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记者的观察
The realities of real estate, c4 U# _) T: a+ g' n+ ?. G# |$ f L
% T" I, `, T% R% ^Published: Friday, October 06, 2006
3 v/ E/ z. i* J6 D2 o0 f( O0 IEDMONTON - With her toolbox in hand and overalls on, newcomer Lisa Laas feels she can conquer the plumbing world in Edmonton.5 i( r& J* A6 G) u
$ \3 H9 D9 |' V: V8 H7 p" k5 nThe 29-year-old plumber from Vancouver had no problem finding work in Edmonton with trades people high in demand in Alberta.* D t' c8 V0 J( i7 K' y
1 ^. b X. b& o+ Y% b0 p" oShe 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.1 A3 a6 W% u8 n& I/ B3 Q' f. s
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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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( c; H3 _7 Q8 Q7 ^- w8 j. c"It absolutely scared me," she says. "I moved here for a house, and all of a sudden a townhouse went from $105,000 to $155,000 and I'm going, 'Oh my gosh. I have to buy really quick.' I've seen it in Vancouver and now I'm starting to see it here and it's frustrating."8 u$ v8 G6 F( W" T8 ~/ a4 Q8 U
5 O4 X) u9 |( S8 ~Laas started looking in February. She had hoped to buy a house for $160,000, but soon realized she had to change her plans. A townhouse would have to do.$ F/ V2 g( O" p v( j9 Y+ o# R; Z
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But she has lost out on four places since beginning her search for a house.# z# S% t) ~5 B+ ~9 b8 p% O
+ h) a! d( e9 F0 l7 m' b! _She's been outbidded, "out-offered" and "outconditioned."
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One 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., U* W) c5 N9 }8 V+ J
: K' Z7 V7 P+ r! R& XLaas 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.
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" T0 \; M4 g/ F) QForty-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.
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- n: {5 K& Z- p4 Z6 E5 F3 a; ZShe 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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$ z0 s0 S& B, O5 C% A9 t9 c' hBack 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.+ b! O/ _& X2 U( U- e! T
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So Daly has been checking out townhouses, but even that has been difficult for her.) m1 L% t7 F% g' U+ A& m1 G9 ]9 c: Q
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"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."
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Time has not been her friend. Every month the prices of homes in Edmonton climb higher.
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# m- \* ?( ?; p" EAn 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 $175,922.$ \& k0 C. L% h3 Z. M/ G9 e
$ p- N& S* v y/ x a+ DThe president of the Edmonton Real Estate Board, Madeline Sarafinchan, says the hot market is tough for first-time homeowners and single people.: O1 w4 g' \/ P: ~, _ w3 D
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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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* v" V7 |" @4 k* \5 ?2 J8 nThat 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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