 鲜花( 2)  鸡蛋( 0)
|
记者的观察
The realities of real estate( d# g5 d" S; r1 k" ?' _3 l
5 j+ | A) D2 W
Published: Friday, October 06, 2006
% ~7 y1 D6 Q; S XEDMONTON - With her toolbox in hand and overalls on, newcomer Lisa Laas feels she can conquer the plumbing world in Edmonton.
% x; o& I, G# O# h8 m: K- ]2 A- V8 E! V3 x% r0 p. Q
The 29-year-old plumber from Vancouver had no problem finding work in Edmonton with trades people high in demand in Alberta.8 n! P& K4 X- Z9 e* p2 l
2 V9 @! g8 E' c, o B6 i' _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.5 @, }6 z3 T/ C
7 w" a, Y# u( S0 S. G. fBut 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.5 b& I: W$ M( \4 R4 v
/ P" j2 ]1 u7 k/ T6 n6 ^4 u
"It absolutely scared me," she says. "I moved here for a house, and all of a sudden a townhouse went from $105,000 to $155,000 and I'm going, 'Oh my gosh. I have to buy really quick.' I've seen it in Vancouver and now I'm starting to see it here and it's frustrating."
5 c" N+ p" B/ E7 D' ^
3 @+ o8 Q2 b1 F' j K2 U$ r% gLaas started looking in February. She had hoped to buy a house for $160,000, but soon realized she had to change her plans. A townhouse would have to do.
; ~( ?) M5 [, C! V6 ]
1 q9 c+ [; G M5 y2 I+ iBut she has lost out on four places since beginning her search for a house.
* [, |/ S; v+ n1 y6 a" b% V0 v: c9 p
, |, d" }1 e Q; ]% y& H! HShe's been outbidded, "out-offered" and "outconditioned."- x: r5 v. }6 z* [
2 Q. C8 [3 `. h KOne house, the one she really wanted in the northwest neighbourhood of Calder, went on the market at 4 p.m. and had multiple offers by 6 p.m. so Laas walked away. In two other instances, other buyers had fewer conditions on their bid to purchase a townhouse, so her offer was dismissed.3 \/ L% C' g- |
3 X4 ]* e6 `; uLaas says she was in tears because of the experience. She has given up working with a real estate agent to look for a home. She says she's backed off the whole thing, but she keeps her eye open every now and then.
9 U) M+ X1 O; o- b* H$ F9 R1 r }: X
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.5 u# D5 K$ M8 @* q0 B$ [( v
) \3 }9 [+ ]( p7 x2 @+ B
She 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.# Q" ^0 G; U! b5 J6 V
" f# V4 X% C, B4 o! D* r
Back in April, she started looking for a home, something in the $170,000 range. "I would like to have a half duplex even, but with the prices and with my status, I know that's not realistic," she says.
@# y0 k& H. C
0 v! X$ {3 m4 R/ y) L3 aSo Daly has been checking out townhouses, but even that has been difficult for her.
& t4 {0 j2 p$ \) p( c: a& r; o1 e4 \" u
"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."
$ ~& ], c, n; @4 K- K6 W' b5 m$ ?$ x6 d* C' f
Time has not been her friend. Every month the prices of homes in Edmonton climb higher.% G" k& r, B0 i Y) D
: ~4 {! N/ N2 q) _$ }4 {# GAn 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.
/ w. |" w- D, v, f4 `: _ n. I' C
The president of the Edmonton Real Estate Board, Madeline Sarafinchan, says the hot market is tough for first-time homeowners and single people.
5 M: Q6 @ S `4 K. e1 R5 {' s/ w" H, W ?9 W- p0 b8 j
"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."2 s# a8 G" N, J- |) V4 r0 n, @
' }# v* N) A/ L1 n- X4 u
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. |
|