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Saskatoon’s Very Own Princess Shop

Tuesday, May 24th, 2011

I just read an article that made me smile and I wanted to pass it along. With all of the negativity, greed, selfishness, rudeness, etc that we endure in a day this article reminded me of my own youth and high school grad. Feels like a lifetime ago because it essentially is!

The Princess Shop, located here in Saskatoon, was featured in the Star Phoenix today. The purpose of this Saskatoon store is to let every girl feel like a princess at grad and not let the dollar amounts that are normally daunting to someone who is not mid to upper class take away from the experience every teen deserves.

Some of the girls are single moms, some of them are totally on their own but still want to succeed and take part and this program gives these girls something they otherwise would not be able to attain. Started in 2007, 2 local Saskatoon women held their first fundraising event in 2008 and that helped give them the momentum to support 39 graduates and it has escalted from there. They got the idea from a program on Oprah.

They are inspiring! As a Saskatoon real estate agent there are many opportunities to volunteer in Saskatoon and I have been volunteering on a financial basis for Easter Seals which is a great program, but I have been looking to find the right opportunity for me to volunteer some of my time as well and this looks like a great place to start! Realtors in Saskatoon often have hectic and crazy schedules that are completely unpredictable but there are other times when we can give more of our time to great causes and I think this one is fantastic!

As a female real estate agent in Saskatoon I recognize the need for mentorship and I really think what this program is about is wonderful. Congrats to the girls who had the vision to start this program and to the girls who have benefited from it!

Posted in Personal, Saskatchewan, Saskatchewan Events, Saskatoon, Saskatoon Events, Saskatoon News | 1 Comment »

New Listing-Home for Sale in Meadowgreen

Wednesday, April 6th, 2011

After getting home from Belize last week I have been sick as a dog but am making a comeback! I have listed 1 new house for sale in Saskatoon today and will be signing up another for tomorrow.

The first house for sale in Saskatoon is located in Meadowgreen. This Meadow Green home for sale is great for families as it has 4 bedrooms (3 up and 1 on the main and a den in the basement). A unique layout ahead of its time as a modified bungalow with 3 large bedrooms (HUGE master and 2nd bedroom) above the garage. Many updates to this Saskatoon home for sale including 2 updated 4 piece bathrooms, fresh paint, some newer flooring, insulation, etc.

This home is located less than 2 minutes walk from WP Bate Community School.

This school is part of a diverse and vibrant community and is a joint project between the City of Saskatoon and the school division. There is a civic multi-purpose room for the use of residents of Meadowgreen and a large gym, performing arts area, computer & science classrooms, etc. There is also kindergarten and pre-kindergarten.

If you are looking to buy a house for sale in Saskatoon call me, your Saskatoon real estate agent, to help you with the most important purchase of your life. If you are looking to sell your house in Saskatoon I am your Saskatoon realtor (r) who will work hard to ensure you are looked after and happy. Ask me about our Century 21 Caravan that ensures you get 10-20 agents through your Saskatoon home for sale within a week of listing.

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

Posted in Current Market, Listings, Personal, Saskatoon, Saskatoon Real Estate | 1 Comment »

Egypt and Jordan-home safe and sound

Wednesday, January 26th, 2011

What a wonderful experience it is to travel abroad, especially during the cold Saskatchewan winters. We arrived home last week from 3 weeks in Jordan and Egypt and what an experience that was!

The weather was warm-ish, the experience was very different, and the history was incredible! There are always things I love and things I hate about traveling to new countries. Love the weather, history, sites, food, etc. Hate the overall filthy state of the 2 countries, lack of care about garbage and no recycling to be seen, and the driving is a love/hate relationship. Shopping, in Canada ‘no thank you’ meann ‘no’ and usually you are done; in Egypt ‘NO!!’ apparently means ‘keep coming at me with a lower price and corner me into your shop and force me to shove you out of my way to get some peace!’

There is nothing like experiencing Petra, Jordan first hand or cruising through the Wadi Rum Desert with its beautiful red sands. Egypt was mind blowing, starting with the pyramids and riding camels and then all of the temples, Valley of the Kings, Luxor, Alexandria, Aswan, etc. Finally ending up in Sharm El Sheikh was a personal favourite as the travels do get exhausting and your head definitely gets filled with knowledge. The resort was the best I have been to, beach was amazing, the water crystal clear, fish everywhere! Peace and tranquility and heat before returning to Saskatoon.

I am thankful for my Saskatoon real estate clients who waited to list their houses for sale in Saskatoon until I returned. I listed four houses for sale in Saskatoon upon my return in a matter of two days; 3 in Warman and 1 in Forest Grove.

I am also thankful for my Saskatoon first time home buyers who also waited for my return. One offer written and accepted and hopefully two more in the next week or so. It is always wonderful to get away but also nice to come back and be busy.

If you are looking to buy a house or condo for sale in Saskatoon give me a shout or if you are looking to sell your house in Saskatoon I look forward to helping you out.

Kari Calder
Century 21 Conexus Realty Ltd
653-8222
karicalder@sasktel.net

Posted in Buyers, Listings, Personal, Saskatchewan Real Estate, Saskatoon, Saskatoon Real Estate | No Comments »

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

Posted in News, Personal, Saskatchewan, Saskatchewan Events, Saskatchewan News, Saskatoon News | No Comments »

Busy with Buyers!

Wednesday, November 10th, 2010

The past couple of weeks have been very busy with people buying houses for sale in Saskatoon. Since the beginning of the month there have been 93 houses or condos for sale in Saskatoon get offers (either firm or conditional). I myself have been busier than usual with showings and clients and I am loving it! It is important for people to undestand all of the hidden costs in purchasing a house for sale in Saskatoon so check out my website for more information or talk to me.

I had a condo for sale in Saskatoon and an offer came in less than 2 weeks later. I have also helped a Saskatoon real estate investor offer on a revenue house for sale in Saskatoon just last week and helped another family find a great family home for sale in Saskatoon to put an offer on.

This week has already been busy and I have a buyer who has an offer on a fantastic new house for sale in Hampton Village and later today I will be heading out with a first time home buyer in Saskatoon to look at condos for sale in Saskatoon. There are quite a few to choose from and some have been sitting for a few months but making phone calls to other Saskatoon realtors I am finding that these listings are getting snapped up!

I’m not sure if people are out looking right now to try to get in before the weather gets too cold in Saskatoon or if they just realize that it is a great time to get into a house for sale in Saskatoon but I have seen many Saskatoon realtors out and about lately so things are picking up!

I think many Saskatoon home buyers are starting to see the advantage of getting in on the low interest rates we are experiencing. It is a great time to buy a house for sale in Saskatoon and there are also a lot of great condos for sale in Saskatoon right now.

I am a Saskatoon real estate agent who works with many first time home buyers in Saskatoon so if you are interested in speaking to me about your Saskatoon real estate needs I would love to talk to you! I have many Saskatoon real estate testimonials from previous clients and can put you in touch with some of the 200+ people I have helped with their Saskatoon real estate transactions in the past few years.

I can also put you in touch with some of the best Saskatoon mortgage broker professionals for your mortgage needs and I can also recommend people from all services needed in your Saskatoon real estate transaction, from home inspectors to appliance sellers! That is part of the benefit of using a Century 21 Saskatoon realtor (r) as we are almost all full service agents! Look out for you from start to end and then some.

Kari Calder
Saskatoon Real Estate Agent
Century 21 Conexus Realty Ltd
306-653-8222

Posted in Buyers, Current Market, Listings, Personal, Saskatoon Real Estate | No Comments »

More Cars than People in Saskatoon?

Friday, September 24th, 2010

According to an article from the Saskatoon Star Phoenix there are more cars than people in Saskatoon. This was the same in 2007. As a real estate agent in Saskatoon I obviously have a car. A car being singular. I can’t do my job without a car.

Our population in Saskatoon is around 220,000 people but there were almost 229,000 registered vehicles in our city. There needs to be a shift as our roads are becoming more congested and only approximately 21% of people do not drive their cars to work. The national average is 28% and it is believe the goal should be more like 30%. It is a hard thing to accomplish though as our only other mode of transportation in Saskatoon is the bus.

It is said that during the past 10 years the number of trips across the Circle Drive bridge jumped by more than 20,000 a day and the commute time has doubled. As a Saskatoon real estate agent I have noticed this drastic change in the amount of time it can take me to get to appointments.

Some of the reasons for the increase in cars has to do with the weath of the city. Many more teenagers now have their own cars in Saskatoon. There are also likley more people out in the work force and the multi-vehicle family is now the norm.

The city of Saskatoon has added a universal bus pass to students, brought in a bus pass program for employers, upgraded the transit network to add rapid routes, and and upgraded bike network? Come on! If we lived in a city that wasn’t -50 in the winter that $2M may have been well spent but I have to say that wasn’t the smartest use of money and I don’t usually have a big opinion on things the city does. Everything else though, great! Will it make a difference? Not likely.

Here are some stats from SGI (Saskatchewan Government Insurance)

Year-People vs Vehicles
1945-42000-6000
1965-106000-39000
1985-176000-128000
2005-206000-197000*
2009-219000-229000*
*including seasonal vehicles

Driving in this city has been less carefree and much more stressful, even in the past 5 years. I have been a Saskatoon real estate agent for over 3 years now and I can tell the difference even in 3 years of spending so much time on the roads. If you are thinking about buying a house for sale in Saskatoon and you want to speak to an experienced Saskatoon real estate agent give me a call and let me make your Saskatoon home buying process successful and enjoyable…even with our traffic!

Kari Calder
Century 21 Saskatoon
653-8222

Posted in Buyers, Current Market, Environment, News, Personal, Saskatchewan, Saskatchewan News, Saskatoon, Saskatoon Events, Saskatoon News, Saskatoon Real Estate | No Comments »

Canadians Are Getting Fatter!

Thursday, September 23rd, 2010

Just as I am trying to get fitter an article comes out like this one in the Star Phoenix that makes me happy I am making the choice to move in the right direction. The results are astounding! Sixty percent of Canadian adults are overweight with 24 percent of people(1 in 4) being obese. I am curious where each province ranks in the order of things. Saskatchewan is probably in the middle? Men are worse off at 66% while women are 54% overweight. I think many of these are realtors in Saskatoon as we spend a lot of time on the run and driving around so take out is a part of life for the busy Saskatoon real estate agent.

Canada follows behind our super-sized neighbours to the South. The worst are the U.S, Mexico, Britain, Australia and New Zealand. Surprisingly, France, with their foie-gras, croissants, cheese, and other rich foods is one of the lowest ones.

The thinnest, Japanese. Only 24% are considered overweight and a mere 3% obese. Maybe we should take more advantage of all the Japanese restaurants in Saskatoon that have popped up over the last year. While Otowa, Yohei, Sushiro and the Samurai have been here forever it seems, we now have had a big influx of Sushi places in Saskatoon. A personal fave of mine is Go for Sushi on 8th Street where Sew and Home used to be. My nieces (5 and 8) LOVE sushi as it was introduced to them at an early age and thought it was funny we had “Gopher Sushi” as that is what they thought the name was. There are also 2 New Island Sushi restaurants and Nagoya. I am probably missing some. Next time Taste of Saskatoon comes around in the summer (popular Saskatoon event) try some sushi if you have never had it. It isn’t all raw fish!

As a busy Saskatoon real estate agent I would love to know if we have a Sushi go round type of place. When I lived in Australia I had one near my home and it was the perfect place to stop for a snack. You sit at an eating bar with strangers and watch a conveyer belt of individually plated sushi go around in front of you and take off whatever you want and are charged by the plate colour. As a realtor in Sasktaoon I would love to have a few of those around the city instead of having to go to a fast food place.

By 2020 it is expected that 3/4 of Americans will be overweight. Canada isn’t expected to get that fat that fast! Hopefully more people will fall in love with Japanese food and rituals and turn our numbers around. It is a big drain on our health care system and not the right way to ‘trim the fat’ of our society when it is said to be the cause of 25,000-40,000 premature deaths in Canada.

If you are a woman of my height (5’5″) and close to 150 lbs you are overweight. If you are around 180 lbs at my height, well, you are obese! So Canada, get off your butts and try to fix those numbers!

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

Posted in News, Personal, Saskatchewan, Saskatchewan Events, Saskatchewan News, Saskatoon, Saskatoon News, Saskatoon Real Estate | No Comments »

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

Posted in Buyers, International Real Estate, News, Personal, Saskatchewan, Saskatoon | No Comments »

Check Your Bank Accounts Saskatoon!

Tuesday, July 20th, 2010

I was just on facebook and saw a note from one of my Saskatoon real estate clients/friends who was victim to ‘card skimming’. I am not sure how much money she lost but I do hope that she is reimbursed as she is a wonderful person who works very hard for her money. As a realtor in Saskatoon I meet many people and stay in touch with as many as I can and it is so hard to hear about a wonderful individual being stolen from. So not fair.

There was an article on News Talk CKOM about the card skimming. Apparently a number of members from Affinity Credit Union were affected but there is not yet a report of how many people were affected or how much money was stolen.

I am glad that I took the weekend off real estate in Saskatoon (well, the weekend from showing my first time home buyers in Saskatoon some houses for sale in Saskatoon) to go home and avoid the latest debit card scam that affected a few of my friends here in Saskatoon.

Apparently they do have someone in custody so I hope that karma and the law gives them what they deserve!

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

Posted in Personal, Saskatchewan, Saskatchewan News, Saskatoon, Saskatoon News | No Comments »

So Proud of My Mom-Saskatchewan Published Author

Tuesday, July 20th, 2010

This past weekend I was able to get away from the busy Saskatoon real estate market to spend time with my family in Estevan, Saskatchewan and be there to support my mother, Saskatchewan Author, Marie Donais Calder.

To learn more about her books, visit her website at http://www.mariedonaiscalder.com/

For a schedule of events you can visit http://www.mariedonaiscalder.com/events.html

My mom has written a series of books about Post World War II and the life of her father, Edmond Donais, and the first one has been published by a Canadian Publisher. She has been working on these books for over 10 years now and her first book launch in her small home town was a great success.

Her perseverance and dedication have paid off. As a realtor in Saskatoon I have learned a lot from my mother and have been lucky enough to have a mom with such a great attitude. It is most often through the influence our parents that we become who we are and I know I couldn’t be such a successful real estate agent in Saskatoon if I didn’t have such great parents.

So congrats to my mom! She has several dates booked for her other signings around the province so contact me if you would like more information.

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

Posted in Personal, Saskatchewan Events, Saskatchewan News, Saskatoon Events | No Comments »

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