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欢迎讨论, 但千万别拍砖.
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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.9 v4 ?4 X: i% |" D# M9 w
2 x( a2 k2 H+ E( YPeople 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.6 ?9 m0 P3 _: K0 L+ f( r
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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 Z. q; T4 J3 s) m# q6 L. c7 W
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Why might it be a good time to sell?
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- |2 J! ] u* @" e3 R- oAt about $370,000 average nationally — and just under $800,000 in Vancouver — home prices are already at record levels. Many observers believe prices are long due for a downward correction of anywhere from 10 per cent to 25 per cent, perhaps more in some of the hottest markets.; d& n$ B- V: R& B; i
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"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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5 [% z* Q5 u5 T: H( j"If you are purely in it for reaping profits, now is not a bad time to sell" before prices drop.& i) z: g, s5 p) Y/ l; m2 t
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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.
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]7 c) G3 Q4 X' J* m- ~) I5 b4 SOf 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.
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Burleton knows how they feel./ @+ F6 i# c; D" ]. }. `) s5 V( s) P# E
: o) V, {9 n1 `"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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( d( ^3 @' Z9 B3 jWhile 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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1 x1 ]3 e8 h2 T6 V, W. tWith 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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% l7 [' y. h* zIn 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.+ D: y2 r; L5 [1 d" Y1 G
( s1 O& N& e, j/ j! uMeanwhile, 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.- _5 _! [/ T3 P& M
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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./ P q5 f+ q/ Y2 k6 K8 v) _4 \' t
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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.
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8 t) t. C t: V"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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, _" d) [ }# j4 GThe market is clearly at or near peak, he said, so soon may indeed be the time to act.
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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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