As the city of Saskatoon continues to grow so do the expenses as we saw in the latest Saskatoon Star Phoenix update today. Thankfully council members were not happy with the proposed 4.65% increase in property taxes, instead it will be 3.99%. As it is there are already households in the city who have property taxes upwards of $10,000!?! For my career as a Saskatoon Real Estate agent I get to hear about the already expensive taxes compared to many other cities across Canada.
This reduction in property tax increase does not come without taking it from elsewhere. The Saskatoon City Police are being asked for $150,000 to be trimmed from their budget. If this does not happen the property tax increase will be 4.1%. Sometimes it feels that Saskatoon home owners are penalized but we also have to think about the trickle down effect. If someone owns a Saskatoon revenue house and their taxes go up I would assume the rent would also go up to reflect this inflation.
As a Saskatoon real estate agent I am curious to see how much they spend on the 25th and Idylwyld project as this was under fire all night. Does it need to be beautiful? I vote no! Does it need to function, absolutely. When I am out showing houses for sale in Saskatoon and I have to get from the west side to the east side it is nice to have some options and not have to weave left and right to get to the main bridge.
If you are looking to a buy a house for sale in Saskatoon let me know and I would be more than happy to help out! If you are sick of the taxes and looking to sell your house in Saskatoon in the hopes that the grass is greener elsewhere I would also love to speak to you!
Kari Calder
Century 21 Conexus Realty Ltd
653-8222