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记者的观察
The realities of real estate4 ~0 w0 s4 T0 a1 }; A! f" w
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Published: Friday, October 06, 2006
/ I$ c& Z4 Z* zEDMONTON - With her toolbox in hand and overalls on, newcomer Lisa Laas feels she can conquer the plumbing world in Edmonton.2 b `9 U% J, x4 v# f" H
5 l( y% Z0 B4 C( SThe 29-year-old plumber from Vancouver had no problem finding work in Edmonton with trades people high in demand in Alberta.
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She moved here in December with dreams of being a homeowner, something she could never afford in Vancouver despite four years of saving her money for a down payment.
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But she didn't expect Edmonton's world of hot housing where the law of successful buying seems to consist of three elements: speed, cash and no conditions.
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# g6 S7 J" ^; E" M"It absolutely scared me," she says. "I moved here for a house, and all of a sudden a townhouse went from $105,000 to $155,000 and I'm going, 'Oh my gosh. I have to buy really quick.' I've seen it in Vancouver and now I'm starting to see it here and it's frustrating."
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* Y" C% I) I6 j8 k i7 mLaas started looking in February. She had hoped to buy a house for $160,000, but soon realized she had to change her plans. A townhouse would have to do.1 c' r! ^; C7 Z8 P7 f* a8 n
7 r$ l7 W7 B& \7 S! j1 Q1 GBut she has lost out on four places since beginning her search for a house.+ ~9 r }0 B, M p1 P% @
4 e0 s2 i+ V0 M/ p% RShe's been outbidded, "out-offered" and "outconditioned."2 X$ T& F ]. A5 @
& J! e0 `/ T/ A0 OOne house, the one she really wanted in the northwest neighbourhood of Calder, went on the market at 4 p.m. and had multiple offers by 6 p.m. so Laas walked away. In two other instances, other buyers had fewer conditions on their bid to purchase a townhouse, so her offer was dismissed.
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% e$ u. G, y6 a8 L6 @% A, \- mLaas says she was in tears because of the experience. She has given up working with a real estate agent to look for a home. She says she's backed off the whole thing, but she keeps her eye open every now and then.; J/ S0 B, I( n! z% P' g. z6 O/ a
- `- d5 D% \' }& x* \0 MForty-five-year-old Cheryl Daly is also having a tough time finding an affordable home for her 12-year-old son and a 16-year-old daughter.7 r4 K4 u0 M F: r( F4 b1 M1 K: P
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She left a 23-marriage and a 1,700-square-foot home last year. She works as an administrator and now rents a three-bedroom townhouse.
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- R2 G0 H$ m) Q2 `# E2 F% n; sBack in April, she started looking for a home, something in the $170,000 range. "I would like to have a half duplex even, but with the prices and with my status, I know that's not realistic," she says.
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So Daly has been checking out townhouses, but even that has been difficult for her.$ d9 Q+ n. f: q5 Q
. B4 N" A2 B5 X' e$ W"The places, when they come up, if they're at a decent price, they're gone really quickly," she says, "so it's a matter of timing."8 F" S8 D# m3 Z: S- p
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Time has not been her friend. Every month the prices of homes in Edmonton climb higher.5 d) h) {% d, O% Q- ^7 J9 H, s7 @
# E1 _' m, M, h; L4 VAn average single dwelling unit in Edmonton sold for $316, 480 in August this year. An average townhouse, which includes the price of duplexes, sold for $262,327 in the same month. Last year in August an average townhouse sold for $175,922.
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- o. W, |* [, hThe president of the Edmonton Real Estate Board, Madeline Sarafinchan, says the hot market is tough for first-time homeowners and single people., r& n4 a3 I q) B
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"It's definitely making people think about what their options are," Sarafinchan says. "They're having to look at things that maybe are not as what they would have termed as desirable."
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That may mean sellers are not as open to "conditions" on offers as they used to be -- such as a house inspection before the deal is finalized. |
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