 鲜花( 2)  鸡蛋( 0)
|
记者的观察
The realities of real estate8 V" u, |- b6 ?4 r) h) R
8 ~, X, P' a& k+ r0 Z; p
Published: Friday, October 06, 2006 ; t3 t! X5 w! I2 W1 Z
EDMONTON - With her toolbox in hand and overalls on, newcomer Lisa Laas feels she can conquer the plumbing world in Edmonton.3 `: Z/ p- `' M) Q4 s6 L
- z8 s+ N6 E! S! R# DThe 29-year-old plumber from Vancouver had no problem finding work in Edmonton with trades people high in demand in Alberta.! s: d: q4 t6 h! [0 w6 T1 A
% [ ?! s1 R# R4 z L6 dShe moved here in December with dreams of being a homeowner, something she could never afford in Vancouver despite four years of saving her money for a down payment.
5 e0 T j, m! i( u3 p- ^0 f% Z4 B3 S
But she didn't expect Edmonton's world of hot housing where the law of successful buying seems to consist of three elements: speed, cash and no conditions.$ I/ y$ M. X0 Z6 Z+ z- V& I) y/ V
@5 _- \* z: h4 |) s, k# e0 l
"It absolutely scared me," she says. "I moved here for a house, and all of a sudden a townhouse went from $105,000 to $155,000 and I'm going, 'Oh my gosh. I have to buy really quick.' I've seen it in Vancouver and now I'm starting to see it here and it's frustrating."! v4 K& V& d! c1 _9 j
- Z; C/ H- v9 r5 b" v! n/ V. ULaas started looking in February. She had hoped to buy a house for $160,000, but soon realized she had to change her plans. A townhouse would have to do.
( r' `3 A3 ?3 }: b$ z1 h$ L' r3 G4 X; |& R
But she has lost out on four places since beginning her search for a house.3 I7 G m8 s" k2 m+ o% t
5 x0 P( H+ p% Q' v3 I
She's been outbidded, "out-offered" and "outconditioned.", u0 J4 s4 B7 X! `
# x J8 ?6 @( q4 K0 ROne house, the one she really wanted in the northwest neighbourhood of Calder, went on the market at 4 p.m. and had multiple offers by 6 p.m. so Laas walked away. In two other instances, other buyers had fewer conditions on their bid to purchase a townhouse, so her offer was dismissed.
$ n0 Z" d1 o# ]/ x* C2 N1 C+ c: A5 t6 M( h6 @7 m( ~& B0 }
Laas says she was in tears because of the experience. She has given up working with a real estate agent to look for a home. She says she's backed off the whole thing, but she keeps her eye open every now and then.
8 q6 k. h" S9 `3 s5 ^, _
4 ^9 M! ?& l! c0 bForty-five-year-old Cheryl Daly is also having a tough time finding an affordable home for her 12-year-old son and a 16-year-old daughter.( E7 ~6 V5 I$ o) A* O+ {
0 T4 {$ |- u) p& j4 }8 A- nShe left a 23-marriage and a 1,700-square-foot home last year. She works as an administrator and now rents a three-bedroom townhouse.
2 m, `) c3 A7 C4 b( R' q- I+ H. p$ g& F) b
Back in April, she started looking for a home, something in the $170,000 range. "I would like to have a half duplex even, but with the prices and with my status, I know that's not realistic," she says.) y$ U7 e+ S( J: ~
* k1 Q7 [5 B" m! X+ y: U, I5 K# L
So Daly has been checking out townhouses, but even that has been difficult for her.& k3 B( Y; k" Z* v( j
/ [* {. g( t+ S5 \* o/ ?"The places, when they come up, if they're at a decent price, they're gone really quickly," she says, "so it's a matter of timing."8 A6 j$ O4 V8 _$ V8 m, Y8 D
, [; [+ \& @5 G* ]* iTime has not been her friend. Every month the prices of homes in Edmonton climb higher.3 P* i. w/ X9 l+ ^/ x4 v
' U( C2 [( O0 x# @An average single dwelling unit in Edmonton sold for $316, 480 in August this year. An average townhouse, which includes the price of duplexes, sold for $262,327 in the same month. Last year in August an average townhouse sold for $175,922.
9 {8 |7 L7 H3 x* E3 y9 X4 F8 D) E6 N* x* b
The president of the Edmonton Real Estate Board, Madeline Sarafinchan, says the hot market is tough for first-time homeowners and single people.
* Y5 Y7 C# Z+ d6 I0 b5 \+ S
7 W1 m9 P9 b$ A5 C8 g" J; O* x"It's definitely making people think about what their options are," Sarafinchan says. "They're having to look at things that maybe are not as what they would have termed as desirable."
) g& y* r( c; F. c8 P& @* x; T7 F/ V2 l' f9 ]1 |, O/ @
That may mean sellers are not as open to "conditions" on offers as they used to be -- such as a house inspection before the deal is finalized. |
|