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欢迎讨论, 但千万别拍砖.
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http://www.globalnews.ca/money/w ... 42638608/story.html; @# Z# G9 x+ E
; W5 {3 A: S% b- t9 \8 M1 {& @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.- E) b; C- _, ?0 L1 I @9 a5 Q
# _# n0 g2 T- t( @! n' IPeople 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.5 i7 H/ D. r7 m
8 H3 c, F) ]3 E! q" E% c$ 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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?. {" P" w4 K) e) ^) gWhy might it be a good time to sell?& f! L q" p; p7 T+ ^8 U
- c4 G" _, L1 g) } L, bAt about $370,000 average nationally — and just under $800,000 in Vancouver — home prices are already at record levels. Many observers believe prices are long due for a downward correction of anywhere from 10 per cent to 25 per cent, perhaps more in some of the hottest markets.
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"Home prices to income, housing price to rent, all the indicators are setting off warning signals," said Derek Burleton, a senior economist with TD Bank.
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"If you are purely in it for reaping profits, now is not a bad time to sell" before prices drop.
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4 m! @; H' I$ Z; YThe 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.7 J `- Y7 h* E' Z, m! {
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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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Burleton knows how they feel.+ O5 h3 {$ H/ ~# s& k8 f9 Q
0 z) L' `# t" F) l: 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.! \5 \, x: m2 g- F1 W
. ]1 S: F; ^& q3 c/ E5 dWhile there's no guarantee of a correction, observers note there are additional signs that the housing market could cool off in a big way. X* I: l4 R8 }& S
$ j! I- x7 b' v& I* f) 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.
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3 }6 R7 g) m' }1 A) H. [7 aAnd 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.. e3 H* l, h3 Z8 S9 F
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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.( `- @ f: ^- f( _& n! U: Y9 o, U
3 w8 H: z% y4 P7 S0 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.2 z4 _& p( w2 F0 @ u
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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.2 H& x. ^( t3 J: P2 F4 o
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"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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The market is clearly at or near peak, he said, so soon may indeed be the time to act.$ _. o9 \; h# @# L" i2 y
3 L3 ~, O9 D: ^8 @# lBut 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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