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不止是有点暖,是高烧~, U1 r7 ~4 O# i# @, K; Q5 g
* m( m* {' i+ Y5 i6 @http://www.edmontonjournal.com/b ... ?cid=megadrop_story( y% |4 l& R: k! F3 J2 ^. o3 u
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Edmonton sees 26% spike in luxury-home sales3 Q0 T* C0 Z1 U: t
High-end houses defy real estate cooling trend$ w5 o2 l ?5 Z, H1 q
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& Y6 S9 w" Z! H: h) z! Q1 y- bEDMONTON — While homebuying activity is cooling in Edmonton, luxury-home sales are picking up, says a new national report by ReMax.1 O5 P8 N1 @8 U" x
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“One area of the market that has outperformed all others is the upper end,” said the ReMax Market Trends Report Fall 2010 released Tuesday.. k+ ^# u# U1 A( @
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Sales of homes priced more than $700,000 are up 26 per cent over 2009, with 240 upscale properties changing hands as of August, compared to 190 units for the same period last year, it said. 5 o# \5 `9 [6 _& j6 h- h
3 A$ K5 r$ p0 R7 r; x, n! FFifty-five homes in the Edmonton area have sold for more than $1 million./ D0 u3 W# G8 G$ q
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The urgency in Edmonton’s residential housing market — prompted by tighter lending policies and the threat of higher interest rates earlier in the year — has given way to more stable conditions heading into the fourth quarter of 2010, the report said.: P. _" w1 Y8 E! f6 W
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“Positive announcements in the oil and gas sector should spur renewed activity in residential real estate — as evidenced in the first few weeks of September. ! f2 ]1 C" a3 R2 G a) K: L8 E
( p! i' H5 ]6 j; O* P& J( s3 }“Despite recent hikes, interest rates remain attractive with a five-year closed hovering at four per cent. The outlook for the remainder of the year is stable, with no real fluctuations in either sales or price.”
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, |3 e# n* z! K; X3 {1 N3 b9 rYear-to-date sales have slipped 14 per cent to 11,773 units, compared to 13,694 during the same period a year earlier, the report said.
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9 E$ W! Q! |& Z+ E8 vThe sales-to-listing ratio is now 47 per cent, down from 59 per cent in 2009, but up from 42 per cent in 2008.
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Average price is holding steady, up about four cent to $332,789 in 2010, about $12,500, or 3.9 per cent, higher than a year ago when the residential average was $320,289, the report said.
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- q3 [ ^3 |: y2 b) E" S8 O i# QInventory levels are up marginally over last year, but down from peak levels reached in 2007 and 2008, ReMax said.- l- z/ B) u$ D) i, F
8 `& H+ M* i6 t, @1 }“As a result, the housing market has been characterized as balanced, slightly favouring the buyer,” the report said.
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First-time buyers in Edmonton remain most active, driving sales of single-family homes between $250,000 and $350,000. Condos represent 34 per cent of residential sales.
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An influx of new units recently has pushed up supply, putting downward pressure on condo prices, according to the report. Tighter lending rules, requiring a 20-per-cent down payment, “is proving to be detrimental to investment activity.”
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]5 G# R) Y* i) F3 `5 NThe report, which covered trends and developments in 19 major centres from January to August, found year-to-date sales ahead of 2009 levels in 11 markets.6 E" t) O7 k" h" d! `
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Prices were up year-over-year in all cities, with five experiencing double-digit gains in 2010: Vancouver, St. John’s, Sudbury, Winnipeg and the Greater Toronto Area.
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“We cleaned up in the first quarter of 2010 because housing activity during the same period one year earlier was dismal,” said Elton Ash, regional executive vice-president of ReMax, Western Canada.
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3 Y, [7 B( w7 q“We’re now comparing the second half of the year to 2009 and falling short of expectations. Looking at the big picture however, the market remains healthy.” |
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