1. September 2010 by Kari Calder.

Summer generally slows down home sales in Saskatoon as many people are off enjoying our few nice months out of the year. Whether it be at the abundant lakes we have in Saskatchewan or families taking vacations out of province, every Friday it seems the roads are packed to get out of the city of Saskatoon.

From August 23-August 30th there were 136 new listings hitting the  Saskatoon real estate market, down from 178 and 146 the 2 weeks prior. Saskatoon home sales were also up with 91 Saskatoon houses for sale going last week from 74 and 71 in the 2 weeks before.

We have a total of 1385 properties for sale in Saskatoon. There are 814 houses for sale in Saskatoon and 571 condos for sale in Saskatoon (or other not single family dwellings).

There are 1261 properties for sale near Saskatoon.

If you are thinking of listing your house for sale in Saskatoon give me a call. If you are thinking about buying a house for sale in Sasktoon I also work with a lot of buyers. I am a very active realtor in Saskatoon so that means I am up to date on what is happening each week in the Saskatoon real estate community.

Kari Calder
Century 21 Conexus Realty Ltd
Saskatoon
653-8222

Posted in Listings, Saskatchewan Real Estate, Saskatoon News, Saskatchewan, Sellers, Buyers, Saskatoon, News, Current Market, Saskatoon Real Estate | No Comments »

26. August 2010 by Kari Calder.

After my last post I didn’t think I could complain much about the traffic in Saskatoon, but here I am! Apparently congestion on Saskatoon streets will get worse before it gets better. With another bridge closed indefinitely I am starting to advise my Saskatoon home buyers if they are looking at houses for sale in Saskatoon they may want to stay on the same side of the river as where they work!! Pretty sad when you are looking at houses for sale in Saskatoon that you have to depend it on the river as our average commute is probably about 15 minutes anywhere in the city.

The Saskatoon Star Phoenix has reported that the “Traffic Bridge” or, more commonly known as Victoria Bridge, has been closed indefinitely. Not only are they closing it to vehicles, they have now closed it to pedestrians. It is even in danger of collapsing under its own weight.

Saskatoon residents have made it clear that demolishing the bridge is not an option at several public open house sessions. In 2005 City Council approved a $700,000 fix which was intended to give another 20 years of life to the iconic bridge. It was a bandaid and the problems now being discovered run deeper than deficient truss systems.

This also affects one of our most popular summer events, the Fireworks Festival in Saskatoon for the Labour Day weekend. They will have to figure out where to send the fireworks from as, if they try to do it from another bridge, that will just further congest the city and make it less enjoyable to viewers. The show will go on…it is the after effects of the road delays that will frustrate the Saskatoon public even further.

Kari Calder
Saskatoon Realtor (r)
Century 21 Conexus Realty Ltd
653-8222

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

20. July 2010 by Kari Calder.

A new study indicated that spending habits in Saskatchewan were almost triple that of the national average in 2007-2008. I do believe this had something to do with Sasktaoon home owners and Saskatchewan home owners in general finding a new found wealth when their existing houses in Saskatoon essentially doubled in value.

Some of this spending had to do with earning better wages, but a lot had to do with over-exuberance and the negative world market didn’t seem to affect us here until December 2008.

The tallies for 2009 have not been finalized yet but it is the belief that most people held off on the over-spending once the reality of the global economic crisis hit home. During 2007-2008 it appears Saskatchewan consumers were the only ones in Canada who weren’t sitting on their wallets. As a Saskatoon realtor I saw this evidence with my many people looking to buy a house for sale in Saskatoon who were looking to buy 2nd properties for sale in Saskatoon as revenue.

While some of the people spent their money wisely on new houses for sale in Saskatoon or to use the equity from their existing homes in Saskatoon to buy condos for sale in Saskatoon or revenue properties for sale in Saskatoon, there were a lot of low income people younger people who spent their money on things like vehicles and tvs instead of on something with some return, such as a mortage in Saskatoon. It seems the other group was young families with relatively high incomes who were purchasing houses for sale in Saskatoon within their appropriate price range.

I can say that I helped many people buy houses for sale in Saskatoon during that time frame and most had the right idea. If you are looking to buy a house for sale in Saskatoon let me know as I would love to help you with your Saskatoon real estate experience!

Kari Calder
Saskatoon Century 21 Conexus Realty Ltd

Saskatoon, Sk

653-8222 

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

5. July 2010 by Kari Calder.

I wrote  a blog on my Century 21 website a year ago based on several articles that were in the paper about practices by some alarm companies.  I was contacted on Canada Day by one of the US companies referred to in the articles and threatened with a law suit.  I am a small fish but apparently my blog goes a long way as I ticked a lot of people off (hence the bullying phone calls and 3 or 4 letters from bulldogs at these companies and their lawyers). To be honest, it has reinforced my belief that consumers need to be aware of the reports about foreign alarm companies reportedly operating in Saskatchewan. As a realtor in Saskatoon I believe that my clients need to be aware of any reported and/or potential property related scams or unscrupulous businesses. In addition to raising awareness of potential problems related to home ownership my practice has always been to refer clients to Saskatoon locally owned and operated companies in order to avoid the potential pitfalls of dealing with foreign companies.

Some other links to consider when shopping for alarm companies:

http://www.thestarphoenix.com/Pinnacle+Security+falsely+claims+member+Better+Business+Bureau+Saskatchewan/3162647/story.html

http://blogs.consumerreports.org/home/2009/06/burglar-alarm-scam-door-to-door-salesman-ane-driggs-utah-better-business-bureau-ron-walters-security.html

http://smallbusiness.yahoo.com/r-article-a-40962-m-7-sc-31-avoiding_alarm_scams-i

http://www.chrisd.ca/blog/13373/home-alarm-security-scam-manitoba/

Here is the EDITED version of the blog that caused so much ruckus and controversy.

I was recently contacted by one of the owners of a local security company as the Better Business Bureau of Saskatchewan has been receiving hundreds of complaints about home security ’salespeople’ that have been going door to door and misrepresenting security companies in Saskatoon and Regina. I saw these young men (from Alberta by their plates) going door to door this past weekend. They didn’t stop at our house perhaps because we had a security sign on our front step and it was not a local security company so they likely couldn’t find it on their list. We did the old trick of putting up a sign without having an alarm-now we have Reed Security as I trust them!

I had a neighbour with a local company’s sign on their lawn who told me that these guys told them they were with that company…but I know all of the sales people there and this was not the case.

These US based companies are reported to operate under several names but may be linked and the names mentioned in the articles can easily be accessed on the internet. Do a google search and see for yourself, but it is my opinion based on my experience and the information available to me that signing up for an alarm plan, or any other plan or product for that matter, should be avoided if it is the result of high pressured sales tactics. Stick with your locally trusted companies and don’t be pressured by unscrupulous sales people from any company who show up at your door.

Here is a link that warns Saskatoon consumers:

http://www.thestarphoenix.com/Business/warns+public+about+high+pressure+sales+tactic/1683942/story.html

(Apparently they got to the Star Phoenix too as this article appears to be removed)

I am advised that these salespeople may see your security company sign and tell you that they work for that company and then try to give you a “Free upgraded” alarm system, but this upgrade will actually cost you about $45/month and it isn’t through your current supplier. They also reportedly try to name drop and tell you that your neighbour X has upgraded their system, even though they probably did not and I have heard they especially like to go after seniors.

Be aware of these high pressured sales tactics.

SO that was the blog that started this whole thing and my lawyer agrees that as a Saskatoon Realtor and as someone my home buyers in Saskatoon trust to help set them up with quality people that it is reasonable for me to want to warn my Saskatoon home buyers of any reported and/or potential scams or questionable businesses, especially first time home buyers in Saskatoon.

When choosing and alarm company it is always advisable to do your due diligence by checking out the companies you wish to deal with (ie: do they have a local office, have they been reported to the Better Busineses Bureau, do they have local references…). If you do choose to use any company that is not locally based it is always prudent to do your own due diligence and get references but ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS ask them for the business cards before allowing them to even speak to you and ask them to leave any contracts and documents with you for your review before you agree to anything.

Good luck consumers! Hopefully this post by a small fish realtor in Saskatoon won’t warrant more threats as I do believe in freedom of speech!

Kari Calder
Century 21 Conexus Realty Ltd
Saskatoon
653-8222

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

17. June 2010 by Kari Calder.

My sister in Regina, Sk just sent me an article from the Regina Leader Post as a way to poke fun as we live in competing cities (Saskatoon vs Regina-a no brainer to me of course!) This article was about cell phone usage in vehicles.

From January 1st until May 15th Regina police have issued 66 tickets and 17 warnings to Regina drivers who were using their cell phones. In that same time frame Saskatoon police issued 407 tickets and 112 warnings. Whether that means that we are offending more or that our police force is actually making a bigger effort I am not sure. As a Saskatoon real estate agent I know that there are times that I need to talk and drive-but I did get a vehicle with blue tooth capability so that I am not talking real estate in Saskatoon and risking getting into trouble!

While people are still talking on their cell phones in Saskatoon at a steady rate at least the accidents appear to be going down. There has been a decrease by 20% in collisions in the city. As a Saskatoon realtor I spend so much time in my car that I see pretty much everything and nothing surprises me. Showing people houses for sale in Saskatoon on a daily basis means loads of time all around the city and I tend to watch how people drive. I do agree that there are some drivers out there who are just terrible-doesn’t matter if they have a cell phone in their hand or not!!

Contact me for all of your Saskatoon real estate needs as I am a very active Saskatoon real estate agent and I would love to talk to you about buying a house for sale in Saskatoon or about selling your house for sale in Saskatoon.

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

Posted in Saskatoon News, Saskatchewan News, Saskatchewan Real Estate, Buyers, News, Current Market, Saskatoon Real Estate | 1 Comment »

26. April 2010 by Kari Calder.

We have recently moved again within the city of Saskatoon so blogging has been put on the backburner. It has been a busy month for real estate in Saskatoon so packing the house for sale in Stonebridge was left until the last minute…which means unpacking has been interesting! I am a Saskatoon realtor (r) who works with enough Saskatoon first time home buyers and Saskatoon home sellers that I know better, but when it comes to yourself it is easy to give advice and not take it!!

We moved from our house for sale in Stonebridge to our newly built house in Willowgrove. We were fortunate with the weather as it was the sunniest and hottest Friday in the past 3 weeks (freak snow storm the Friday before and rain this past Friday, so our moving day was GREAT!)

With more houses for sale in Stonebridge I have recently reduced the price of 107 Robertson Cove to $389900 from $399900. This is a great house for sale in Saskatoon as it is almost new and the landscaping is done including the driveway and walk way. In the muddy weather of spring I value the finished driveway more than you can imagine after moving into my new mud pit of a yard in Willowgrove. There are many houses for sale in Willowgrove and many new houses being built in our area that makes for muddy streets and sidewalks…not much fun for me or the dog as having a dog and a new house in Saskatoon means a muddy house!

We are also already missing the ameneties in Stonebridge as our runs to Home Depot have been on a huge increase with the work of our new house. We used to be a 5 minute drive from our favourite spots; Home Depot, Wal Mart, Winners Home Sense and for food-Wok Box! Now it takes about 15 minutes from our new house in Willowgrove but we still run over to Stonebridge to get most things as the amenities there are better than anywhere else in the city of Saskatoon it seems.

If you are looking to buy a house in Saskatoon or to sell your house in Saskatoon I would love the opportunity to earn your business. I am a motivated and active Saskatoon Realtor (r) who loves what I do so I hope to be able to help you with all of your Saskatoon real estate needs.

Kari Calder
Century 21 Conexus Realty Ltd
www.karicalder.com
653-8222

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

12. April 2010 by Kari Calder.

I was off to Regina, Sk last week for the annual Century 21 Awards ceremony for Saskatchewan Century 21 Agents. We had some great speakers and a lovely awards ceremony and I was proud to see my fellow Saskatoon realtors(r) winning awards. Approximately 70% of Saskatoon Century 21 Agents won an award and Century 21 Conexus Saskatoon in the Top 10 for all of Canada for production.

It is always exciting to watch my fellow Saskatoon real estate agents winning their awards and being recognized for their hard work and dedication. Our job is much more than just selling houses for sale in Saskatoon, it is a lifestyle. Most people don’t understand the hard work and sacrifice it takes to be a successful real estate agent in Saskatoon or anywhere for that matter. While we don’t get paid by the hour, there are many people who treat realtors (r) in Saskatoon as they do and don’t appreciate the hard work that goes into this lifestyle. They often see that we are driving around Saskatoon and surrounding area in nice vehicles and aren’t stuck in an office all day long. They don’t see the late nights, running out at all hours, missing time with family and friends so that you can ensure you get your clients their dream house for sale in Saskatoon or to ensure our clients selling their homes in Saskatoon get the best offer. Our vehicle IS our office most of the time so it should be nice and comfortable! So thanks to my colleagues dedication and hard work there were many of us who won awards for selling homes for sale in Saskatoon and we beat out much of Canada with our productivity and hard work.

I knew that I was a Century 21 Centurion Award winner but I didn’t know that I was #49 in the company for units sold and #69 in the company for overall production until today. I am an energetic Saskatoon real estate agent who loves what I do so I am proud of my success and proud to be a realtor (r) in Saskatoon. We have a great city with a great energy and I love to call Saskatoon home.

Thank you to all of my clients, friends and family for your support, understanding, and your open ears when I need to vent my frustrations or exlaim my excitement!! I am happy to be a top producing agent in a great company as Century 21 Saskatoon has a strong team of support staff and Saskatoon real estate agents who work as a team even though we are each individuals.

Kari Calder
Century 21 Conexus Realty Ltd
Saskatoon, Sk
karicalder@sasktel.net

Posted in Saskatoon News, Saskatchewan News, Canada Real Estate, Buyers, Personal, News, Current Market, Saskatoon Real Estate | 1 Comment »

5. April 2010 by Kari Calder.

I am very happy to hear that something came in under budget for once in Saskatoon. This one has a great impact on all citizens of Saskatoon, but also on real estate agents in Saskatoon as we drive around the city so much showing houses for sale in Saskatoon and listing houses for sale in Saskatoon and area.

In an article in the Star Phoenix last week it was stated that Graham Construction and Flatiron Construction Corp. would be awarded the most expensive in Saskatoon’s history for a public project. In the end, the cost will be between $30 million and $40 million below the estimate given 4 years ago.

Completion is slated for October 2012 and as a realtor in Saskatoon I cannot tell you how excited I am about that! It will save time when driving around with my Saskatoon home buyers showing them houses for sale in Saskatoon.

The one thing I am not looking forward to, as a real estate agent in Saskatoon, is the contruction zones in certain Saskatoon neighbourhoods and the inevitable slowing down of traffic and detours while the bridge is being built.

The other area that is proposed to get a makeover is the intersection of Circle Drive and Preston Avenue. With the amount of new homes in Stonebridge and the huge increase of population in Stonebridge, this intersection is getting overwhelmed and unsafe.

If you are interested in buying one of the houses for sale in Saskatoon or if you are just starting to get a feel for the Saskatoon real estate market, contact me for all of your Saskatoon real estate needs. If you are thinking about selling a house in Saskatoon I would love the opportunity to show you why it would be best to put your house for sale in Saskatoon with me as your Saskatoon real estate professional.

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

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

4. February 2010 by Kari Calder.

Every Tuesday morning Century 21 real estate agents in Saskatoon get together for our weekly sales meeting to go over recent sales data, recent trends in Saskatoon real estate and just get caught up to date in general on the happenings in the world of fellow realtors(r) in Saskatoon.

Amongst the data last week were the announcements of the awards for production in 2009. I am proud of my fellow Century 21 Real Estate Agents in Saskatoon as 70% of us have been recognized for sales achievements in 2009.

With the slowing of the global markets, 2009 was slower than 2007 and 2008 so it is great to see so many real estate agents with Century 21 in Saskatoon doing so well.

Awards are broken down into 7 categories; Masters Silver, Masters Ruby, Masters Emerald, Masters Diamond, Centurion, Double Centurion and Grand Centurion. I am excited to say that I was awarded the Century 21 Centurion award for the second year in a row. There are 9 of us from our company who achieved Centurion status. Only 1 agent in the company was awarded the Double Centurion and this year we didn’t have any Grand Centurions, but I am sure 2010 may see someone achieve this.

Century 21 agents are also recognized for their donations to charities such as Easter Seals Canada and our Saskatoon real estate agents in Century 21 have been the most generous in the country with fundraising efforts and personal donations. It is a great company with wonderful values and I am a proud Saskatoon Century 21 Realtor(r). We have a great family of agents, managers and support staff.

If you are looking to buy a house in Saskatoon or to sell your house or condo in Saskatoon contact me!

Kari Calder
Residential Real Estate Specialist
Saskatoon Century 21 Conexus
www.karicalder.com

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

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

4. February 2010 by Kari Calder.

I work with a lot of people who move to Canada and buy a house in Saskatoon or anywhere else and some of these Saskatoon home buyers are enamoured with our “free health care” as where they come from nothing is for free. I think the idea of it is wonderful, but in reality we have a lot of problems with it.

There was just an article in the Star Phoenix commented on finding efficiences in the Saskatchewan Health Region. They are scared that the level of service will go further down and that frightens me. Another Star Phoenix article today was all about safe patient care in Saskatchewan based on the fact that a doctor in my home town of Estevan is getting called into EMERGENCY to fill prescriptions because people can’t get into the doctors offices during the day. How ridiculous is that? These doctors are running low on sleep and energy and well being in general and then our lives are in their hands and it is dangerous and it is OUR fault for visiting the doctors for silly reasons because it is free. Even though Saskatoon has a lot more doctors I am sure it is still difficult for many of them.

The cost of free healthcare often costs people their lives in this province. As much as I appreciate and value our free healthcare policies, I do think something needs to change. Trimming the fat at the top does make some sense, but with the abuse of the system each doctor and emergency care worker sees I think there should be a ‘user fee’. Why not implement a small fee for each visit to the doctor (even $15 for non emergency visits, emergency visits would depend on the severity as people would then start to abuse the $15 policy, but obviously if someone is coming in with a broken arm or after a car accident no fee would apply as that IS an emergency-a cough is not!) I suggested this to an employee of the Commission on the Future of Health Care in Canada but do you think it was considered? No, because there are too many ‘administrative concerns’. I don’t know, how hard is it to take $15 at the doctors office upon checking in? We do it at every other health practioner, I am pretty confident the general public could be retrained.
If someone is in such bad financial woes then reimbursement should be a possibility, provided they aren’t spending that $15 on cigarettes and alcohol.
Buck up Saskatchewan and Canada in general! I’d rather pay $15 each time than have to wait a month for a crucial exam and possibly dying while I wait! I’m a self employed real estate agent in Saskatoon so I don’t have a health plan through Century 21 in Saskatoon (I could but I have a separate one) per se, but I wouldn’t mind paying.

What are your thoughts? Am I unreasonable?

Kari Calder
Century 21 Conexus Realty Ltd
Saskatoon, Sk
karicalder@sasktel.net

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