 鲜花( 2)  鸡蛋( 0)
|
记者的观察
The realities of real estate9 h+ U1 U% a; v9 m. i0 J1 w
/ }" U4 B' J% O3 H' f5 fPublished: Friday, October 06, 2006
+ c" f, E# A1 p& @! iEDMONTON - With her toolbox in hand and overalls on, newcomer Lisa Laas feels she can conquer the plumbing world in Edmonton.* h( ^* N6 D3 d% T" f
( W0 J+ A$ i2 T2 _6 @8 g$ xThe 29-year-old plumber from Vancouver had no problem finding work in Edmonton with trades people high in demand in Alberta., ~6 V- L( k; d5 r# t: V
+ F) V2 F5 S8 o: o' R8 b9 i* j
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.
# I5 l4 B6 b( x/ S( c/ u7 W* k" f7 m
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.
/ o0 q* |* e1 ]8 T6 ^* ~" }8 [0 y8 J. V3 i% x& v# X
"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."3 G3 h I5 A/ c0 S
# z, r+ v. I! T2 {3 _Laas started looking in February. She had hoped to buy a house for $160,000, but soon realized she had to change her plans. A townhouse would have to do.
2 q7 q ^( a+ a6 g) R' t% ^/ O& P/ V0 v2 r
But she has lost out on four places since beginning her search for a house.- o6 `% J0 L, Z4 Q: ^0 p3 l
/ S+ e8 M1 h1 e3 X; W3 bShe's been outbidded, "out-offered" and "outconditioned."* F% l* ^& \% z6 C: `
' p/ E2 A, w2 S$ y
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.+ \; V% C0 k, E6 C9 Q' C% Y: W
/ G, b, V; m7 j% S" H+ BLaas 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." }' z8 }1 D$ v3 d' @+ C# }
, V Y# u1 d S( N; ^8 hForty-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.
, L" V/ @; Y/ j2 R ^) q- w2 t' s' \8 X, t; f, B$ J. H
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.3 D$ e) M& L" O3 B
, ^3 q! k+ _/ y7 kBack in April, she started looking for a home, something in the $170,000 range. "I would like to have a half duplex even, but with the prices and with my status, I know that's not realistic," she says.
; B3 \; R8 h; x" @( L3 ?
8 d8 ^( D0 Y1 X2 w$ VSo Daly has been checking out townhouses, but even that has been difficult for her.
2 q' f, r0 q4 T! ~9 ^( X; |7 v4 r( n- L9 B7 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."$ Z/ B8 B$ ?+ t
; m. a2 C m) X2 J0 ~
Time has not been her friend. Every month the prices of homes in Edmonton climb higher.
$ J; }! u" o8 S: N* I% M! u7 ^4 c5 x4 P$ ?( [7 [
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 $175,922.
+ H) s% j1 t4 O$ e& _1 ]( B0 N- P! ~: F% h: R+ t
The president of the Edmonton Real Estate Board, Madeline Sarafinchan, says the hot market is tough for first-time homeowners and single people.
% C a2 Z0 ?! Q5 W* L" F# n+ _* d2 J+ H+ p4 v
"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."
* o. T7 r" \7 }! w- C; i. {) U2 r9 V
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. |
|