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欢迎讨论, 但千万别拍砖.9 C2 k; @; ^# d2 ^" Q
. p8 J& W' T! m, J( n, C3 Khttp://www.globalnews.ca/money/w ... 42638608/story.html; h. m5 D5 z" `- s3 ^; O4 [% y
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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.
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4 O9 p! @% ]$ {- Q, l& W NPeople 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.+ |* ~2 L$ W8 t8 T1 P% F
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In 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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1 g" k% t7 w$ a# {7 TWhy might it be a good time to sell?% n5 F' h$ s" U/ V3 e& _
( m/ J- W: ]; N% j) I# Y9 p* J4 `At about $370,000 average nationally — and just under $800,000 in Vancouver — home prices are already at record levels. Many observers believe prices are long due for a downward correction of anywhere from 10 per cent to 25 per cent, perhaps more in some of the hottest markets.
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"Home prices to income, housing price to rent, all the indicators are setting off warning signals," said Derek Burleton, a senior economist with TD Bank.
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"If you are purely in it for reaping profits, now is not a bad time to sell" before prices drop.
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& [; h# S# o9 K$ b3 |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.! m1 g+ `$ p1 u
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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.
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% @: T/ S6 b; _# @Burleton knows how they feel.
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"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.
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9 n" ~% @: `: e/ _+ [While there's no guarantee of a correction, observers note there are additional signs that the housing market could cool off in a big way.
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: M8 l; ?8 m% @& x: w; pWith ownership levels near a record 70 per cent, demand is expected to wane, making it a buyers market for the first time in years.. z3 k) ?7 g8 B. F7 _
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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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In 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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) K! i, N4 q' T; ^6 ~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.
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That is a hard indicator that homes are over-valued, but also that renting is relatively cheap compared to buying.8 I% K; A, y* _3 D5 |' d; A
% U4 h# f, P+ i2 W; Y' dDavid 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.9 W% d: f% t2 ^: s: d$ @% T0 B3 a
& H3 X7 ]$ G }9 }3 k# X"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.# w' F8 J' k" ~3 I
! \- }& h4 h, x- u& ["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.", k* I' ]; Z' g+ u1 u. I6 W
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The market is clearly at or near peak, he said, so soon may indeed be the time to act.
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2 g' `+ K2 a0 M+ SBut 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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