 鲜花( 2)  鸡蛋( 0)
|
记者的观察
The realities of real estate
6 A# \/ ~9 n- K. N/ F
8 H+ F# A& [: FPublished: Friday, October 06, 2006 3 d- @' T U3 X) b/ {7 ^
EDMONTON - With her toolbox in hand and overalls on, newcomer Lisa Laas feels she can conquer the plumbing world in Edmonton.
3 a4 O& t; @9 [* I1 u' [6 M0 L% b5 T F# Q7 ^! i3 c" M
The 29-year-old plumber from Vancouver had no problem finding work in Edmonton with trades people high in demand in Alberta. z3 ?3 _% d5 C N9 j
8 a3 D0 ?4 i3 R2 \( C* |: ~0 C
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.+ z2 J* \, L: T; W+ I* g
& c: ]# ^/ ^, O! [" M! a, ^+ HBut 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.$ m* j) Y& a& _
* a5 N! y7 n$ J2 p4 a! @4 h
"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.": @, p4 Q/ O# }
# z" }; _" o \! R& jLaas started looking in February. She had hoped to buy a house for $160,000, but soon realized she had to change her plans. A townhouse would have to do.2 S' r! J, b/ i) i5 [5 e" l) K: H
2 U3 I; K( ^9 ]2 ` C2 m
But she has lost out on four places since beginning her search for a house.( }' P" x+ Z2 u5 ^: i, D
, m2 u+ _+ Y, i p) n, y$ |She's been outbidded, "out-offered" and "outconditioned."
1 Z N" i# c$ a& t$ u' Y& o& [& K; c
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.
7 ?: N# a- m3 D- a8 S+ w$ ?' d( _7 f5 b- T& t( i0 x% C1 o6 Q
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.
9 C9 O: g- p [3 n# k7 e, {+ A- m6 g3 Z
Forty-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.4 E5 N. E8 n0 \# d/ Q
7 B2 F( W* z' r8 [# ^$ VShe 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., S& {6 K0 Y8 r$ q s1 Q
% I5 S9 s, l! D9 S& A4 I1 xBack in April, she started looking for a home, something in the $170,000 range. "I would like to have a half duplex even, but with the prices and with my status, I know that's not realistic," she says.# i& u j2 ]1 T v- S3 U
, b* t4 |5 M" F# b/ T& \2 ^
So Daly has been checking out townhouses, but even that has been difficult for her.
% X# D9 o- P6 E! Z0 A' p6 Q" r: Q- O( P; t/ W/ N9 A% Q- T- z" m2 `8 X
"The places, when they come up, if they're at a decent price, they're gone really quickly," she says, "so it's a matter of timing."
7 M2 `4 M6 v% P" V4 _$ u! U' V2 u' L- I* ~
Time has not been her friend. Every month the prices of homes in Edmonton climb higher.
# w2 Z+ N7 I" o) O& U$ M+ p7 _0 [( Z& a! V4 N7 J9 g0 E
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 $175,922.# I a4 g2 J, p9 y: Y% s
8 F. F6 |: s& i4 f0 z% S
The president of the Edmonton Real Estate Board, Madeline Sarafinchan, says the hot market is tough for first-time homeowners and single people.! `8 d+ ~" J" Y
. P$ Z) i; J- @( I9 S1 K( b$ z
"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 _# C" b& ] h
! b8 \$ U i8 i) e
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. |
|