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Saskatoon Growing Faster Than Any Other Canadian Region

Friday, February 4th, 2011

As I am a Saskatoon real estate agent I see the amount of people coming in to look at homes for sale in Saskatoon but with my web presence I also get a lot of inquiries about rentals in Saskatoon (which I do not deal in as I am not licensed as a property manager).

Reading this article today in the Star Phoenix was no surprise to me. We passed Alberta for the first time in decades last year according to Stats Canada and Saskatoon is also now the youngest metropolitan area in Canada which bucks the Canadian trend of an aging population. I could add that it may have something to do with our older population heading out to warmer areas! Two of the other reasons cited are young families immigating here from other countries as well as our high aboriginal birth rate. Saskatoon’s average age is now 35.6 while the average age across Canada is 40. The oldest city is not where you would expect (British Columbia?) but actually Saguenay, Quebec with an average age of 45.

The Saskatoon region (which includes Warman, Martensville, Dundurn, and Dalmeny) has now reached over 265,000 people which is up 30,000 people since 2005. Vancouver was second for growth and Regina was third with their population now over 215,000.

One of the main reasons for Saskatoon’s growth is a large spike in international immigration with 3300 added just last year.

If you are looking to buy a house for sale in Saskatoon give me a call. I work with a lot of first time home buyers in Saskatoon so if you need the right direction I am here to help you.

Kari Calder
Century 21 Conexus Realty Ltd
306-653-8222

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

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 »

Century 21 Comes Through Again

Friday, December 17th, 2010

At this time of year the people of Saskatoon really step it up and try to help those less fortunate. This is all part of the 5th annual “Stuff the Bus” campaign. The food bank feeds over 15,000 people a month, over half of whom are children.

Century 21 Conexus Saskatoon and Conexus Credit Union, Conexus Insurance, and Centum Mortgage Direct in Saskatoon have teamed up and donated $800 cash and SEVEN HUNDRED pounds of food!!! WOW!

I am proud of my fellow Saskatoon real estate agents and proud of Century 21 Saskatoon for exceeding our goals-something we achieve on a regular basis. Our goal was to beat last year’s $150 cash and 500 pounds of food so we exceeded it beyond expectation. The cash donations are very important for the purchase of milk, meat and produce.

So way to go Century 21 Conexus Saskatoon and way to go Saskatoon in general for what looked to be another successful year.

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

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

Interest Rates Have Gone Up

Thursday, December 16th, 2010

We have had some warnings the past few days that rate hikes were coming and I just got confirmation from Centum Canada Mortgages (the Century 21 affiliated mortgage brokers) that rates have indeed gone up to 3.79 for a 5 year term. If you are thinking about buying a house for sale in Saskatoon it doesn’t hurt to get your rate locked in and held.

The alarm was sounded on Monday by Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney as household debt has reached an all time high. These low interest rates are not here forever so he warns that we need to be more cautious. The tone indicates that he may be setting the stage for a rate increase next year.

Finance Minister Jim Flaherty says they will keep tightening mortgage lending rules as needed to keep credit growth in check.

As a Saskatoon Real Estate Agent I think it is great to take advantage of the current low rates to build your retirement portfolio and to get started in the Saskatoon real estate market but only if you feel secure in your job and in your earning potential as when it comes time to renew your mortgage after 5 years and you have been living close to your means or slightly above your means those rate changes will have a huge and sometimes life changing affect on you. Some people are forced to sell while others just look at different options like getting a room mate or a boarder. If you are thinking of putting your Saskatoon house for sale let me know.

There are other risks in our economy and the high dollar is not helping the Canadian economy. As consumers we like it (especially with the Saskatoon winter we are experiencing it is nice to vacation in the southern US with the dollar being at par!) Debt worries in Europe also affect us here so rate hikes may be held off according to some analysts as they believe there are bigger fish to fry.

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

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

City Budget-Here Come the Taxes :-(

Thursday, December 16th, 2010

As the city of Saskatoon continues to grow so do the expenses as we saw in the latest Saskatoon Star Phoenix update today. Thankfully council members were not happy with the proposed 4.65% increase in property taxes, instead it will be 3.99%. As it is there are already households in the city who have property taxes upwards of $10,000!?! For my career as a Saskatoon Real Estate agent I get to hear about the already expensive taxes compared to many other cities across Canada.

This reduction in property tax increase does not come without taking it from elsewhere. The Saskatoon City Police are being asked for $150,000 to be trimmed from their budget. If this does not happen the property tax increase will be 4.1%. Sometimes it feels that Saskatoon home owners are penalized but we also have to think about the trickle down effect. If someone owns a Saskatoon revenue house and their taxes go up I would assume the rent would also go up to reflect this inflation.

As a Saskatoon real estate agent I am curious to see how much they spend on the 25th and Idylwyld project as this was under fire all night. Does it need to be beautiful? I vote no! Does it need to function, absolutely. When I am out showing houses for sale in Saskatoon and I have to get from the west side to the east side it is nice to have some options and not have to weave left and right to get to the main bridge.

If you are looking to a buy a house for sale in Saskatoon let me know and I would be more than happy to help out! If you are sick of the taxes and looking to sell your house in Saskatoon in the hopes that the grass is greener elsewhere I would also love to speak to you!

Kari Calder
Century 21 Conexus Realty Ltd
653-8222

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

Arbor Creek Will NOT Be Getting A School

Wednesday, December 8th, 2010

It has been rumoured for years that the vacant land across from Wright and Kenderdine Rd in Saskatoon’s Arbor Creek may be getting a school. Owned by Dundee Realty this site has been designated for future schools however there has been a formal request by the developer to turn this into a new residential housing site for Saskatoon’s east side. The company has already begun the process to rezone the sites making 45 residential lots available in Arbor Creek for single family homes according to the Saskatoon Star Phoenix today. It would be great to see more lots for sale in Arbor Creek but at what cost? Having lived near the future site myself I can see the benefit for new home buyers in Saskatoon as you can get a brand new house in a well established area so I am sure there will be a huge demand for the lots.

Instead it appears that the public and catholic school systems are putting their efforts into Willowgrove.I have helped a few people buy houses for sale in Willowgrove that will be near these schools that ARE going in. The Catholic school board has already removed Arbor Creek from its five-year capital plan for the division. Unfortunately many homeowners near the ‘proposed’ school site in Arbor Creek chose that location for the future potential. They have already been waiting a long time and by now most of their small children are likely in high school!

Land for Saskatoon new home construction is limited and expensive to begin with, especially on the east side. This land will be in huge demand so I have to give it to Dundee, they know how to develop better than the city does in my opinion.

If you are looking to buy or sell real estate in Saskatoon give me a shout! I would be more than happy to help find you the perfect house.

Kari Calder
Century 21 Conexus Saskatoon
653-8222

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

This Week’s Market

Wednesday, December 1st, 2010

The Saskatoon real estate market has seen the listings coming down steadily in the past few weeks. There are currently 1085 houses for sale in Saskatoon (or condos) down from 1125 last week. We only had 92 new houses for sale in Saskatoon hit the market last week which is down from 115 the week before.

There were 83 houses for sale in Saskatoon that sold last week, down as well from last week where we saw 92 houses sell in Saskatoon. This was up from 56 the week before so it appears that the market has picked up.

There are 1037 houses for sale in the surrounding Saskatoon region. I have been out showing houses for sale around Saskatoon and have noticed that the out of town market seems to be getting busier as well.

If you are thinking about buying or selling a house in Saskatoon or around Saskatoon give me a call as I would be happy to help you out!

Kari Calder
Century 21 Conexus Realty Ltd
Saskatoon
653-8222

Posted in Buyers, Current Market, Listings, Saskatchewan, Saskatchewan News, Saskatchewan Real Estate, Saskatoon, Sellers | 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 »

New Listings + Exciting Low Interest Rates

Thursday, October 14th, 2010

I have the perfect combo for a first time buyer in Saskatoon or investor! My newest Saskatoon real estate listing, a condo for sale in Saskatoon in Eastview, is vacant and ready for immediate occupancy. That, combined with a quick close before November 30th with a rate of 3.49% from Centum Canada Mortage Direct Ltd in Saskatoon, equals a GREAT deal!

Mortgage brokers in Saskatoon tend have lower rates than most banks so now is the time to get qualified! Century 21 Saskatoon works hand in hand with these great mortgage brokers in Saskatoon so just ask me how to set up a meeting to find out what you qualify for.

This condo for sale in Saskatoon is a 2nd floor corner unit with a maple kitchen, granite counters, newer flooring, trim, lights etc. The location is great and close to shopping, amenities, and bus service. Near Market Mall. Laundry is just down the hall but each unit has a large storage room so in suite laundry may be a possibility.

If you are interested in buying a condo for sale in Saskatoon or if you are interested in buying any sort of real estate in Saskatoon contact me. If you are looking to list your house for sale in Saskatoon let me talk to you about the advantages of using a Saskatoon real estate agent and why my services are beneficial to you.

Kari Calder
Century 21 Conexus Realty Ltd
Residential Real Estate Specialist
306-653-8222

Posted in Buyers, Current Market, Listings, Saskatchewan Real Estate, Saskatoon, 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 »

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