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欢迎讨论, 但千万别拍砖.
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; A% G/ |4 t4 Vhttp://www.globalnews.ca/money/w ... 42638608/story.html
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: I& ~% i+ s0 v4 R& wOTTAWA - 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.0 t# w( A7 b1 y& Z
' F) |3 v4 C- h' r: W1 c1 n$ B: B M! ZPeople 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." n& [+ v {/ y( y. `
+ x, o, c. [0 W* C# L; LIn 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.
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3 U3 ~$ U) c6 y* y9 z0 o5 [8 AWhy might it be a good time to sell?
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At about $370,000 average nationally — and just under $800,000 in Vancouver — home prices are already at record levels. Many observers believe prices are long due for a downward correction of anywhere from 10 per cent to 25 per cent, perhaps more in some of the hottest markets.$ f- S; t7 P) O0 |% u3 w
! |# T( J) n! |6 x% w" s' m1 e"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.! y. U5 i9 a' B Q! r2 D8 R
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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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: M) v1 Z# p4 A# @) bThe 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.3 J7 k4 r0 E: n: h' `
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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." f3 `8 ]6 H' N! J! Z, U! p* s7 g1 X
' A" r4 T& Y$ y3 N1 H2 e/ WBurleton knows how they feel.
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"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.
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While there's no guarantee of a correction, observers note there are additional signs that the housing market could cool off in a big way.! W1 K U% V9 m1 X
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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.
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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.( c0 X! V7 \+ u( V2 d
4 y0 |! n& M$ M; ~ a; }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.9 `5 f9 Q1 S0 M" }
# w1 T1 \- ?9 v; x+ oThat is a hard indicator that homes are over-valued, but also that renting is relatively cheap compared to buying.6 F, D$ _+ Q1 C9 h6 a. L9 ~
4 L3 u! t$ a8 H4 \" t4 M6 ?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.- b) J- I! _3 |2 ?5 s7 h3 ?, M
" A8 K+ d6 C% V& T- m"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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The market is clearly at or near peak, he said, so soon may indeed be the time to act.4 v1 @+ S6 Y. k' U
: e% B( z! C! ^* i& ^( W5 @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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