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不止是有点暖,是高烧~- n& j' S2 l7 Z- J# A* D
! ]/ m& _/ h* k% f( \ W0 qhttp://www.edmontonjournal.com/b ... ?cid=megadrop_story
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Edmonton sees 26% spike in luxury-home sales
7 J) Z6 h9 _) e! B% k' F8 C: c, r High-end houses defy real estate cooling trend
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0 V# @+ m- b5 hEDMONTON — While homebuying activity is cooling in Edmonton, luxury-home sales are picking up, says a new national report by ReMax.
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$ T2 e" `7 s9 ? M“One area of the market that has outperformed all others is the upper end,” said the ReMax Market Trends Report Fall 2010 released Tuesday.7 C G$ U& x- B
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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. 6 Q/ y* a/ [* I& q; K! E
8 R( N2 O* h" {+ S6 E4 d3 T2 xFifty-five homes in the Edmonton area have sold for more than $1 million.
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The urgency in Edmonton’s residential housing market — prompted by tighter lending policies and the threat of higher interest rates earlier in the year — has given way to more stable conditions heading into the fourth quarter of 2010, the report said.
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; i+ t! h- y0 x. _! u“Positive announcements in the oil and gas sector should spur renewed activity in residential real estate — as evidenced in the first few weeks of September. * [$ Z0 f0 g% l
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“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.”! ]2 A' a$ R! T: v0 a1 a
o8 q+ t, P- [Year-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. _" {2 r0 y3 K' W* C: A
& f* P" x/ F" H& rThe 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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$ x. \2 G1 L) p2 r! H: ?8 `$ wAverage 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." ^8 h+ s2 I- H# q7 Q8 q; L
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Inventory levels are up marginally over last year, but down from peak levels reached in 2007 and 2008, ReMax said.
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5 j! o0 b& s6 ]& p) U I“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.' n4 @' v u* o" H
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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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3 @, a8 ~; f( O3 D" DThe 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.
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, E! M) W1 B4 \" |' uPrices 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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2 x8 b) F6 t, I+ [“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.4 ?8 N) z( f4 f% U
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“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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