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What will $165,000 get you in Toronto?
30 Hanson Street in Toronto. It’s 210 sq ft and situated on a 20 ft x 14.5 ft lot.
Have you ever wondered what $165,000 get you in Toronto, ON? This week, a house sold in the inner city for just that. It’s walking distance to the subway and close to some of the best neighborhoods in the city. The catch? It’s 210 sq ft and situated on a whopping 20 ft x 14.5 ft lot! There is electricity run to the house but no running water, no kitchen, and no bathroom. A glorified garden shed. The listing agent states that it’s “cheaper than a condo”.
He’s not lying. The average sale price of a condo in Toronto was close to $430,000 according to RealNet for the month of August. Outrageous compared to the Saskatoon real estate condo market averaging close to $230,000 for the month of August.
Or instead, for $199,900, you can purchase a brand new townhouse condo at Chaparral Ridge in Martensville. It may be a bit more than $165,000 but I can assure you there’s running water.
Kari Calder
Saskatoon Real Estate Agent
Century 21 Fusion
Searching for a job? Your best bet is in Saskatoon.
If you are a new graduate or considering switching jobs, it may benefit you to look outside your city in Canada. Not surprisingly, the best cities to find employment are out west, not in the east. According to a recent study by job search site Adzuna.ca, areas in Ontario see almost 100 candidates for every job vacancy!
MSN Money put together a list of the best Canadian cities to look for a job. The cities that made the list have fewer candidates for each vacant position, with nine or less. Included in the list of the best cities are: Prince George, BC, Red Deer, AB, Edmonton, AB, Grande Prairie, AB, Calgary, AB, Regina, SK, Winnipeg, MB, Kamloops, BC, Nanaimo, BC, and topping off the list–Saskatoon, SK!
Saskatoon affords you the best chance of finding a job in Canada, with a mere 4.4 candidates per vacant position. Traditionally the major sectors have been potash, oil, and wheat but Saskatoon has more recently diversified into other industries such as biotechnology, food processing, and manufacturing. The city’s continued economic growth has seen a resurgence of people migrating back to the city and with one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country, Saskatoon is seeing substantial growth.
If you are considering a move to Saskatoon, contact a Trusted REALTOR® like myself to get you started. With award winning service, I can assist you in your search for houses for sale in Saskatoon and help you to find your ideal home within our great city.
Kari Calder
Saskatoon Real Estate Agent
Century 21 Fusion
kari@saskatoonrealestate.net
Top Producer for the Month of August
August usually proves to be a busy month for most; vacation time, trips to the lake, summer barbeques, and enjoying the heat. August was especially busy for me as I was doing all of those fun things plus I was busy selling Saskatoon real estate! For the month of August I was able to achieve Top Producer status and #1 at Century 21 Fusion.
I was able to accurately price and effectively market my listings and the results showed. On average, my houses were listed for a mere 19.5 days compared to the 39 day average for the August Saskatoon real estate market. On the flipside, by putting my negotiation skills and researching market information, I was able to help my buyers find homes that they love with an average sale price of $8,833 under list price!
By putting my skills to work for you, I will do what I can to help you achieve your real estate goals. Contact me today to arrange a meeting and I’d be more than happy to discuss what I can do for you.
Kari Calder
Saskatoon Real Estate Agent
Century 21 Fusion
Saskatoon Real Estate Market Update for August 2013
The August Saskatoon real estate market held steady from 2012 where 375 houses for sale in Saskatoon sold. This year we saw the market maintain it’s sales with 376 houses in Saskatoon selling for the month of August.
The average home price in Saskatoon didn’t see significant changes with the average house price at $343,594 for 2013. This is up 1.3% from last year’s $339,250 in August.
Currently, the average time to sell a house in Saskatoon is 39 days and has remained near that average for many months.
By the end of August, homebuyers in Saskatoon had 1330 homes to choose from with 403 of those being condos for sale in Saskatoon.
Listing inventory in Saskatoon has increased with 740 new house listings in Saskatoon in 2013 while in 2012 we saw 611 new units placed on the market, signifying a change of 21.1%.
If you are looking for a qualified and experienced Saskatoon real estate agent, contact me for more information or to set up a meeting to discuss the current market and all your real estate needs.
Kari Calder
Saskatoon Real Estate Agent
Century 21 Fusion
Saskatoon Real Estate Market Update For July
The Saskatoon real estate market was busy in July this year, busier than the past few years. Sales were up 8% from the same month last year and the number of active houses for sale in Saskatoon and surrounding area is up 12% with 3062 in total and 1338 houses for sale in Saskatoon.
The average house price in Saskatoon is up to almost $342,000 which is up 3% from July 2012 when it was $330, 832 and up even more from 2011 when the average house price in Saskatoon in July was $303,439.
There are 4 less Saskatoon real estate offices than in 2012 but the total number of licensees is up to 607. There are almost 540 real estate agents in Saskatoon.
The East side of Saskatoon is where the most activity has been taking place. Given the amount of resale properties plus new houses for sale in Saskatoon’s east side this statistic doesn’t surprise me. There are 8% more houses for sale in Saskatoon this July than in 2012. Sales were also up 8% so this shows a good balanced Saskatoon real estate market. Average days on market in Saskatoon is currently at 35 whereas last July the average days on market in Saskatoon was 63 days.
Typically we see our real estate market in Saskatoon slow down once July hits as so many residents are off to the lake and off enjoying the short summer. The busiest price range continues to be the $350,000-$400,000 mark. The other strong markets are the growing “bedroom” communities with an increase of 7% in sales activity from 2012. The average house price in communities around Saskatoon is just over $300,000 which is a 5% increase from 2012.
If you are thinking about buying a house for sale in Saskatoon or looking to list your house for sale in Saskatoon with a trusted Saskatoon REALTOR contact me.
Kari Calder
Saskatoon Real Estate
Century 21 Fusion
kari@saskatoonrealestate.net
Next Place To Invest? Maybe Dundurn? Megamall!
Dundurn, Saskatchewan. Dundurn Megamall? Who would have thought that our little military town in Saskatchewan could be home to a massive megamall. Dundurn is located approximately 20 minutes from Saskatoon and only 5 minutes to Blackstrap Provincial Park and has less than 700 residents yet it appears it will be home to a 1,000,000 square foot megamall which is over 10x larger than the Midtown Plaza in Saskatoon. The first phase will be 300,000 and the 2nd and 3rd phases will add the other 700,000.
The Dundurn Exhibition Centre will be the first of its kind here in Canada and is getting a lot of support from local community leaders. President of Brightenview Development Inc, Joe Zhou, along with Tim LeClair, President of SREDA (Saskatoon Regional Economic Development Authority) and Saskatoon Mayor Don Atchison are on their way to China to show their support.
Brightenview is comprised of Canadians of Chinese and European background. Some have backgrounds in business and marketing in North America but little to no experience in China while they have other people in China with no experience in Canada. Brightenview is a private company and they are the ones paying for the project and the money is Canadian, not government or other so they are not asking for grants.
One of the questions as a Saskatoon real estate agent I get is if this will be like the West Edmonton Mall. The answer, sadly for those of us who love to shop, is no. This is not a retail shopping centre with clothing and shoe stores that us ladies love. This is a wholesale market for manufacturer’s to sell to buyers in a more direct way. I know of a few Saskatoon home builders who go to China to purchase products such as granite, quartz etc for their construction projects so this will likely eliminate the need to travel there.
A concern that I have heard from people is that it will not be easy for locals to purchase there due to language and cultural differences. The good news is that the project developers expect 350 Chinese Entrepreneurs to open up shop here but each of them has to hire at least 2 Canadians, as required by Saskatchewan’s immigrant entrepreneur program. Other workers will come as regular immigrants.
Apparently the units, starting with 350 of them, will be sold like condominiums and there is a lot of interest from vendors already from China.
With Dundurn expected to get busy the only role that the government may have in this development is to provide and interchange on Highway 11 to accommodate the anticipated traffic but that won’t happen anytime soon. This would be a great time to invest in Saskatoon but even a better time to invest in Dundurn. I happen to have a house for sale in Dundurn right now that could be a great investment before things get crazy in the next few years.
If you are thinking about buying a house for sale in Saskatoon or surrounding communities give me a call. If you would like to look at putting your house for sale in Saskatoon or surrounding area get in touch with me as I would be happy to go over my services as a trusted and experienced Saskatoon REALTOR(R) and how I differ from the majority.
Kari Calder
Saskatoon Real Estate Agent
Century 21 Fusion
Kari@saskatoonrealestate.net
Maybe Lulu Should Have Kept CANADA in a Canadian Company?
This is unfortunate for what used to be a company that Canada could be proud of but I can’t say I was surprised to read about the news that Lululemon faces more legal action in the US relating to the recall of ‘too sheer’ black yoga pants.
I had to laugh at one of my Saskatoon real estate clients as she was posting on Facebook how wrong it is for girls to wear see through ‘leggings’ like pants. I have to wonder how many of those she was complaining about were wearing a pair of overpriced Lulu pants!
I have to say I have been boycotting our great “Canadian” company ever since I realized they stopped making their pricey clothing outside of Canada. Quality control an issue? Is that a big surprise? Some members of my family who shall remain unnamed still get suckered into the Lulu mentality but I have been trying to switch them over to One Tooth which is made in Vancouver. I have also heard from one of my Century 21 Saskatoon colleagues that Serenity Apparel is great…and actually Canadian.
Upon realizing that the pants I paid way too much for but only did so as I thought I was employing more Canadians I wrote a letter to Lululemon. Big surprise I got a letter back explaining economics. Clothes made in 3rd world countries for a small fraction of the cost and still charging what they do, or more, was disappointing for a company who began proudly Canadian.
Their tags are also deceiving as they are now “Designed” in Canada or Vancouver to be specific…yet made in China and other countries where labour is cheap and work environments unsafe. Of course, like any other company, they are trying to increase profit while reducing costs but at what cost? The most recent recall of these Luon pants has cost them $60 million!
There are also allegations of artificially inflating stock price.
Maybe they should have stuck with Canadian and stuck with Made in Canada. It is unfortunate as I did really like their products prior to them being made cheaply in other countries. I have another first time home buyer in Saskatoon who one day showed me 2 pairs of pants-1 was probably 10 years old and in still pretty good condition, worn but good…the other 2 years old and already falling apart. Guess which was which? Made in Canada or made in China? Buy One Tooth from Vancouver or other truly proudly Canadian clothing companies instead of being deceived by ones like Lululemon just for the brand.
Kari Calder
Century 21 Fusion
Saskatoon Real Estate Agent
kari@saskatoonrealestate.net
June Saskatoon Real Estate Market Update
The Saskatoon real estate market was busy in the month of June. We saw an increase in Saskatoon home buyers by 8% compared to 2013. We are still down a moderate 3% in overall sales in 2013 from 2012.
One of the busiest price ranges of houses for sale in Saskatoon continues to be over $450,000 with a 28% increase in sales between $500,000-$750,000 and a 45% increase in sales of houses for sale over $750,000. This is huge for the Saskatoon real estate market and Saskatoon in general.
Another busy price range is always on houses for sale in Saskatoon between $300,000-$350,000. It could have something to do with this being a very popular range for first time home buyers in Saskatoon. With 2893 houses in Saskatoon selling so far this year of those 512 were in the $300,000-$350,000 price range.
The average home price in Saskatoon is still seeing an upward trend with a 5% increase to $348,000 but keep in mind the 45% increase in sales over $750,000 as this will skew these numbers.
On average it is taking 40 days to sell the average home in Saskatoon however also keep in mind that some of these numbers reflect new construction and empty lots so this can definitely increase the average days on market for a house for sale in Saskatoon. If a house for sale in Saskatoon is priced correctly it appears to be selling in under 3 weeks. Even sometimes within days if priced and marketed properly.
We are still in a balanced real estate market in Saskatoon with a healthy number of houses and condos for sale in Saskatoon. We are now at over 600 real estate agents in Saskatoon, that number is up 3% from the year before. We have seen a handful of Saskatoon REALTORS leaving the business so far this month as license renewals are up.
In Saskatoon and surrounding area we have a healthy number of listings. We are up 8% from 2012 at 2971 houses for sale in Saskatoon and surrounding communities with 1316 of those in Saskatoon.
If you are considering buying a house in Saskatoon and want more information feel free to contact me. I am a member of Trusted Saskatoon therefore am an honest Saskatoon REALTOR who has been thoroughly researched to ensure reliability, honesty, integrity, etc.
Kari Calder
Century 21 Fusion
Saskatoon Real Estate Agent
kari@saskatoonrealestate.net
PROUD TO ANNOUNCE!
I am super excited to announce a new project that I will be working on along with two other awesome Saskatoon REALTORS ®. We will be working with reputable Saskatoon home builder North Prairie on a 100+ unit townhouse project in Martensville called Chaparral Ridge.
The two agents who I have working with me on this project are Susan Zwarych and Kerri Tucker. Both awesome Saskatoon Century 21 real estate agents come with all the right attributes to help make this project a success. I am happy to have enlisted these two fantastic Saskatoon REALTORS ® to help me on the sales side.
The condos for sale in Martensville are under construction with the first completion estimated for mid November. This project is unique in nature and is comprised of two storey duplex and eight-plex units starting at $199900 plus GST.
There will be 4 models to choose from, each with a unique floor plan. Two or three bedroom duplex units are located back to back providing maximum privacy. Stylish fixtures, rich exterior finishes, front decks and convenient parking with plenty of green space make this a great place to live. Stay tuned for more info on the different units.
Chaparral Ridge is on the south side of Martensville therefore quick and easy access to Saskatoon (under 10 minutes). Small town feel with the big city amenities this is a great location and great place to call home!
So for those who thought my announcement was a baby…it kind of is!
If you are interested in learning more about Chaparral Ridge contact your Saskatoon REALTOR ® or Susan or Kerri or myself! If you are a first time buyer in Saskatoon or downsizing this could be a great place for you to call home!
Kari Calder
Saskatoon Real Estate Agent
Century 21 Fusion
kari@saskatoonrealestate.net
Saskatchewan Continues to Grow Despite Net Loss
Saskatchewan continues to grow, despite a net loss to Alberta. We have gained over 4000 people in Saskatchewan since January 2013 as by the end of April we had 1, 093, 880 residents in Saskatchewan.
We did have a net interprovincial loss though as data shows that during our first quarter we had 4690 people move to Saskatchewan from other places in Canada while we had 5029 people leave Saskatchewan, thereby losing 339 people. While we had 2192 people moving to Saskatchewan from Alberta we had 574 more than that leave our province for Alberta. As a real estate agent in Saskatoon I see this movement with the amount of Saskatoon real estate clients I have coming and going. A lot are to and from Alberta but I have also seen an influx from Ontario. People go where the jobs are and right now Alberta is busy but so is Saskatchewan.
Saskatchewan had a natural increase in people with 3752 births and 2417 deaths during the first quarter this year and the number of people moving in from out of country added 3077 people. We would surpass the 1.1 million mark sometime this year and it is said we are on track to hit 1.2 million people by 2020 with as many as 1.4 people by 2035. This growth helps make our province and city more vibrant and exciting. This is great as long as the province can keep up to the demands put on our infrastructure. As a REALTOR in Saskatoon I spend a lot of time on the roads and during this season the construction drives us all a bit crazy but it shows growth…unless it is pot hole fixing season!
If you are planning to put your house for sale in Saskatoon and move out of province get in touch with me. I have a huge network of great REALTORS across Canada and even world wide through my Century 21 network as we are a global company. I love traveling and seeing other Century 21 offices in countries where I least expect it…even in Belize!
If you are considering moving to Saskatchewan get in touch with me as, even if you aren’t moving to Saskatoon, I also have a great network of trusted REALTORS in Saskatchewan and I can put you in touch with someone who will take great care of your needs as a home buyer in Sask.
Kari Calder
Saskatoon Real Estate Agent
Century 21 Fusion
kari@saskatoonrealestate.net
http://www.thestarphoenix.com/news/Sask+keeps+growing/8551485/story.html
