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不止是有点暖,是高烧~8 ^; q% i$ }& a8 T( A' q
+ R; h/ |2 Q D9 B' u0 U' Y7 B' _http://www.edmontonjournal.com/b ... ?cid=megadrop_story
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Edmonton sees 26% spike in luxury-home sales0 D2 z& R+ B! H
High-end houses defy real estate cooling trend9 {, ]2 B, ^$ |1 M4 N
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1 r- {& b; O0 E; v- fEDMONTON — While homebuying activity is cooling in Edmonton, luxury-home sales are picking up, says a new national report by ReMax.
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/ o2 b; L# C9 V3 r" e“One area of the market that has outperformed all others is the upper end,” said the ReMax Market Trends Report Fall 2010 released Tuesday.6 |! q* G& c2 z+ r( i
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Sales of homes priced more than $700,000 are up 26 per cent over 2009, with 240 upscale properties changing hands as of August, compared to 190 units for the same period last year, it said.
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Fifty-five homes in the Edmonton area have sold for more than $1 million.9 {9 S7 N9 a' [+ b* U$ L) s
) P& u, ^) C2 ]' O. @The urgency in Edmonton’s residential housing market — prompted by tighter lending policies and the threat of higher interest rates earlier in the year — has given way to more stable conditions heading into the fourth quarter of 2010, the report said.
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“Positive announcements in the oil and gas sector should spur renewed activity in residential real estate — as evidenced in the first few weeks of September.
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“Despite recent hikes, interest rates remain attractive with a five-year closed hovering at four per cent. The outlook for the remainder of the year is stable, with no real fluctuations in either sales or price.”
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Year-to-date sales have slipped 14 per cent to 11,773 units, compared to 13,694 during the same period a year earlier, the report said.
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The sales-to-listing ratio is now 47 per cent, down from 59 per cent in 2009, but up from 42 per cent in 2008.* N" o, S0 |4 m/ D; r! P
: x$ |4 ?" F8 p: l9 b* @+ fAverage price is holding steady, up about four cent to $332,789 in 2010, about $12,500, or 3.9 per cent, higher than a year ago when the residential average was $320,289, the report said.' r) ?7 l. `& J- V& h( h$ n0 e
7 ^# [1 ?2 b' Q% |+ ^Inventory levels are up marginally over last year, but down from peak levels reached in 2007 and 2008, ReMax said.
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“As a result, the housing market has been characterized as balanced, slightly favouring the buyer,” the report said.
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0 F& V* Z' H( ]9 Q0 t% n1 I' fFirst-time buyers in Edmonton remain most active, driving sales of single-family homes between $250,000 and $350,000. Condos represent 34 per cent of residential sales.
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An influx of new units recently has pushed up supply, putting downward pressure on condo prices, according to the report. Tighter lending rules, requiring a 20-per-cent down payment, “is proving to be detrimental to investment activity.”, a! J1 A, l) A. \& ?' I T
) M4 s2 ~1 `% H. ] JThe report, which covered trends and developments in 19 major centres from January to August, found year-to-date sales ahead of 2009 levels in 11 markets.( K2 f: @7 q6 \7 a- [3 ]- m( w- _
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Prices were up year-over-year in all cities, with five experiencing double-digit gains in 2010: Vancouver, St. John’s, Sudbury, Winnipeg and the Greater Toronto Area.$ K) h( m5 l O; X
T. A* B8 f( N# g7 s6 K, A3 ~/ K“We cleaned up in the first quarter of 2010 because housing activity during the same period one year earlier was dismal,” said Elton Ash, regional executive vice-president of ReMax, Western Canada.
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“We’re now comparing the second half of the year to 2009 and falling short of expectations. Looking at the big picture however, the market remains healthy.” |
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