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记者的观察
The realities of real estate* b3 W* {* J/ ^4 U, ~; z, ~6 v* ]
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Published: Friday, October 06, 2006
, T/ R% y3 h$ F( e7 A) lEDMONTON - With her toolbox in hand and overalls on, newcomer Lisa Laas feels she can conquer the plumbing world in Edmonton.
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_# @' {! f O& TThe 29-year-old plumber from Vancouver had no problem finding work in Edmonton with trades people high in demand in Alberta.( d' m' }9 e! @# N) e" {
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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.! d/ Y7 F2 P8 G s. W
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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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$ V2 z. a! }- q' S8 m+ j"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."
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Laas started looking in February. She had hoped to buy a house for $160,000, but soon realized she had to change her plans. A townhouse would have to do.
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But she has lost out on four places since beginning her search for a house.
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She's been outbidded, "out-offered" and "outconditioned."
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One house, the one she really wanted in the northwest neighbourhood of Calder, went on the market at 4 p.m. and had multiple offers by 6 p.m. so Laas walked away. In two other instances, other buyers had fewer conditions on their bid to purchase a townhouse, so her offer was dismissed.
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Laas says she was in tears because of the experience. She has given up working with a real estate agent to look for a home. She says she's backed off the whole thing, but she keeps her eye open every now and then.
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# {8 S, q* @' E& }$ fForty-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.
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# U9 l% h3 f# c1 a- |' A7 wShe 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.
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" @4 ~9 K) r, E+ CBack in April, she started looking for a home, something in the $170,000 range. "I would like to have a half duplex even, but with the prices and with my status, I know that's not realistic," she says.
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So Daly has been checking out townhouses, but even that has been difficult for her.
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( ?7 ]5 q1 I+ M2 f3 j: M"The places, when they come up, if they're at a decent price, they're gone really quickly," she says, "so it's a matter of timing."6 v/ Y7 Z( R, T& N# N# y/ n& D
! r+ w$ o9 C5 aTime has not been her friend. Every month the prices of homes in Edmonton climb higher.
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9 y" b1 p3 J2 u2 `' tAn 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 $175,922.
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/ ^3 p* [# r c0 QThe president of the Edmonton Real Estate Board, Madeline Sarafinchan, says the hot market is tough for first-time homeowners and single people.( N: [( q/ g5 ?7 f9 V0 L
' l n* B* n% P. J2 S x/ u$ M"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."
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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. |
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