According to an article in the Financial Post today, housing starts are expected to continue to rebound in the fourth quarter of 2009 and into 2010 as inventories decline and demand increases.
Home contruction is forecase to reach just under 142,000 homes in 2009 and rise to almost 165,000 in 2010, according to the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation.
CMHC Chief Economist, Bob Dugan, is optimistic and expects the housing market across Canada to continue to strengthen as the economic conditions continue to improve.
Existing home sales are expected to reach over 441,000 in 2009 and up to over 445,000 in 2010. Average house price is also slated to increase from just under $313,000 in 2009 to $324,500 in 2010.
We are already seeing the rebound in Saskatoon Real Estate with the markets having picked up substantially since July, 2009. If you are looking to buy or sell your house in Saskatoon, contact me for all of your Saskatoon Real Estate needs.
Archive for the ‘Saskatchewan’ Category
Home Starts Rebounding Right into 2010
Monday, November 2nd, 2009C21-#1 Fundraiser in Canada Award Goes to C21 Saskatoon!
Monday, November 2nd, 2009I am proud to be one of 62 realtors with Century 21 in Saskatoon! CREA (The Canadian Real Estate Association) has ranked Century 21 Conexus Realty in Saskatoon as the #1 Fundraiser in Canada since 2004!
What does that mean? That means our company has beat out every other company, organization, etc across the country in our fundraising efforts for EVERY fundraiser held by every real estate organization in the country, for 6 years in a row!
Century 21 in Saskatoon and the Century 21 realtors in Saskatoon, along with all of the support staff and their families, have raised funds for Easter Seals Camps. In the summer the 24 hour relay raised almost $40,000 and in September the popular Easter Seals Drop Zone raised more than $12,000. Realtors in Saskatoon with Century 21 and support staff alike harnessed themselves to the side of a high rise building and rappel downwards. But not this Saskatoon realtor ®. I prefer to stand and cheer on my fellow Saskatoon realtors and our amazing support staff. They support us in our daily jobs but also join in the support to send more than 6000 kids with disabilities annually to camp in 22 locations.
Way to go Century 21 in Saskatoon! If you want to help support Easter Seals then you can buy or sell a house through a Century 21 representitive in Saskatoon.
Kari Calder
Century 21 Conexus Realty Ltd.
Residential Real Estate Specialist
H1N1 Prevention in Saskatoon
Sunday, November 1st, 2009Until recently, I was skeptical of the H1N1 virus that has been getting all sorts of hype in the media.
The story of the La Ronge girl who has battled with various health issues in her short 6 ½ years and was never able to speak, walk, or eat without being tube fed caught my attention. She contracted and died of H1N1 in the Saskatoon Health Care System. Her family is not blaming anyone or pointing fingers, but they are advocates for increased awareness and for setting an example of prevention efforts.
Her father, the general manager of a busy La Ronge Hotel, has come up with many ways to help prevent the spread of H1N1 in Saskatchewan. Between him and his staff, they came up with at least 30 ways to help prevent the spread of H1N1.
We all need to step up if we see people coughing, sneezing etc without covering their mouths at all or not properly covering their mouths (with their sleeve, shoulder, anything BUT their hands as that is one of the ways any air born disease can spread).
Walk away, in the opposite direction, from someone who doesnt cover their mouth.
Speak up! If you are in the bathroom and see people not washing their hands or washing them properly, dont care how you look but tell them! It is only education that can help prevent the spread of diseases in general.
Carry disinfectant on you and use it often.
Spray door handles in your home, office, anywhere you can!
At one Saskatoon open house an agent from Century 21 in Saskatoon told us about his experience with his clients. The people, whose house for sale in Saskatoon, actually put a chair at the front door with hand sanitizer and a note reading If you wish to view our home, you must sanitize your hands before entering. I thought this was very smart as, being a realtor in Saskatoon, there are so many times we are in and out of 10 houses or more in a day and constantly being bombarded with germs. I carry hand sanitizer in my car and use it often; also use it to wipe down my car steering wheel, handles, gear shift, radio buttons, etc. As a real estate agent in Saskatoon we are constantly in contact with people and shaking hands, it is a part of business.
I often offer hand disinfectant to my clients who are buying houses for sale in Saskatoon as it is generally in my car and some houses are not that clean! Some houses for sale in Saskatoon appear clean, but you cant see those germs until it is too late.
So, the lesson is: dont aid in the spread of H1N1 or any other disease, take care to wash your hands, cover your mouth properly, and disinfect yourself and family members and any physical locations you can.
Kari Calder
Saskatoon Real Estate Agent
Century 21 Conexus Realty Ltd.
Canada Out of the Recession
Saturday, October 31st, 2009I think we have all seen evidence of this, but economists are saying that we are officially out of the recession. The sign of a recession is 3 out of the 4 quarters in a decline. We are now in our third quarter of increase in a row which means that it is pretty safe to say the recession of 2009 is over. Economists are predicting a 2.6% growth in 2010 and Canadas confidence is the highest it has been since 2007. Overall, the average price of homes across Canada is estimated to see an increase of 2.1% in 2010 which is a great prediction.
Canada’s recession is over and the country will lead all G-7 peers in economic growth next year, paced by Alberta’s strong energy sector, said Benjamin Tal, senior economist with CIBC World Markets Inc.
Canada can expect to see two per cent economic growth in 2010 and 3.8 per cent in 2011 with Alberta’s economy growing by 2.5 per cent next year followed by four per cent growth in 2011, he said.
“We had a terrible recession. A year ago people thought it’s the end of the world. . . . There’s no question about the fact that, a year ago, comparing the situation to 1929 and the Great Depression was not only wrong, but also irresponsible,” said Tal, who was in Calgary Friday speaking at the Alberta Mortgage Brokers Association’s annual conference.
“Clearly it was a severe financial crisis, but it was not 1929. I think that’s very important to remember. This recession came to an end relatively quickly in Canada largely because of the fact this was not a made-in-Canada recession. This was a made-in-the-U. S. recession.”
So on that note, now is the best time for buyers to start buying houses for sale in Saskatoon before the prices go back up! Contact your Saskatoon realtor or if you dont have a real estate agent in Saskatoon contact Kari Calder with Century 21 in Saskatoon.
Kari Calder
Saskatoon Real Estate Specialist
Century 21 Conexus Realty Ltd. Saskatoon
Gene Simmons of KISS to Speak in Saskatoon
Sunday, October 25th, 2009Can’t get tickets to see KISS on November 10th? Feeling a bit too old to rock out anyways? You can see him speak at the Saskatchewan Young Professionals and Entrepreneurs luncheon on November 11th, the day after the Kiss concert in Saskatoon.
With great thanks to a friend of mine, Janea Bellay (who is also a great life and health insurance and mutual funds advisor in Saskatoon), SYPE has landed Gene Simmons to speak as he knows about business, marketing and he is also a great entrepreneur.
Way to go Janea!
For more information or tickets to this Saskatoon event, see below:
The business luncheon runs from noon to 1:30 p.m. at TCU Place, with doors opening at 11:30 p.m. The event includes a question-and-answer session with Simmons. Tickets cost $75 plus GST. They can be purchased at www.sype.ca/Saskatoon/home.html
Maybe I should go and see if Gene Simmons wants to buy a house for sale in Saskatoon . After all, his long time partner, Shannon Tweed, is from Saskatoon.
Kari Calder
Saskatoon Residential Real Estate Specialist
Century 21 Conexus Realty Ltd.
Saskatchewan Medical Isotopes
Monday, July 27th, 2009Saskatchewan is formally going to bid to produce medical isotopes. This was confirmed on Wednesday but Premiere Brad Wall. The proposal, currently being worked on by U of S and government officials, is to be completed by the end of July.
The federal government is dealing with the current shortage of medical isotopes and they are seeking input in how to rectify the situation.
Medical isotopes are radioactive material used in diagnostic tests such as MRIs and Saskatoon, among the rest of the world, has been having to cancel them due to the shortage caused by the shut down of Chalk River in Ontario. The Chalk River reactor was supplying approximately 1/3 of the worlds medical isotopes and it will now be shut down until the end of the year.
Brad Wall has been campaigning to add some value to uranium that is mined in Saskatchewan. He is taking this process and consultation process seriously. While we are not spending any money yet, Wall says that we are just seeing if we can get the federal government to consider Saskatchewan as a place that could supply these very important isotopes.
The cost of building a reactor would have to be paid for by the federal government and partners from the private sector.
Wall believes there is an opportunity for Saskatchewan to take a leading role in nuclear medicine and that we should be exploring this opportunity.
It was here in Saskatchewan in 1949 that the first cobalt-60 treatment was tried. This saved a woman who was battling cervical cancer.
Promoters of Canadas nuclear industry made a direct pitch to Saskatoon business people last week. Their aim was to show that a nuclear power plant in Saskatchewan would create jobs and generate other economic benefits. Neil Alexander, president of the Organization of CANDU Industries, told a lunch time audience at the Chamber of Commerce that the promoters of nuclear power also need to address the concerns of safety. He states that so far, in Canada, no member of the public has been harmed in any way by 40 years of used fuel storage. With the medical isotope shortage crisis he brings a good point; “If radioactivity is so unsafe which, you know, people have been telling us for years and years and years why is it, now that we don’t have enough for them to inject in their veins, that they are complaining?”
Of course there are people who are emphatically against nuclear anything, but when it comes down to saving their life or a loved ones life, I think they would be less opinionated.
The Saskatoon real estate market, of course, would benefit from this. The economy in Saskatchewan would be further ahead as well.
Kari Calder
Saskatoon Real Estate Agent
Century 21 Conexus Realty Ltd.
3 New Cougar Kitties Call Saskatoon Home
Monday, July 27th, 2009One of the newest groups to find a home in Saskatoon are 3 cougar kittens. These kittens will be on display at the Saskatoon Forestry Farm Park and Zoo in the Childrens zoo. They were removed from their aggressive mom in the Cypress Hills Region. Park Officials removed the cubs and they are now being fostered here in Saskatoon. They are about 8 weeks old and arrived at their new home in Saskatoon in early June. They have been hand-raised by staff since their arrival and will be ready for viewing this Saturday, July 11. Come down with your family to welcome the new cubs to their new Saskatoon home.
Kari Calder
Saskatoon Real Estate Agent
Century 21 Conexus Realty Ltd.
Saskjobs Website Breaking Records!
Saturday, June 27th, 2009With 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.
Saskatoon Population Rises Again
Saturday, June 27th, 2009Statistics Canada released figures today that show that our population in Saskatchewan continues to grow and is the highest it has been in 20 years. In the first quarter of 2009, Saskatchewan grew by 3282 people which brings our province up to 1,027,092 people which is the highest since July 1, 1988. In the past year (from April to April) our province has grown by 15048 people. We notice this in the Saskatoon real estate market as the amount of homes for sale in Saskatoon has been staying quite steady with speculators now out but personal use home buyers taking over.
These numbers reflect that our province is still a place where people look for opportunity and it also shows that Saskatchewans economy is resilient and strong. We lead the country in employment growth which means more people moving to Saskatchewan but also more people staying in Saskatchewan to work and raise their families.
Our largest supplier of in-migrration this year was from Ontario as there was a net migration from Ontario to Saskatchewan of 889 people. Alberta led the in-migration for the country with Saskatchewan coming in second.
The Saskatoon real estate market reflects this in-migration as does the amount of Ontario license plates to be seen in our city. While in 2006-2008 we saw a lot of Alberta plates, this year Ontario is outnumbering them.
If you are looking to buy a house for sale in Saskatoon or want to speak to a Realtor ® in Saskatoon, give me a call or send me an email. I am an efficient Saskatoon realtor ® and put my buyers first.
Kari Calder
Saskatoon Real Estate Agent
Century 21 Conexus Realty Ltd.
No More Brain Drain Here Anymore
Monday, June 22nd, 2009As 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.