 鲜花( 2)  鸡蛋( 0)
|
记者的观察
The realities of real estate
4 P, W0 M% T+ Z* W: `( s1 i' W/ U5 V( ~( Q: r& X8 n
Published: Friday, October 06, 2006
9 l T9 q" w* D3 R9 UEDMONTON - With her toolbox in hand and overalls on, newcomer Lisa Laas feels she can conquer the plumbing world in Edmonton.
; m* ~" A8 s1 M: Q
% s N9 o, ?4 a0 c1 w9 h6 k/ v" ]The 29-year-old plumber from Vancouver had no problem finding work in Edmonton with trades people high in demand in Alberta.* f- r% m6 }: ] v# ~; b$ d$ A
8 `, j7 e& w. v1 [9 r A9 HShe 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.& H% ~! w: a5 ?9 i" N' R0 m
/ `, V3 y: u+ @0 e+ z0 F
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.! Y7 L3 F7 ^% R' x3 ^( T4 ~
7 H& N4 F. \9 d$ u! x) B8 O"It absolutely scared me," she says. "I moved here for a house, and all of a sudden a townhouse went from $105,000 to $155,000 and I'm going, 'Oh my gosh. I have to buy really quick.' I've seen it in Vancouver and now I'm starting to see it here and it's frustrating."
& d) r [! E6 H9 j' z
8 q y1 C! q, j! b" m$ Z9 [' h0 gLaas started looking in February. She had hoped to buy a house for $160,000, but soon realized she had to change her plans. A townhouse would have to do.
; N* ]1 p& U0 `5 g7 o/ F7 d; F8 D! Q' a& V
But she has lost out on four places since beginning her search for a house.5 M7 Q, {- ]( w
* a! @" z+ S) c1 D! Q7 ]3 N/ `* X
She's been outbidded, "out-offered" and "outconditioned."3 r' `( G3 f- O) R' o
3 @4 {( _6 @, o. _, A4 POne house, the one she really wanted in the northwest neighbourhood of Calder, went on the market at 4 p.m. and had multiple offers by 6 p.m. so Laas walked away. In two other instances, other buyers had fewer conditions on their bid to purchase a townhouse, so her offer was dismissed.' H7 o- `: I9 _
1 ~( S6 U6 N+ rLaas says she was in tears because of the experience. She has given up working with a real estate agent to look for a home. She says she's backed off the whole thing, but she keeps her eye open every now and then., v; P2 u. e, Y; I t
7 t6 v4 M! e( W+ s2 iForty-five-year-old Cheryl Daly is also having a tough time finding an affordable home for her 12-year-old son and a 16-year-old daughter.
' o" M. L5 i$ v( v4 ~3 r# ]1 `2 @( `5 ^# S: U
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.9 C: ^/ J9 V: k- Y
/ a. s. L u5 rBack in April, she started looking for a home, something in the $170,000 range. "I would like to have a half duplex even, but with the prices and with my status, I know that's not realistic," she says.
x- u4 I; f- ?9 U% ?$ d
& i6 M U+ a) {; b8 K9 BSo Daly has been checking out townhouses, but even that has been difficult for her.4 S) v* N2 b W( R& L9 O. ]
9 }/ n: Q& }7 D2 |
"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."
, o: s. y5 [( B6 O$ d
1 | I5 F& a, l5 J j fTime has not been her friend. Every month the prices of homes in Edmonton climb higher./ C" q {0 M+ U+ F) m
% P. m' z' ?" S8 x \1 M5 D
An 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 $175,922.
; b$ R8 j: N. |2 n2 z# C' g$ j! Y! I+ H! z
The president of the Edmonton Real Estate Board, Madeline Sarafinchan, says the hot market is tough for first-time homeowners and single people.
# E4 F0 ?4 b5 S. d5 m n$ V% U2 K$ d2 c4 w+ z/ e) ^
"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."5 k3 i; J+ h* O( M5 d
) } r/ ~9 u) t9 W$ |
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. |
|