2008 Saskatoon HomeStyles HomeShow

March 5th, 2008

On Thursday March 13th, 2008 until Sunday Mach 16th, 2008 the Saskatoon & Region Home Builders’ Association will be presenting the 2008 Saskatoon HomeStyles Homeshow.  Personally I attended the 2007 Home Show and can say that for anyone that has an interest in homes, Saskatoon real estate, construction or even the latest products to maintain your home this show is a must attend event.  In 2007 there were approximately 35,000 people that attended the show.  This year there is a great line of up of guest speakers along with a good combination of new exhibitors and repeat ones from 2007.  The show should be a great success so I encourage you to go out and visit it.  If you are thinking about buying or selling a home in Saskatoon or the surrounding area this show may give you some great ideas on how to spruce up your current or future home!

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

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Call For Your Free Home Evaluation

March 4th, 2008

If you are thinking about selling your home and are interested in finding out what it may be worth in the current Saskatoon market contact me for a free home evaluation.  The Saskatoon real estate market is booming and it is definitely a sellers market.  It is important to know what other types of properties that you will be competing against and have a realistic idea of what you will get for your property.  I have dealt with many sellers that have thought just because the house two blocks over went for $400,000 their home would be worth the same.  In some cases they didn’t know that home had a completely finished basement and or other features that made it more appealing to buyers. Meanwhile their home didn’t have a finished basement and lacked other features.  In other instances, I have had clients think that because a home a few doors down for only $200,000 that is what theirs would be worth only to find that it was considerably more after I performed a free home evaluation.  Knowing and keeping up to date with the Saskatoon real estate market is how I make my living so if you are interested in selling your home and receiving a home evaluation be sure to contact me!

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

Posted in Saskatoon Real Estate, Sellers | No Comments »

Don’t Leave Money On The Table

March 2nd, 2008

With Saskatoon real estate being as hot as it is we have seen a huge influx of people looking to sell their home.  It is important to know the market you are selling to before you look at listing your home.  Many people have tried “For Sale By Owner” in Saskatoon only to find out later that they could have sold their home for significantly more.  Some people prefer to sell their home privately believing they will save money.  In some instances they do, but in a real estate market as hot as Saskatoon’s many people are leaving money on the table.  By working with a Saskatoon Realtor ® you have access to a much larger buying audience as well your home will be professionally marketed.  Buyers tend to be much more comfortable using a realtor as it is one way to protect the biggest purchase of your life.
If you are thinking about selling your home in Saskatoon be sure to read up on why to use a realtor before you think of selling your home yourself.

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

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Saskatoon Parking Rates To Increase

March 2nd, 2008

The city of Saskatoon is currently evaluating at increasing parking an additional .50 cents an hour.  This would double the current rate and generate an estimated additional $1.3 million dollars of revenue for the city.  The city of Saskatoon is going through a major change.  Our city is experiencing a huge growth phase which can be seen in many different areas.  The Saskatoon real estate market is the hottest market in Canada.  The Saskatoon unemployment rate is at the lowest it has ever been.  All of this means that our city is growing and as a result the cost of living will go up.  Parking is one of the many things us as residents of Saskatoon will start seeing.  Even though Saskatoon is one of the fastest growing cities in Canada we are still pretty fortunate as our real estate market is still affordable compared to cities like Calgary and Vancouver.  To give you an idea parking in Vancouver is $2.00 an hour in most places but can be as much as $2.00 for 30 minutes in some places.  When you look at other large cities we are still doing okay!

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

Posted in Saskatoon, Saskatoon News | 2 Comments »

Saskatoon Condo Conversion Update

March 2nd, 2008

With the increase demand for real estate many owners of apartment buildings and rental property are currently looking to cash in and convert their properties into condos.  The topic of Saskatoon condo conversions has been a controversial topic in Saskatoon over the past year.  In August 2007 this issue was presented to the City of Saskatoon who rejected the ban on condo conversions.  According to the people who brought forward the proposal to ban condo conversions in Saskatoon, the people most affected are students, elderly and low income families.  The city indicated they would keep a close eye on this issue and deal with it as it moved forward.  A city councilor named Charlie Clark indicated when speaking to a crowd on February 28, 2008 that the owners of eight per cent of rental properties in Saskatoon are looking to convert them into condos.  Many people that normally wouldn’t have thought about purchasing a property are now looking into it.  In many cases purchasing a condo in Saskatoon can in fact be cheaper than your monthly rent.  There are a lot of additional benefits of purchasing real estate in Saskatoon than just saving money on your rent.  If you are interested in looking to get into the Saskatoon real estate market feel free to contact me for additional information.

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

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

Students React To Lack Of Saskatoon Cheap Housing

February 29th, 2008

Unless you have been living under a rock you are well aware of the booming Saskatoon real estate market.  On Thursday, March 28 a group of students from the University of Saskatchewan took a creative approach to bring awareness to the lack of cheap housing available for students in the city.  The students built an igloo on the University of Saskatchewan campus indicating that if the Saskatoon real estate market continues on its current path, that this will be what students will have to resort to.  One student volunteered to spend the night in the igloo but referred to the experience as “Yeah, last night was absolute crap.”  This is the second time a group of students have done something similar.  In the fall a group of students spent the weekend in tents trying to bring awareness to the issue.  The community of Saskatoon responded with offering over 300 rooms to students.  With the current real estate market continuing to increase this will continue to be an issue for students. 

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

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

Saskatchewan Has A New Millionaire

February 29th, 2008

It always great to see someone from Saskatchewan make national news.  Darwin Head of Prince Albert was the lucky individual chosen by TSN to participate in a chance to win 1 million dollars in Vancouver at a Canucks game.  He was chosen from a total on 8.6 million online entries to compete in the Chevrolet Malibu Million Dollar Shootout.  His challenge was to score 15 goals in a mere 24 seconds from the blue line.  On Darwin’s last shot just before the time expired he clenched the 15th goal making him Canada’s newest millionaire.

Earlier in the day Darwin had the opportunity to practice with hockey legend Bobby Orr who was also on the ice with Darwin during the shootout.  During the competition he took Orr’s advice and blocked out and the crowd and focused on the task at hand.  Head walked away with 1 million dollars as well as a Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid for himself and two friends as well as one person from the audience.

After the shootout Darwin said he would use the money to look after his wife and three children, pay off their Saskatchewan home and put some aside for retirement.

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

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

New Listing 305 – 303 5th Ave N

February 24th, 2008

305 - 303 5th Ave N

Do not miss this stunning condo located in downtown Saskatoon in the Central Business District.  This condo is located in the prestigious Waterford building and offers many upgrades including immaculate hardwood floors, newer carpet, linoleum, light fixtures, stainless steel appliances and much more!  The unit comes with 2 underground parking stalls as well as plenty of additional storage.  The condo boasts an excellent layout with 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, central air, central vac, amenities room, workshop and elevator.  The Waterford is a concrete building and this condo is located on the east side of the building with a balcony showing views of downtown Saskatoon.  All furnishings in the suite are also negotiable.  For additional information and pictures of this condo visit my listings page on my website.  With the Saskatoon real estate market being as hot as it is this condo will not last long so be sure to contact me by e-mail or phone directly at 306.717.1277.

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

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

Tragedy Strikes In Victoria Real Estate

February 8th, 2008

On Saturday, February 2, 2008 a real estate agent named Lindsay Buziak was killed while showing a house.  Lindsay was called by an unknown individual to show a vacant house in one of the suburbs of Victoria.  It was noted in the article that she felt uneasy about the caller and showing but went anyways.  Police were notified by an anonymous 911 call about Lindsay.

This is an absolute tragedy, Lindsay was a young professional with the rest of her career ahead of her.  For myself being a young female real estate agent I can’t help but feel a bit less secure in my day to day dealings now.  This is not the first time something like this has happened and both male and females have been targeted in the past.  Although Lindsay did feel uneasy about the showing as a real estate agent it is easy to understand why she went.  You never want to miss a potential lead or sale and this is probably why she went ahead anyways.

This raises a big question for the personal safety of not only real estate agents but all professionals that interact with the general public and in sometimes remote locations.  For real estate agents we need to start developing ways to screen our clients for our own personal safety.  In a market as hectic and crazy as the Saskatoon real estate market it’s easy to get caught up in the job and not think about your personal safety.  It is important for us as realtors to think about it and for you as clients to respect that.  Next time you approach a realtor without any prior relationship and if they ask you additional questions just remember that people must think about their personal safety as well as if they have never met you it’s only fair for them to ask a few questions.

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

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Saskatoon Real Estate Update – January 2008

February 5th, 2008

Our current Saskatoon Real Estate market has picked up once again. After a small lull in the fall, the Saskatoon market has started out strong so far in 2008.

The 2007 overall average sales price in Saskatoon was $232,362 with January starting at $190,037 and ending in December with $255,271.

It seems that any homes that were listed in the fall and still on the market at the beginning of the year are now getting snapped up. Most people don’t want to wait for the spring boom this year which is actually propelling our market early. The Saskatoon market is once again in a sellers market with multiple offers already occurring.

So if you are thinking of buying a home in Saskatoon, don’t wait until Spring! Be prepared to be involved in a bidding competition though, even if a house is listed first come first serve as they may still get multiple offers. If you see a house in Saskatoon that looks like it may be ‘the one’ do not wait as you may miss out.

Contact me today if you are looking to either buy or sell a home in Saskatoon and the surrounding area!

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

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

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