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欢迎讨论, 但千万别拍砖.3 ?1 A3 L& k3 ]. W8 X: g! D" A
5 J, f8 a2 ?% rhttp://www.globalnews.ca/money/w ... 42638608/story.html
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OTTAWA - For most Canadians their home is the biggest investment they'll ever make — but they might be surprised to learn you can use if for more than just sleeping.+ O, K' z) g; |3 f
6 |2 h) b& b& L! V* n1 Z! t2 APeople generally don't think of their homes as a potential pile of cash in the bank, but experts say it's something worth pondering now that home prices in Canada may have hit their peak., h9 K: L* V- L2 R3 O \
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In fact, analysts say if finance is the only consideration, conditions now and into next year or so form a seldom seen sweet spot for using home equity as a type of asset for investment.0 q6 B! M" }0 |3 |: J/ G L: p$ B
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Why might it be a good time to sell?) h8 C0 x6 b5 V* S3 b9 ?, B) C
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At about $370,000 average nationally — and just under $800,000 in Vancouver — home prices are already at record levels. Many observers believe prices are long due for a downward correction of anywhere from 10 per cent to 25 per cent, perhaps more in some of the hottest markets.0 J0 y' A' E) \; T9 K8 a& U
# _( Q g ]- H# p"Home prices to income, housing price to rent, all the indicators are setting off warning signals," said Derek Burleton, a senior economist with TD Bank.9 w; f4 q9 n" A8 `/ y
: J: |0 C( P7 u* `: c w$ ^"If you are purely in it for reaping profits, now is not a bad time to sell" before prices drop.
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4 e4 A/ p3 m8 z: _) V, \The profits from selling a home can be used to build savings, eliminate debt, make traditional investments or, ironically, buy more real estate — albeit in a different market where home prices are lower.5 F# J* g, N9 j8 v& n
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Of course, even if it makes sense financially, selling the family home to rent or move to a less expensive housing market doesn't make lifestyle sense for the vast majority of Canadians./ x( ]6 |" R# O( ~; N5 V/ g
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Burleton knows how they feel.
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; |7 _/ ^. J: s" [- o"I wouldn't want to sell my home right now even if I wind up taking a hit on the home price, just because I enjoy where I'm living and moving is a pain," he said.% l% ~: X* }. k8 @
# {; b5 X! D7 {6 K ^' Q% dWhile there's no guarantee of a correction, observers note there are additional signs that the housing market could cool off in a big way.
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0 ~3 T, n; j3 p; }With ownership levels near a record 70 per cent, demand is expected to wane, making it a buyers market for the first time in years.
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9 z/ E( B' t) N4 m' R% XAnd Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney warned last month he was preparing to hike rates, which along with tighter lending rules being applied by federal authorities could trigger a flight from real estate.
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0 s* h. k6 l7 q& d: n( ^: X9 _ @In market terms, selling a home at the peak is a way of "locking in" profits accumulated over the past decade of price appreciation — and tax free if it's the principal home.
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% D( Z# Q& y6 v. O* ZMeanwhile, home valuations have been rising far faster than the rent they would fetch since at least 2000. Canada's home price-to-rent ratio is well above historic norms and among the highest in the advanced world.+ m) Y% h& @% n! h9 i% |& j
0 A) T+ M* \0 d" ~$ N& j; UThat is a hard indicator that homes are over-valued, but also that renting is relatively cheap compared to buying.
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$ n) S( s; l: E5 e7 `6 J* W: Q0 TDavid Madani of Capital Economics, who anticipates a 25 per cent price crash over the next few years, cautions that like selling stock shares, timing is always tricky.
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6 D- K% E7 ?) J7 h( P# t9 u"We're dealing with irrational exuberance. We've been treating housing like some magical financial asset that is going to solve all our problems because prices are always going up," he said.
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, J$ g! q- j3 X' @* w"Of course, when the turn comes, the over-confidence that drove the market up can turn to fear. You are dealing with emotion ... so I don't believe in a soft landing."8 w7 ` q+ B% d; t, O5 N
( K3 e; B, ?/ ]8 O rThe market is clearly at or near peak, he said, so soon may indeed be the time to act.
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# g1 L* ?& S3 Y5 z# V ]1 [0 v7 ]But then again he felt that way a year ago, he points out, and if households had acted on his advice they might not have gotten all the value they could from the premature sale. |
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