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欢迎讨论, 但千万别拍砖.4 Q0 v Q# h/ P! g; ]8 v3 d& v
- p {( N, f, V2 l7 f/ }http://www.globalnews.ca/money/w ... 42638608/story.html
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) [# c; K( a4 m% o, ROTTAWA - 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.3 W* x9 g J T$ }5 l0 }4 }5 n6 g3 Y5 N
+ A" l: j* ~2 M [# EPeople 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.7 K9 L! r; N" F: `3 z6 `
0 I6 q2 A. ~: 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.! |9 q% r9 b3 m
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Why might it be a good time to sell?% I+ B# { g: {4 l; f& d: t' {
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At about $370,000 average nationally — and just under $800,000 in Vancouver — home prices are already at record levels. Many observers believe prices are long due for a downward correction of anywhere from 10 per cent to 25 per cent, perhaps more in some of the hottest markets.& N1 o( }3 ]5 f- n4 J1 h
/ q1 T* l: s0 e, F1 ]/ i"Home prices to income, housing price to rent, all the indicators are setting off warning signals," said Derek Burleton, a senior economist with TD Bank.
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"If you are purely in it for reaping profits, now is not a bad time to sell" before prices drop.
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9 a, y% _4 Q; @The profits from selling a home can be used to build savings, eliminate debt, make traditional investments or, ironically, buy more real estate — albeit in a different market where home prices are lower./ Z$ e. Z B6 `
2 \8 S# X1 R1 [, |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.
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Burleton knows how they feel.) R, F" e, _. e1 }
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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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5 N- L) ~4 A2 B% A9 }& o tWhile 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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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.+ z2 m2 _* a" D0 I) f
4 o# C3 m; q7 B$ W4 R* }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.; i7 d* D* e# N- M' }
- ]! ?6 B4 t3 j! P# sIn 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.) q3 m6 I$ n- J6 Z
- r. ]0 X8 V$ h" k# r aMeanwhile, 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.
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That is a hard indicator that homes are over-valued, but also that renting is relatively cheap compared to buying.; u4 X! X3 z# n2 W1 U9 |
: X9 N7 V+ ]3 ]$ FDavid 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.3 U6 F; J4 i# ^0 h
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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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: |2 x& Z: P8 p3 _"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."$ n1 ^$ ]# Q% v, s; L
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The 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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