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记者的观察
The realities of real estate4 x0 |7 x3 u: s2 _' U
) F Q+ ] e' i! |& O: JPublished: Friday, October 06, 2006
O) C2 o; A3 q$ P8 ^8 dEDMONTON - With her toolbox in hand and overalls on, newcomer Lisa Laas feels she can conquer the plumbing world in Edmonton.
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0 F/ d7 r: q( r, h, l: aThe 29-year-old plumber from Vancouver had no problem finding work in Edmonton with trades people high in demand in Alberta.
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She moved here in December with dreams of being a homeowner, something she could never afford in Vancouver despite four years of saving her money for a down payment.
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But she didn't expect Edmonton's world of hot housing where the law of successful buying seems to consist of three elements: speed, cash and no conditions.
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2 D& T6 ~) F$ q' L' H G' P' l"It absolutely scared me," she says. "I moved here for a house, and all of a sudden a townhouse went from $105,000 to $155,000 and I'm going, 'Oh my gosh. I have to buy really quick.' I've seen it in Vancouver and now I'm starting to see it here and it's frustrating."+ x5 }4 f6 W. E# S# i
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Laas started looking in February. She had hoped to buy a house for $160,000, but soon realized she had to change her plans. A townhouse would have to do.
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But she has lost out on four places since beginning her search for a house.
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She's been outbidded, "out-offered" and "outconditioned."
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One house, the one she really wanted in the northwest neighbourhood of Calder, went on the market at 4 p.m. and had multiple offers by 6 p.m. so Laas walked away. In two other instances, other buyers had fewer conditions on their bid to purchase a townhouse, so her offer was dismissed./ K; W) T$ |. U' T! z7 ?" e
1 o# Y A) V% E! a. e+ g! ELaas says she was in tears because of the experience. She has given up working with a real estate agent to look for a home. She says she's backed off the whole thing, but she keeps her eye open every now and then.) s5 t0 i! a2 S, a6 E" Q0 g5 {
1 ], T0 F( [% W! |Forty-five-year-old Cheryl Daly is also having a tough time finding an affordable home for her 12-year-old son and a 16-year-old daughter.- _% L" q0 S6 c' v- C" i. D
2 P, Y9 |) M* iShe left a 23-marriage and a 1,700-square-foot home last year. She works as an administrator and now rents a three-bedroom townhouse.
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Back in April, she started looking for a home, something in the $170,000 range. "I would like to have a half duplex even, but with the prices and with my status, I know that's not realistic," she says.
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) i6 c5 m5 G/ v$ |% C2 a) KSo Daly has been checking out townhouses, but even that has been difficult for her.) C0 D% c' I1 i" P) B) g
! ^; x% h+ d9 |# T6 w8 g3 |; U: n"The places, when they come up, if they're at a decent price, they're gone really quickly," she says, "so it's a matter of timing."* y# d7 J# T, p% a9 K, E
$ X- o! Q& D' ~( B, b8 GTime has not been her friend. Every month the prices of homes in Edmonton climb higher.
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An average single dwelling unit in Edmonton sold for $316, 480 in August this year. An average townhouse, which includes the price of duplexes, sold for $262,327 in the same month. Last year in August an average townhouse sold for $175,922.; |! X' y5 u) M% U* l
% |! P- m d, d$ k8 M. |The president of the Edmonton Real Estate Board, Madeline Sarafinchan, says the hot market is tough for first-time homeowners and single people.9 [+ b! l0 @9 O
1 l J" m- J5 a, _; a# W"It's definitely making people think about what their options are," Sarafinchan says. "They're having to look at things that maybe are not as what they would have termed as desirable."
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That may mean sellers are not as open to "conditions" on offers as they used to be -- such as a house inspection before the deal is finalized. |
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