Archive for the ‘Saskatoon News’ Category

Condo Conversions On Hold In Saskatoon

Thursday, April 17th, 2008

The topic of condo conversions in Saskatoon has been a hot topic for the past year.  Many Saskatoon renters have been demanding the city of Saskatoon do something to address the extremely low vacancy rate for rental property in the city.  Many apartment building owners over the past two years have been taking advantage of the extremely hot Saskatoon real estate market and selling off their properties or converting them to condos themselves.

On Monday, April 14th after 5 hours in what the Saskatoon Star Phonenix described as a heated debate, a majority of city council voted to change civic policy so that apartment buildings will no longer be allowed to be converted into condos while the Saskatoon vacancy rate remains below 1.5%.  This could potentially be a big victory for Saskatoon renters but also could help to increase Saskatoon condo real estate prices in our city.  With less condos available on the market the average price will rise as the demand increases.

This new policy has not been officially passed and is still subject to another vote at council’s next regular meeting on April 21st.  If the policy is approved there are 14 existing buildings that filed for approval to be converted in 2007 that will not be subject to the new policy.  However any projects that were not submitted before the policy was passed will have to now wait until the Saskatoon vacancy rate rises above 1.5%.  It is expected though that the policy will provide special loop holes so that the city may still approve special projects such as buildings that have previously been condemned or else existing vacant buildings.

If you are currently interested in buying a condo in Saskatoon it may be a good time to start looking.  If the new policy is passed it will have an impact on Saskatoon condo prices.  Whether you are looking at buying or selling a condo in the Saskatoon real estate market be sure to contact me!

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

Saskatoon River Landing Delayed

Thursday, April 17th, 2008

The city of Saskatoon along with the Meewasin Valley Authority are facing the same challenge that many people interested in getting involved into the Saskatoon real estate market are.  Due to the rising costs of construction materials and the shortage of labourers and contractors, the completion of the Saskatoon river landing project will probably be delayed.  In a recent article from the Star Phoenix, it states that the Meewasin’s chair recently sent a letter to provincial government outlining the challenges they are currently facing.  Many of the tenders for the project have come back way over original estimates and in some cases they are 50% – 100% more.

Hopefully the provincial government will be able to provide some sort of additional funding for this project.  The river landing project will be a great addition to the city of Saskatoon and ensure that our river front maintains it’s beauty and attraction to both residents and visitors of the city.

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

Saskatoon Propery Taxes Will Increase

Saturday, April 5th, 2008

The city of Saskatoon may be proposing the largest property tax increase in 26 years.  The early estimates are that this increase could come in at a whooping 8.6 per cent.  Any taxes related to the school district or education would be additional to the proposed 8.6 per cent.   As mentioned this would be the largest tax increase in 26 years.  Recently the city of Regina released their initial budget with a proposed tax increase of 3.9 per cent.  City officials indicate the reason for the large proposed tax increase is to pay for the growth of our city.  The city of Saskatoon has been experiencing incredible growth over the past few years and there is a huge demand for Saskatoon real estate.  Over the past few years the city has developed several new Saskatoon neighborhoods including Stonebridge, Willowgrove and Hampton Village.  There are additional neighborhoods planned for the next few years as well.  It is extremely expensive to bring services to the new real estate developments so this tax increase would help off-set the cost. 

Mayor Don Atchison has indicated that this tax increase is far too high and that he expects the city to scale back the budget for 2008.  As the city of Saskatoon continues to grow and the demand for Saskatoon real estate continues to increase we will see increases in our cost of living.  This ranges from everything from property taxes to even the cost of parking.

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

Saskatoon Announces Immigration Project

Wednesday, April 2nd, 2008

The city of Saskatoon in conjunction with the federal and provincial government announced an immigration project that will assist new people relocating to Saskatoon.  The program is aimed at helping immigrants succeed in their new life in the city of Saskatoon.  This is an extremely important program as the increase of new potential workers will help off-set the high rate of job vacancies.  The city of Saskatoon is growing through a huge growth phase rate now and as a result we are seeing smaller companies or else businesses that pay lower salaries being affected the most.

From a Saskatoon real estate perspective this is also great news for people that currently own older homes in less appealing Saskatoon neighborhoods.  The demand for low cost housing will increase throughout our city, more than it has already.  Many of this people will receive government assistance in purchasing a home in Saskatoon and starting their new life.  If you are interested in investing in Saskatoon real estate be sure to contact me and I will be more than happy to help you anyway I can!

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

City of Saskatoon Taking Leaves And Grass Registrations

Wednesday, April 2nd, 2008

If you are a Saskatoon home owner or will be looking at getting into the Saskatoon real estate market in the near future you will want to be sure to sign up for a great program the city of Saskatoon offers.  The city offers a grass and leave collection program targeted towards Saskatoon residents that helps keep leaves and grass from the city landfill.  Unfortunately this program is only available to 800 total subscribers which is double the amount of subscribers allowed last year.  If you are one of the lucky people that sign up early and get on this program the city will provide your Saskatoon home with a green front street roll-out cart that you can put in your unbagged leaves, grass clippings and non-woody vegetation.  The city will empty the carts every two weeks starting on May 5th until October.  The cost of the program is only $40 and the registration deadline is April 18th.  You can signup on www.saskatoon.ca or else by calling 975-2486.   This is a great program for Saskatoon home owners looking for an alternative to dispose of their leaves and grass clippings.  Spring is right around the corner and with that comes an abundance of yard work.  Be sure to sign up and get on the list!

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

  

Saskatoon Buses Get Cameras

Tuesday, April 1st, 2008

It looks like all new buses in the Saskatoon transit system will be going ahead and getting cameras installed in them.  Since the summer of 2006, there has been a pilot project in place with cameras on buses.  The purpose of this, is to curb inappropriate behaviour and violence on the transit systems.  Personally I have only occasionally used the public transit system in Saskatoon but was surprised to hear some of the things that go on in it from a friend who is a bus driver.  He said that several times over the past couple of years people have tried to physically assault him as well there is an abundance of inappropriate behaviour.

In major cities like London, they have an extensive network of camera’s throughout the city as well as on all public transportation.  This has played a huge role in the reduction of crime in their city.  I definitely believe that this is a step in the right direction for the safety and security of our city.  Saskatoon is experiencing a huge amount of growth right now and what that means is that there is an abundance of people relocating to our city.  To help foster the growth of our city we need to be sure it is as safe as possible.  With the recent increases in the Saskatoon real estate market many people are starting to looking in more affordable areas as well.  These areas traditionally have had a higher crime rate.  Many of these people are young families just getting in the Saskatoon real estate market for the first time.  We need to be sure these areas are safe for these new families moving to these Saskatoon neighborhoods.

Read the entire article at the Star Phoenix.

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

Century21.ca Named Top 10 Website

Sunday, March 30th, 2008

Recently, Century 21 Canada launched a new website to better provide our clients an easy to use website for all of your real estate needs.  Recently this website was named one of the top 10 real estate websitesby Joel Burslem, founder of Future of Real Estate Marketing.  Every Century 21 real estate agent in Canada has their own mini-website located on the larger Century21.ca website.  Be sure to visit Kari Calder – Saskatoon Realtor to see the new website and layout.

As a Saskatoon real estate agent I am committed to using as many marketing resources as possible when selling your home.  With saying that I maintain several websites and submit your listing to several more for maximum exposure when selling your home.  Internet Marketing has changed the way that I as a Saskatoon Realtor can market your property.  Saskatchewan is currently leading Canada in population growthand as a result there are many people relocating to Saskatchewan.  This is a whole new market that will be using the Internet to search for homes prior to relocating.

If you are interested in selling your home be sure to contact me and I can provide you a detailed marketing plan on how I will market and sell your home.  For all other Saskatoon real estate needs be sure to contact me!

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

Saskatchewan Population Fastest Growing In Canada

Friday, March 28th, 2008

The population of Saskatchewan was the fastest growing in Canada in 2007 according to a recent article.  The Canadian national average for growth in 2007 was 1.1 per cent and Saskatchewan in 2007 had a 1.7 per cent population growth.  This is Saskatchewan’s largest population growth in one year since 1952.  As of January 1, 2008 the estimated population of Saskatchewan is 1,006,644.  In 2007 there were also 6,950 more people that moved from Alberta to Saskatchewan than from Saskatchewan to Alberta.  The total amount of people that moved to Saskatchewan in 2007 is estimated at over 16,000 people.  As a Saskatoon real estate agent I can confirm that in Saskatoon alone we have seen a huge influx of people moving here and especially from Alberta.  Our province provides an affordable and quality lifestyle most people can’t achieve anywhere else in our country.  I am currently working with several people relocating back to our province that moved away years ago.  Many of them still have family here and are looking at coming back to be closer to family and also enjoy the quality of life Saskatoon provides its residents.  The Saskatoon real estate market is a direct indicator at the success our province has experienced as well as the population growth.  The vacancy rate for both residential and commercial property are at the lowest points they have been in for years.  The Saskatchewan economy is extremely strong and there are no signs of it slowing down.  If you are interested in getting involved in the Saskatoon real estate market be sure to contact me and I will be able to provide you in depth information on our current market and provide you an idea of what is available.

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

Saskatoon Home To Canada’s Next Great Prime Minister

Wednesday, March 26th, 2008

Saskatoon is home to Canada’s next great Prime Minister!  Alika Lafontaine was awarded this title on Sunday night on a CBC sponsored show hosted by none other than Rick Mercer.  Alika is a 25 year old Saskatoon resident who also happens to be a local doctor.  During the television show he competed in a debate against 3 other people up for the title.  He was asked several questions about current national issues by a panel of prior Canadian Prime Ministers including Kim Campbell, John Turner and Paul Martin.  Alika was announced the winner by in-studio voting of the audience.  Besides bragging rights Alika was also awarded $50,000.  He said that he contributes his success to the support he received at home with his family.

It is always great to hear people from Saskatoon make national news and especially something as great as this.  The province of Saskatchewan is leading the country in some many areas ranging from real estate, economic growth to now future leaders of our country.

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

Saskatchewan Economic Growth Will Lead Canada

Wednesday, March 26th, 2008

According to a report from the Canada West Foundation, Saskatchewan’s economic growth will lead Canada this year.  The report outlines that virtually every sector in Saskatchewan’s economy is expected to grow.  This does not only include mining, construction, and agriculture but also includes real estate, research, and retail sales.  The report also outlines that Saskatchewan is the best suited province to overcome and not be affected by the current American recession.  This is mainly due to the variety of goods and services our province produces over other provinces.  Saskatchewan is a unique province in that we have an abundance of natural resources that now only after years people are starting to explore and utilize.  We have already started to see the growth of our market and the way most people have felt it is the big increase in real estate costs across the province.  The Saskatoon real estate market is leading the entire province and country in growth.  As our economy continues to grow and expand more and more people will relocate to Saskatoon and the rest of Saskatchewan to try and benefit from it.  This is an excellent time to be living in Saskatoon.  If you don’t live in Saskatchewan but are interested in investing in real estate here be sure to contact me and I will be more than happy to assist you!

Click here to read the entire story from the Star Phoenix.

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