
        about interest rates, affordability and associated costs, many first-time
        buyers can feel overwhelmed. To help prepare for the traditionally busy
        spring house hunting season, savvy first-time buyers are starting their
        search today. 
      “One of the biggest challenges for any first-time buyer is trying
        to make sense of it all,” adds Kilpatrick. “There's
        an abundance of information and confusing data leaving prospective buyers
        uncertain about where to begin. With our First Home Essentials kit we've
        done the heavy lifting for you and packaged it in a way that makes it
        the ideal house hunting companion.”
      The BMO Home Essentials kit retails for $24.95 and can be ordered at
      www.bmo.com/firsthome or by calling 1-866-240-9920.
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