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记者的观察
The realities of real estate) L1 R0 h$ I$ b! ]# \. `6 |
6 Q: t$ ~+ p9 K a' ePublished: Friday, October 06, 2006
3 T e$ N& Z- J# X6 gEDMONTON - With her toolbox in hand and overalls on, newcomer Lisa Laas feels she can conquer the plumbing world in Edmonton.+ s. v2 B. N# T1 G3 R# p% H
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The 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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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.- V- v. `! J1 ~( e0 z+ q
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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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3 s! o5 S4 Y, U c5 y"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.", n. ^) J' m+ e% r& F& [4 \' c
r0 W/ z! c7 ?/ s# BLaas started looking in February. She had hoped to buy a house for $160,000, but soon realized she had to change her plans. A townhouse would have to do.! y* g/ }/ \+ e, A
, b! u: F8 u4 c5 y f/ Y! R2 h; XBut she has lost out on four places since beginning her search for a house.% \/ Y$ o* t2 p2 h9 |4 g
9 v+ U/ c4 T5 w0 jShe's been outbidded, "out-offered" and "outconditioned."
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( W# z+ S4 {8 _7 e( c, O$ SOne 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 V' K1 e7 D2 J6 i8 S
% r& q% l/ i! E4 Q$ v$ 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.) T, t( s$ P$ B
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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.$ e+ r! P [) H8 g5 u$ [% j$ |
( N4 _3 q6 E8 ]$ i- h/ q# _, 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.% @# V4 L! _8 B( f
: n" z/ n8 e- jBack in April, she started looking for a home, something in the $170,000 range. "I would like to have a half duplex even, but with the prices and with my status, I know that's not realistic," she says.
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So Daly has been checking out townhouses, but even that has been difficult for her.6 b2 o0 A1 ^2 [: y& X1 I
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"The places, when they come up, if they're at a decent price, they're gone really quickly," she says, "so it's a matter of timing."4 E5 v. K- D) g9 m
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Time has not been her friend. Every month the prices of homes in Edmonton climb higher.
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) ]* D* }9 M$ D' WAn 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./ [9 S0 u e% K4 }# `
1 q% F: l# w( K- x+ {# G5 D5 sThe 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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"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."9 z+ [% d0 M! v4 C @* @
- G" k) U" b5 p: O# N/ k! s4 H5 V' 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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