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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" b" C/ Q/ I6 b6 `% D
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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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3 q W" G; U; U/ p' J+ b$ OPeople 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.- w) v0 S- F3 k/ B& _) J
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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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Why might it be a good time to sell?" c( H1 D( \* l2 F
5 M. z$ D# N, g! R5 T3 t5 aAt about $370,000 average nationally — and just under $800,000 in Vancouver — home prices are already at record levels. Many observers believe prices are long due for a downward correction of anywhere from 10 per cent to 25 per cent, perhaps more in some of the hottest markets.# G$ T5 Q4 S8 F$ X/ z
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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. x4 t* J$ E3 A3 S4 Q
7 w6 Q- Y# b k3 p8 m" T; j. j"If you are purely in it for reaping profits, now is not a bad time to sell" before prices drop., K2 x M9 s# Q3 L \9 G# M) x+ j( u
# V7 A& \. w% [# ]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.3 y- O2 a3 }3 V) r1 C' O: U
" V/ j7 v0 e+ h0 q { @/ NOf 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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! r; f4 D1 w6 P! Q# x0 O& o2 NBurleton 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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5 w% R8 A; d' |% I9 F/ R' ^2 L. kWhile there's no guarantee of a correction, observers note there are additional signs that the housing market could cool off in a big way.& l) f; S( N: z+ ?* Y8 z+ F
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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.$ T# @8 w% @' @* s8 R
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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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D R( P% L) JIn 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.# K/ I9 F$ t6 C7 P3 l+ Z7 G
' Q7 `5 l# ]: M/ H& B. RMeanwhile, 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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; k) }, }# }) c5 Q6 q; ?That is a hard indicator that homes are over-valued, but also that renting is relatively cheap compared to buying.
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% ]" N, |3 u$ s& c: FDavid 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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5 k9 W$ `; e- f3 z3 g; k"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."7 g) A9 v$ f" ^1 X4 {
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The market is clearly at or near peak, he said, so soon may indeed be the time to act.! `2 k' U& X& I$ x9 ~, s/ A
% J) m5 z6 \, U. G- l5 i4 RBut 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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