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记者的观察
The realities of real estate
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Published: Friday, October 06, 2006
3 G# j# G' B" qEDMONTON - With her toolbox in hand and overalls on, newcomer Lisa Laas feels she can conquer the plumbing world in Edmonton.
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: l+ t! g! Z/ U a5 { }* `' zThe 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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6 y6 q- h' N+ F8 g9 V$ yShe 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.; L7 k% r" }9 k7 L6 l4 L
" ]2 ]6 m2 t$ m e6 kBut 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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"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."
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8 n/ F2 ]" x! O3 b+ ~Laas started looking in February. She had hoped to buy a house for $160,000, but soon realized she had to change her plans. A townhouse would have to do.
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: k5 W' f6 Z9 R6 i$ D& NBut she has lost out on four places since beginning her search for a house.
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6 r" G5 f6 f+ h" b+ K# JShe'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.
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Laas 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.
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- P6 }( _+ B# i, t hForty-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.8 ?+ D' {: K! h- y2 A8 M* O
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She 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.& T7 M9 M9 m8 ~/ u2 e/ s$ y$ F
% N% m3 M2 K& [7 J% R3 g+ @9 HBack in April, she started looking for a home, something in the $170,000 range. "I would like to have a half duplex even, but with the prices and with my status, I know that's not realistic," she says.
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9 c3 E- s. s' P& P0 K$ T) A" cSo Daly has been checking out townhouses, but even that has been difficult for her. F. E6 E/ w& C ?* H7 L
& J( ]" e& P, W8 s9 }/ V, Q1 e"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."
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# b8 l6 R' U7 }2 K1 [Time 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.
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' C' n# b; e" e; M# V, e- lThe president of the Edmonton Real Estate Board, Madeline Sarafinchan, says the hot market is tough for first-time homeowners and single people.
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"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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