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欢迎讨论, 但千万别拍砖.
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/ [* ^/ A4 ^ S$ Nhttp://www.globalnews.ca/money/w ... 42638608/story.html
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OTTAWA - For most Canadians their home is the biggest investment they'll ever make — but they might be surprised to learn you can use if for more than just sleeping.; h+ M; D. o5 q8 h4 q0 c% x% W
# n1 J( [' |: }* ?, H* u' e# |: VPeople generally don't think of their homes as a potential pile of cash in the bank, but experts say it's something worth pondering now that home prices in Canada may have hit their peak.
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- Q2 v2 b, U8 M% f) IIn fact, analysts say if finance is the only consideration, conditions now and into next year or so form a seldom seen sweet spot for using home equity as a type of asset for investment.
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9 E5 u4 n3 y# M! m) F) j7 OWhy might it be a good time to sell?0 B8 [( n5 v; P( O: U
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At about $370,000 average nationally — and just under $800,000 in Vancouver — home prices are already at record levels. Many observers believe prices are long due for a downward correction of anywhere from 10 per cent to 25 per cent, perhaps more in some of the hottest markets.
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- f# Y) g1 j. X"Home prices to income, housing price to rent, all the indicators are setting off warning signals," said Derek Burleton, a senior economist with TD Bank.
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"If you are purely in it for reaping profits, now is not a bad time to sell" before prices drop.) Y( S6 u: o) g5 T% f
3 T- v9 O! |) R7 }The profits from selling a home can be used to build savings, eliminate debt, make traditional investments or, ironically, buy more real estate — albeit in a different market where home prices are lower.
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Of course, even if it makes sense financially, selling the family home to rent or move to a less expensive housing market doesn't make lifestyle sense for the vast majority of Canadians.+ q m5 h1 J+ P4 j# d# b- @4 C
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Burleton knows how they feel.
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; X" M* r8 @( [8 y% [' O"I wouldn't want to sell my home right now even if I wind up taking a hit on the home price, just because I enjoy where I'm living and moving is a pain," he said.- t8 B" p) X& R6 o) I
% m W; p" c* b+ P5 o3 oWhile there's no guarantee of a correction, observers note there are additional signs that the housing market could cool off in a big way.3 d. n- c, a6 r( U" ]& k+ J
( o3 t- G! K4 j; g0 ?$ ~: }With ownership levels near a record 70 per cent, demand is expected to wane, making it a buyers market for the first time in years.
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And Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney warned last month he was preparing to hike rates, which along with tighter lending rules being applied by federal authorities could trigger a flight from real estate.
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8 W7 |! [6 r* h/ _ k4 S( d% r6 OIn market terms, selling a home at the peak is a way of "locking in" profits accumulated over the past decade of price appreciation — and tax free if it's the principal home.
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Meanwhile, home valuations have been rising far faster than the rent they would fetch since at least 2000. Canada's home price-to-rent ratio is well above historic norms and among the highest in the advanced world.4 C- z: B5 q( C1 I
5 N) m* ^* w8 @* N) J, s, k; cThat is a hard indicator that homes are over-valued, but also that renting is relatively cheap compared to buying.
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David Madani of Capital Economics, who anticipates a 25 per cent price crash over the next few years, cautions that like selling stock shares, timing is always tricky.
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"We're dealing with irrational exuberance. We've been treating housing like some magical financial asset that is going to solve all our problems because prices are always going up," he said.
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1 u. R8 {; z5 A! l* }& D% t) \"Of course, when the turn comes, the over-confidence that drove the market up can turn to fear. You are dealing with emotion ... so I don't believe in a soft landing."
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4 w6 H: N$ [4 P8 _; e: [: nThe market is clearly at or near peak, he said, so soon may indeed be the time to act.
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* |$ B3 p" c* C- a/ BBut then again he felt that way a year ago, he points out, and if households had acted on his advice they might not have gotten all the value they could from the premature sale. |
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