 鲜花( 2)  鸡蛋( 0)
|
记者的观察
The realities of real estate& y" R: ~( g4 R& y- ~ N* i6 T
/ T4 j6 y. j* u+ \6 i4 f/ E" S8 `Published: Friday, October 06, 2006 2 c* y( n( ^9 @+ P% O, s( N' }1 g
EDMONTON - With her toolbox in hand and overalls on, newcomer Lisa Laas feels she can conquer the plumbing world in Edmonton.
2 q5 I/ W, m3 u# Q5 q3 ~3 p ]9 J4 F R z ?
The 29-year-old plumber from Vancouver had no problem finding work in Edmonton with trades people high in demand in Alberta., S# p9 a* F, ~/ M, C9 q% @1 V
% u( K- Z9 ]0 C: h7 Z5 h0 vShe 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.
9 ]5 K& O4 {) r/ c6 Y0 G% J" l( X9 s+ ]$ j$ ~3 a
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.
1 c$ s3 D% E: v; h
/ F' S* \% @9 O' I4 {& Q"It absolutely scared me," she says. "I moved here for a house, and all of a sudden a townhouse went from $105,000 to $155,000 and I'm going, 'Oh my gosh. I have to buy really quick.' I've seen it in Vancouver and now I'm starting to see it here and it's frustrating."( b) z- d/ z$ {+ ]0 r
+ X0 `9 N+ }+ {* VLaas 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.
$ F( d# N- P G
" \& G+ K9 ^: QBut she has lost out on four places since beginning her search for a house.
9 c* R; B# v! {& { E# }+ ~
, u/ h9 I$ U/ g# z$ g5 f/ l: m6 JShe's been outbidded, "out-offered" and "outconditioned."
4 h6 d+ H9 ], O& s9 V6 C' v, n3 `/ ~/ q5 Z7 [6 u
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.
" j0 u8 @7 y$ t* V- d
2 M. r6 F/ C6 P0 u3 zLaas 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.) |0 k1 ]; ?0 ~# j9 U
2 G2 O# e! [( ?0 `( u9 F, [
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., c2 ]4 `+ w# e2 j7 N
1 N J) w+ ], Y1 ^6 g! n6 _' ]
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.6 ]0 x K9 ?, L7 W ]3 ]! a
1 X A% u. k. E/ K- u6 P/ `9 IBack in April, she started looking for a home, something in the $170,000 range. "I would like to have a half duplex even, but with the prices and with my status, I know that's not realistic," she says.
1 W2 r, k" Q( o8 C
! \1 \+ }8 y2 T1 B6 T8 ?So Daly has been checking out townhouses, but even that has been difficult for her.) q+ }1 [: `0 }! M
& S0 H" T' a) }9 X8 D- y# Y3 ?, q"The places, when they come up, if they're at a decent price, they're gone really quickly," she says, "so it's a matter of timing."- w+ w# u; I, h0 z P
' q' S% @: i1 N) VTime has not been her friend. Every month the prices of homes in Edmonton climb higher." m! [, N$ S8 @$ @5 b" b" U+ b/ ]
0 ]$ j. I- S6 t! S
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 $175,922.( ~2 }" u. b1 ]& J- ~% X! ~
2 g7 a! Z. ^7 ?. Y2 {! a5 \
The president of the Edmonton Real Estate Board, Madeline Sarafinchan, says the hot market is tough for first-time homeowners and single people.# @8 ~1 c$ }6 p: x
H# h9 t; W" g5 I* l) B
"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."
2 g% r% z+ q4 s% H; B
( T0 g( L% a1 ~- pThat 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. |
|