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记者的观察
The realities of real estate: t# b; x! b% ^: o' G
/ H2 I$ y; `1 l$ E! BPublished: Friday, October 06, 2006
9 h, ] s9 Y+ i7 @EDMONTON - With her toolbox in hand and overalls on, newcomer Lisa Laas feels she can conquer the plumbing world in Edmonton.2 S- y8 L( T( f7 V8 N/ S1 s
, C7 w- V- S$ V; jThe 29-year-old plumber from Vancouver had no problem finding work in Edmonton with trades people high in demand in Alberta.
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+ P9 H% W7 {( fShe 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.
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7 E# l7 O# j* ~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 $155,000 and I'm going, 'Oh my gosh. I have to buy really quick.' I've seen it in Vancouver and now I'm starting to see it here and it's frustrating."! p, c( \: ` a2 C+ A) ?$ |# [) ]8 f
H7 K. m# y, @- N- k( vLaas started looking in February. She had hoped to buy a house for $160,000, but soon realized she had to change her plans. A townhouse would have to do.
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But she has lost out on four places since beginning her search for a house.
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She's been outbidded, "out-offered" and "outconditioned."
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! q( X+ u) _# |( R+ g6 y T1 c! GOne house, the one she really wanted in the northwest neighbourhood of Calder, went on the market at 4 p.m. and had multiple offers by 6 p.m. so Laas walked away. In two other instances, other buyers had fewer conditions on their bid to purchase a townhouse, so her offer was dismissed.
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Laas says she was in tears because of the experience. She has given up working with a real estate agent to look for a home. She says she's backed off the whole thing, but she keeps her eye open every now and then.
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9 Y; S0 b) r! v2 ?) S; cForty-five-year-old Cheryl Daly is also having a tough time finding an affordable home for her 12-year-old son and a 16-year-old daughter./ J! z8 T' F+ j: Z) D$ q8 l) }
. p) b) [& {+ n& M* p$ r/ GShe 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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+ l0 d: Y D6 o% FBack in April, she started looking for a home, something in the $170,000 range. "I would like to have a half duplex even, but with the prices and with my status, I know that's not realistic," she says./ { X! Q& W5 q9 [" y" Y
+ O$ O2 B& a7 v( m: USo Daly has been checking out townhouses, but even that has been difficult for her.
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3 K9 _" v/ m1 H" ~, S3 s. n"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."
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4 H# m$ {+ p0 [9 y. MTime has not been her friend. Every month the prices of homes in Edmonton climb higher.$ L w+ P5 s; v$ ?( q1 q
5 c, s* T4 U4 Y3 _, t5 V8 bAn 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.
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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.; Y3 f" b8 X! q2 @: G- u. x
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"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."
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" F" I( r" S G" [1 [% lThat 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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