 鲜花( 2)  鸡蛋( 0)
|
记者的观察
The realities of real estate& a% t3 \+ ?2 Z C
: A7 T# a0 n- i0 r
Published: Friday, October 06, 2006 * z" Q% @2 K, H4 H- H/ {+ m
EDMONTON - With her toolbox in hand and overalls on, newcomer Lisa Laas feels she can conquer the plumbing world in Edmonton.* ?3 q# `( A1 x. E N
: _/ [2 t7 Y+ M2 E- z2 l0 OThe 29-year-old plumber from Vancouver had no problem finding work in Edmonton with trades people high in demand in Alberta.# y/ o; F* X9 T( `
! F- O6 u J9 W) v* e. H1 [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.
% \) t* p7 t& h2 K. P) O* [- p. _/ m: y' W" V0 R
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.2 g1 F2 V- s' S5 ]0 @# ]% l' t2 d
: H/ u6 A, N% _; R
"It absolutely scared me," she says. "I moved here for a house, and all of a sudden a townhouse went from $105,000 to $155,000 and I'm going, 'Oh my gosh. I have to buy really quick.' I've seen it in Vancouver and now I'm starting to see it here and it's frustrating."
& G; b/ o1 B8 q& K! }5 t: \; ^7 r# v$ ^+ \/ c. V. P' I1 I, `
Laas started looking in February. She had hoped to buy a house for $160,000, but soon realized she had to change her plans. A townhouse would have to do.- o5 u0 l3 z; y$ k* H" V* s
' n9 x. T' u* ^% c7 V' ^
But she has lost out on four places since beginning her search for a house.
7 w* Y5 C( j$ x \1 u+ R+ `
: T/ `* \* k8 Q6 R/ E% E' `She's been outbidded, "out-offered" and "outconditioned."
' q' E# T0 v' E& E4 E: s
Q" V& R) ]/ q N; A5 r) p% t- A9 r; TOne 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.
6 }$ g. E! m2 n6 g! ^' F
* P6 r/ c' \3 N. O3 Z/ m+ u qLaas 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.
+ l; L) Q3 J J$ o+ s
" T# m4 m8 A1 I" T( y$ SForty-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.$ W" }$ F; e2 K& \6 r3 x
( H% f2 r @; k# OShe 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.( l! Z" k8 ?2 z+ O$ G4 V# w7 r
& h. b1 A$ g4 S g! s' A2 f6 I
Back in April, she started looking for a home, something in the $170,000 range. "I would like to have a half duplex even, but with the prices and with my status, I know that's not realistic," she says.
7 ?4 u$ c( y' s; P c1 K
$ }5 H: V; C/ W- C _6 s/ l+ ?So Daly has been checking out townhouses, but even that has been difficult for her.4 M# ?' j7 r D* a. X
/ o3 ?0 u7 F( Z/ P4 s"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."
( \' a; `/ ^0 c* `: U1 A; l
F; o$ R% _2 g' g# h$ t7 Z% jTime has not been her friend. Every month the prices of homes in Edmonton climb higher.
, v# H, C8 O9 S, R3 V
9 {5 f: c& j( z T" E8 VAn 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 $175,922.
5 R$ s" V s; ]9 S, u+ X- D' m: _0 {
The president of the Edmonton Real Estate Board, Madeline Sarafinchan, says the hot market is tough for first-time homeowners and single people.2 T+ G9 ]* e. m9 Z1 ~, ^
7 _ e6 G: {% q& E& R$ N"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."8 Y/ \9 L$ F2 _
/ ]6 k1 T1 q) 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. |
|