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记者的观察
The realities of real estate! f, @4 d" j2 r/ g: u6 q. W1 Y, T
# e/ d8 z$ B5 l- ?& f, m6 |$ hPublished: Friday, October 06, 2006 . z( C: [- J' c M3 U" R$ p
EDMONTON - With her toolbox in hand and overalls on, newcomer Lisa Laas feels she can conquer the plumbing world in Edmonton.
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' h; w2 G) h! q) _, z1 D) X! wThe 29-year-old plumber from Vancouver had no problem finding work in Edmonton with trades people high in demand in Alberta.' S. M' Q- C4 n( h$ U: x
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She 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./ l6 Z5 f! T$ V/ n( w
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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.
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"It absolutely scared me," she says. "I moved here for a house, and all of a sudden a townhouse went from $105,000 to $155,000 and I'm going, 'Oh my gosh. I have to buy really quick.' I've seen it in Vancouver and now I'm starting to see it here and it's frustrating."" Q {0 S( `" k- V1 s
2 O* W7 r, {$ c4 T2 I- {Laas started looking in February. She had hoped to buy a house for $160,000, but soon realized she had to change her plans. A townhouse would have to do.# L1 t; C5 h' M
4 c0 d* @- l# i- x" q, S- cBut she has lost out on four places since beginning her search for a house.
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She's been outbidded, "out-offered" and "outconditioned."4 R" o$ i2 r& d+ A+ R
* `- `; `& I E ~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.4 y; M" D0 j9 Y. G
' W R! k7 } y ]7 c5 uLaas 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." W! D4 ]) ~" Y" A; p& I
. P+ L8 E. k, o4 P$ _+ k, |8 x# cForty-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.+ L. a9 L5 V/ Y+ j T7 N: N
( T9 |8 ]# x5 k7 F+ f' aShe 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.
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* l8 M- q' R! k( D+ d5 C/ wBack in April, she started looking for a home, something in the $170,000 range. "I would like to have a half duplex even, but with the prices and with my status, I know that's not realistic," she says.
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4 y2 u$ C) T! S; ASo Daly has been checking out townhouses, but even that has been difficult for her.
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$ l) Q) E/ } u; _2 P"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."! a5 b1 ~+ w0 C" N% j1 Y" \/ Y
8 m2 l+ X( K7 T* w. l6 qTime has not been her friend. Every month the prices of homes in Edmonton climb higher.
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8 X) r8 v6 E" ^5 S, |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.- J- u- L' K! y9 y
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The president of the Edmonton Real Estate Board, Madeline Sarafinchan, says the hot market is tough for first-time homeowners and single people.
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! o4 t9 k# B" t b; H6 t"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."# f% L) e, K- Y* D; k" }. w3 j
& H. D; ^9 J: F/ _+ `7 nThat 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. |
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