 鲜花( 2)  鸡蛋( 0)
|
记者的观察
The realities of real estate
0 `, F+ b$ |( h j( u, j4 c
& o9 L! P" u2 g* X1 E: v- HPublished: Friday, October 06, 2006
7 b; x+ M* t/ L8 MEDMONTON - With her toolbox in hand and overalls on, newcomer Lisa Laas feels she can conquer the plumbing world in Edmonton.$ O) l7 J# ~* n" H7 S7 T
* E5 y6 M, W: l0 F1 q# V/ U
The 29-year-old plumber from Vancouver had no problem finding work in Edmonton with trades people high in demand in Alberta.# [* a% j4 f2 z1 ^: F- k% J
9 j( U2 T3 l8 U0 a+ Q4 tShe 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.( G3 P3 m. |5 Z+ l+ R: z( F$ c. O
2 o+ P- \! d8 z( u, w3 |% D: VBut 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.; K' b7 v, Q( ]- u: x1 U
1 m+ ?& t3 @7 P, U
"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."8 w. B& d" N3 [+ P2 w1 t( n7 u, s
9 H" | x' h# j* P) I/ b9 p: ALaas started looking in February. She had hoped to buy a house for $160,000, but soon realized she had to change her plans. A townhouse would have to do.5 x3 t' e& d2 Q
2 T4 w; ~% c. w' g+ e) w& XBut she has lost out on four places since beginning her search for a house.
, T* k9 y- o- r8 g3 d( G
; [* T3 h0 i6 E' `She's been outbidded, "out-offered" and "outconditioned."
0 E. C* \! H2 ~, N0 x* U$ f9 m) v) Z8 V
One 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.
+ n! g, D2 |, H! D6 q3 P7 q* D* m6 _+ G6 I; K8 |* h
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.
! J1 V: y& ?0 g
! t1 j, k" ^; J% uForty-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.
\& g- l' h$ g+ C0 _7 Y* d# O% o. B8 C0 z
She 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.3 ^$ X0 l0 V2 q9 n4 X$ @
- l0 N6 M& \- T+ z( r. D! i4 [. cBack in April, she started looking for a home, something in the $170,000 range. "I would like to have a half duplex even, but with the prices and with my status, I know that's not realistic," she says.
# O+ N# y$ |" s6 Z! _4 i3 ~) f& C Y: Z8 {
So Daly has been checking out townhouses, but even that has been difficult for her.
* e0 h1 V( O9 E- q8 }8 }
3 f4 c5 i% @: h, J"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."
& p- f% g) n! J6 R+ U& R
~3 W8 y1 h. ?: W3 {. t" w! }$ A. vTime has not been her friend. Every month the prices of homes in Edmonton climb higher.1 p2 q( M- t( t" s
. d( ^5 G# U4 M+ F* I
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 $175,922.8 }9 I g9 Y2 q( o/ d9 _( p
! }& a6 S, I% i8 s
The president of the Edmonton Real Estate Board, Madeline Sarafinchan, says the hot market is tough for first-time homeowners and single people., e a3 r2 `2 G7 B y, d
/ l/ M, J6 h. w# o4 ["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.", T Z! b: t2 g/ f
$ F' `. n }" V; \1 X$ _ R
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. |
|