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欢迎讨论, 但千万别拍砖.# I# R* ?/ I" s$ N
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http://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.
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People 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.
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% V ~3 t5 |; x9 j7 Y5 f' CIn 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 G* u+ \4 G6 X4 N' E# l( Z7 Y
6 _; Z% C4 A- b g( K# [3 uWhy might it be a good time to sell?
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X9 [7 h2 V" E1 Q8 z+ k0 J8 `& fAt about $370,000 average nationally — and just under $800,000 in Vancouver — home prices are already at record levels. Many observers believe prices are long due for a downward correction of anywhere from 10 per cent to 25 per cent, perhaps more in some of the hottest markets.0 p$ u! b6 X& E |& O2 R3 m
7 _) S7 D* H/ I1 Y. l* ^"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.
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"If you are purely in it for reaping profits, now is not a bad time to sell" before prices drop.
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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.* P; D: k& y$ j9 h
3 ~: G3 z9 W9 L0 ~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." \. t- o' V* N' D- ]
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Burleton knows how they feel., E# N3 O* U; F7 q
4 v$ I9 a# C& r. | D) h"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.3 C* w% ]( g9 J4 u% T: Z
1 @- l4 Y9 u3 S: UWhile there's no guarantee of a correction, observers note there are additional signs that the housing market could cool off in a big way.9 o; s% z' M/ p) O
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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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And 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." f* j. _! g9 I7 H
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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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Meanwhile, 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./ p. q6 E6 `, o: c1 ?" D
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That is a hard indicator that homes are over-valued, but also that renting is relatively cheap compared to buying.
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David 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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"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.& w9 ~ ~0 k/ w) f' [' ]$ g6 J2 d
6 a- r. @) H N4 Z( ?"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."
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7 m: ]2 D& P6 _$ C& c( P3 YThe market is clearly at or near peak, he said, so soon may indeed be the time to act.
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# v" [6 z- ?( }+ `! S! lBut 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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