Archive for the ‘News’ Category

Vancouver-how embarassing!

Thursday, June 16th, 2011

While I am more of a bandwagon hockey fan and am always proud to support Canadian teams (although they are most often just owned by Canada and not many Canadians actually ON the teams!?) I am embarassed by some of the fans in Vancouver after last nights loss. Going to game 7 and losing is nothing to be ashamed or angered about yet out of hand fans who were fuelled by drinking and mass hysteria gave in to the mob mentality and destroyed our reputation and a lot of physical property.

Normally us Canadians are so proud to be Canadian we wear our flags on our sleeves and our backpacks and wherever else we can stick it. Unfortunately, this incident has made national and world wide news and gained a lot of attention and will forever be remembered by the world. I’m still proud to be Canadian but happy to be from Saskatoon!

Unfortunate how such a small group of angry people can destroy an image. It was nice to see others in the crowd stand up to these troublemakers at the risk of having themselves harmed but to do the right thing. 100,000 people in one square can lead to disaster when people get out of hand and what could have been a good example of how peaceful Canadians are and how proud we are of our teams instead is a worldwide embarassment.

In the age of technology I am thankful that many of these guys will be caught and charged and hopefully will face lasting consequences to their stupidity.

I look forward to meeting with some clients this weekend who are looking at buying one of the houses for sale in Saskatoon and are coming from BC to see their reaction to the events. I also have a couple of Saskatoon real estate clients who have recently sold their house in Saskatoon and moved to British Columbia so I will be sure to touch base with them to see how this has affected them.

Kari Calder
Century 21 Conexus Realty Ltd
Saskatoon, SK

Sad Moment in Canadian History

Monday, November 29th, 2010

Well, there are 2 sad things to report today; the Saskatchewan Roughriders and the passing of Leslie Nielson. Our Saskatchewan boys played hard but Montreal played harder and proved themselves to be the true champs this year. Saskatoon was a quiet town after the game. I went to 2 different houses to watch the game, both Saskatoon real estate clients of mine, and saw the enthusiasm dwindling.

Many people probably don’t even know that Leslie Nielsen was actually a Saskatchewan boy, born in Regina in 1926. He played over 220 characters and appeared in over 100 films and 1500 TV programs.

Monday is a day for mourning here in Saskatchewan with those 2 things combined.

Kari Calder
Century 21 Conexus Realty Ltd
Saskatoon, SK
306-653-8222

 

I Thought We Had Traffic Problems!

Wednesday, August 25th, 2010

Residents of Saskatoon, be happy with our commuting time even during construction season. As a Saskatoon realtor I get a bit annoyed during construction season as I sometimes get caught up in traffic or can see the Saskatoon house for sale that I want to show my Saskatoon home buyer but I can’t quite get to the house for sale in Saskatoon by car…which is why we have feet! I recently read an article in the Star Phoenix where thousands of vehicles going to Beijing were in a traffic jam-for some up to 9 days!?

The reason for their traffic jam is the same as our traffic slowness, maintenance projects. Trucks that have been carrying more than 8 tonnes of cargo (coal or fruit) are responsible for damaging the roads. The don’t expect the delays to be up until mid-September.

Many of the drivers passed the time sleeping, reading, texting (can this be considered texting while driving? Lets hope for their sanity no!)

But, these traffic jams have been good for some. Hotels have popped up along this stretch of road as it is known to be problematic.

Traffic won’t get any better in Beijing. According to one traffic official the amount of new cars on the road in Beijing increases 1900 per day. The average speed of a car during morning commuting hour is 14.5 mph and by 2015 it is expected to drop to 9 mph. Los Angeles has similar traffic issues but their average speed during the morning commute is 20 mph.

The Chinese are developing what they call a “super bus” which would straddle 2 lanes of traffic and allow cars to drive underneath which would transport as many as 1400 commuters. It is expected to be tested for the first time in coming months. Wouldn’t a train be easier and safer?

SO the next time a Saskatoonian complains about their 20 minute commute be thankful we aren’t in Beijing!

As a Saskatoon realtor I drive a lot showing houses for sale in Saskatoon so I tend to get a bit cranky if I get caught up and am even a few minutes late for an appointment. The next time I am out showing houses for sale in Saskatoon I will be happy that I am a realtor in Saskatoon and not trying to sell real estate in China!

Kari Calder
Saskatoon Realtor (r)
Century 21 Conexus Realty Ltd

Roughriders #1-First time in 33 Years!

Monday, November 9th, 2009

For the first time since 1976 the Saskatchewan Roughriders The Saskatchewan Roughriders are the best in the West! Mosaic Stadium in Regina saw a sold out crowd of 30945 and hosted the game against the Calgary Stampeders, who we dominated 30-14.

Some fans, my mom and dad from Estevan included, have been waiting 33 years for a victory like this. The Riders still have one more victory to attain before moving on to the Grey Cup in Calgary on November 29, 2009.

It is a big thing for the team, for the city of Regina, for the province of Saskatchewan and for the fans to be the host of the Western final. So now it is between the Stampeders and the Eskimos to see who will be up against the Riders in the Western Final.

If there is one thing about Saskatchewan I can say it is we are all proud to be from Saskatchewan and we have fans right across the country. Yes, it gets stupidly cold here in the winter in Saskatchewan, but besides the weather our province is home to a lot of great things and I think any football player in the CFL will say that Saskatchewan fans are the most loyal! But, my opinion is a bit biased 🙂

Go Riders!

Kari Calder
Real Estate Specialist

Century 21 Conexus Realty Ltd Saskatoon

Fintrac Petition

Monday, July 27th, 2009

There is a new petition circling around the Saskatchewan real estate community from a Regina Century 21 agent, but I am wholeheartedly against this petition regarding taking personal information when buying or selling a house in Saskatoon. The realtor in Regina has some good points about the collection and use of confidential information, but as long as the realtor who is taking the information complies with the regulations, the original and only copies will be sent to Ottawa and we, nor our offices, will not have any of the client’s private information on hand.

I have experienced clients attempting to launder money through real estate in Saskatoon and this new legislation has put them off from purchasing a house for sale in Saskatoon, for the time being, until they find a way around it. Even when the market was starting to slow I was getting calls from people who wanted to buy a house in Saskatoon to ‘flip’ but I was suspicious as they were looking for people they could pay cash to fix it up. Chances are, money was being laundered this way as the sellers would turn around and sell it and not necessarily make much (if anything) but their money would have been ‘cleaned’ so to speak.

Unfortunately, this does not prevent criminals from buying a house in Saskatoon privately and then turning around and putting the house for sale in Saskatoon privately, but buyers (and private sellers in Saskatoon) need to be aware that they may be helping aid in terrorism and crime.

I have had to provide my ID when buying RRSP’s, and I certainly wasn’t spending close to what a person spends when buying a house for sale in Saskatoon, or anywhere for that matter!

I am realtor in Saskatoon who is okay with taking photo ID from people who are buying a house in Saskatoon or selling a house in Saskatoon with me as their Saskatoon realtor as I would rather not deal with people who may be aiding in terrorism. Unfortunately, there are realtors in Saskatoon, and every other city, who are less concerned with ethics and more concerned with making money, but even they are forced to comply now and take ID from every client.

Kari Calder
Saskatoon Real Estate Agent
Century 21 Conexus Realty Ltd.

Housing Starts Down In Saskatoon

Monday, July 27th, 2009

For the first half of 2009 the housing starts in Saskatoon have fallen by a whopping 78%. We are down to 342 new houses in Saskatoon from 1574 new houses in Saskatoon started in the first 6 months of 2008. Multiple family starts dropped an astounding 93% from 754 to only 53 in the first 6 months this year while single family homes dropped from 820 in 2008 to 289 in 2009.

The decline has to do with many factors, but the overall economic downturn is a big part of that but our slowing of new housing in Saskatoon also has a lot to do with following one of the busiest years in history. Many builders were also trying to get rid of last year’s inventory as well as there are still many vacant new homes in Saskatoon. This helps the existing homes for sale in Saskatoon as the inventory of new homes in Saskatoon is starting to clean up.

Houses for sale in Saskatoon have been reduced in number in June with many more sold signs popping up. June did see more housing starts than in earlier months with 116 single family starts, but still down 28% from last June. Regina has also seen a decrease in new housing while Moose Jaw, Prince Albert, and Yorkton saw increases in houses being built.

Kari Calder
Saskatoon Real Estate Agent
Century 21 Conexus Realty Ltd.

Dying To Twitter

Saturday, June 27th, 2009

I am a Saskatoon realtor ® who is all for technology and utilizing the latest tools with technology. I recently signed up for a Twitter account. I am still not quite sure how I plan to use my Twitter account to better my Saskatoon Real Estate career…perhaps updates on new listings, recent sales, etc.

I do know that I do not plan to use my Twitter while sitting in a bathtub full of water while my laptop is plugged into the wall. Unfortunately, there are those out there who do Twitter whilst tubbing…which is definitely odd no matter what, but definitely not a good idea while your laptop is not running just on battery power.

Recently, in Romania a 17 year old girl had something of a marathon Tweet session while in the tub. Her battery died so she proceeded to plug her laptop into the wall. Unfortunately, GFI plugs must not be mandatory there like they are in North America, as she was discovered dead this past weekend, after dropping her laptop in the tub. Whether she had wet hands when she plugged it in or it slipped while she was in the tub is unclear, but what is clear is that bathtubs and laptops don’t mix.

It is unfortunate that such a death occurred, although I have a feeling we will be reading about this one in the popular bathroom series, best selling The Darwin Awards…which is safe to read in the tub as long as it is in paperback or hardcover, not online.

Kari Calder
Saskatoon Real Estate Agent
Century 21 Conexus Realty Ltd.

Saskjobs Website Breaking Records!

Saturday, June 27th, 2009

With not even half of 2009 behind us Saskjobs.ca has already had more than 3 million people visit, looking for jobs in Saskatchewan. In 2008 the website saw 3 million visitors at the 267 day mark, whereas in 2009 it has hit 3 million users in just 158 days.

Jobs in Saskatchewan seem to have everyone interested across the country. Visits from Ontario are up an impressive 262%, BC up 198%, and Alberta up 101%. From outside of Canada visits are up by 87%.

Saskatchewan jobs are enticing people from all over the world and more people are looking to the province as a place of opportunity, especially with the global economy as it is. Advanced Education, Employment and Labour Minister Rob Norris has commented on Saskatchewan having recorded its highest employment levels and its 38th consecutive month of employment growth in May of 2009.

I have spoken with business owners in Saskatoon and also people who work in HR for some of the larger Saskatoon based companies and they have also mentioned the increase in applications from other provinces.

Saskatchewan also has the highest levels of optimism among small to medium sized businesses in Canada.

As a Saskatoon Realtor ® I also get random calls from people from all over the country and also in the US looking for houses for sale in Saskatoon and looking for jobs in Saskatoon. Driving around I see many more Ontario license plates out front of houses for sale in Saskatoon as myself and other Saskatoon realtors are helping out of province people buy houses for sale in Saskatoon.

Kari Calder
Saskatoon Real Estate Agent
Century 21 Conexus Realty Ltd.

No More Brain Drain Here Anymore

Monday, June 22nd, 2009

As opposed to in the past when brain drain was a very common occurrence with nurses in Saskatchewan, recent studies of graduates are now showing that degree-earning nurses in Saskatchewan are getting jobs that they are happy with and staying in Saskatchewan. Lorna Butler, Dean of the College of Nursing at the U of S states that “We are graduating nurses who are loyal to the province and happy to serve the people of Saskatchewan” in a news release on Tuesday.

The Nursing Education Program of Saskatchewan (NEPS) is a program that gathers information from former students each year as well as those who graduated 2 and 5 years ago. The survey shows that 98.5% of graduates are employed 5 years after graduating and 85% receive job offers right before or right after graduating and 93.1% of 4-year degree students and 83.8% of accelerated degree grads stay in Saskatchewan after graduation from nursing college. Saskatchewan nursing graduates expressed 90.8%satisfaction with both their education and nursing as a career.

Even with all of the locally educated nurses staying in the province Saskatchewan still requires nurses from other countries such as the Phillipines. I have been lucky enough to help a couple of nurses from the Phillipines buy a house for sale in Saskatoon and hope to help more nurses from the Phillipines buy houses for sale in Saskatoon.

Kari Calder
Saskatoon Real Estate Agent
Century 21 Conexus Realty Ltd.

Average House Price In Saskatchewan Up 4%

Monday, June 22nd, 2009

Average house prices in Saskatchewan were up 4% in May thanks to increases in 4 Saskatchewan cities. The average house price in Sask is now $242,829. While the average home price in Saskatoon is down 7% from last May to $279, 477 this year, the average price of a house for sale in Regina is up 12% to $263, 424.

The other 3 Saskatchewan communities that are posting record average prices are Yorkton, Swift Current, and Prince Albert.

The Saskatoon real estate market has seen stabilizing prices with listings down and sales up and it is expected that sales will remain steady.

President of CREA, Regina broker Dale Ripplinger, says that sales activity is closer to the pre-recession peak than the trough hit in January. Several things are helping buyers purchase houses for sale in Saskatoon such as improved consumer confidence, low interest rates, and better affordability.

If you are looking to buy a house for sale in Saskatoon call your local Saskatoon realtor ® Kari Calder as I can help you with purchasing any house for sale in Saskatoon, whether it be a private sale or a Saskatoon MLS property.

Kari Calder
Saskatoon Real Estate Agent
Century 21 Conexus Realty Ltd.