A much- needed long weekend for everyone, I’m sure! If you aren’t heading out to the lake, involved in some sort of sporting tournament or busting out the golf clubs and hitting the links, there are a few events of substance happening in our shining city!
May 18
Hip hop enthusiasts of Saskatoon and area unite! This you won’t want to miss. Factor is pulling out all the stops in his release of Club Soda Series 2. Factor has been making things happen since ’98 and has been taking Saskatchewan and Canada by storm. The next endeavour might be the world! Helping him release his album are the the boys from The Intelligentlemen and Chaps. Hold on tight, ’cause these artists will send you into another realm! By the way, all these guys are local. Come out and support the local music scene and put your hands in the air, ya know… like you just don’t care! This all goes down at Vangeli’s on Broadway! Click here…
Another local show and its just down the road from Vangeli’s. Amigo’s Cantina is playing host to Planet S Magazine’s “Local Music Show”. Shooting Guns, Foggy Notions, Young Bengamins, Powder Blue and Dead- End Drive- In plan to play well into the night, or until Amigo’s tell them to get off the stage. Again, help support the local music scene AND your favourite newspaper! Click here…
May 19
Now, I know it’s an Olympic event, but I haven’t watched much of it. There is way too much movement for me to keep up… Anyway, it looks pretty cool! The Canadian National Fencing Championships are underway at the Saskatoon Fieldhouse! Break out your sabres and enjoy the action! Click here…
May 20
This blog is jam- packed full of local artists from all walks! I love it! Head down to the Flint Saloon on 2nd Ave South to check out some of Saskatoon’s best up- and- coming artists. unSCENEart Presents “A Group of 7″ art show! Two DJ’s, beverages and some of the best talent around will make your night! View, drink, mingle, listen and enjoy! Facebook event…
May 21
Ya know, just enjoy the day off. You most likely deserve it!
People say that first impression can make or break a possible relationship. When you go in for a job interview, meeting an individual for the first time or even picking out a pet for your family, first impressions make a world of difference! It’s no different when you are house shopping. Driving by a house and taking a look from the street can make your mind up really quick.
In essence, when you look at a home and you see cracked paint, unkempt grass, weather- beaten shingles and a makeshift chop- shop in the front yard, chance are pretty good that you will quickly pass that house over. Now conversely, you drive by a house with luscious green grass, updated siding with a touch of natural stone, a good looking driveway and crisp, fresh and up- to- date paint where it’s needed, more often than not you will take a second look and put it on your list of prospective homes. This is curb appeal! How a house looks and appeals to you from the street… or the curb!
A person can drive down almost any neighborhood in Saskatoon and see instances of both negative and positive curb appeal. If you are a prospective home buyer, try a little experiment. Pick an area that you are interested in and pick a few streets. Check out the homes and make a list of which homes you think have positive curb appeal and which have negative. Most times it is a very subjective thing, but some homes are pretty obvious. These houses don’t need to be for sale or anything you are interested in, but it may be interesting to see what appeals to you in these certain areas!
The Weather Network tells me that it is going to be GORGEOUS all weekend! Gotta love Spring/ Summer in Saskatoon! Things are greening up nicely after the rain and the heat… and the farmers are in the field, so everyone is happy! Get out and enjoy the weather… after you check out some events, of course!
May 11
Get your knee ready for some serious slapping. Sterling Scott and Paddy Ford are ready to infiltrate The Laugh Shop at the Parktown Hotel on Friday! Scott is one of Canada’s up and coming stand- up comics. Check out his website! Click here…
Hailing from Belfast, Ireland and now calling Saskatchewan his home, Stephen Maguire will be sure to impress. This singer/ songwriter is having a CD release party for his album, “The Nashville Sessions” at The Remai Arts Centre. His folk music with hints of his Irish background is a refreshing addition to the country, blue- grass/ folk scene in Saskatoon and across Canada. Website.
Enjoy!
May 12
With the fantastic weather comes garage sale season! On almost every open street corner you’ll see garage sale signs. It’s like an epidemic! Every once in a while, a community gets together to advertise an area of garage sales… like Westview Heights and Hampton Village! Expect a lot of traffic around these areas and drive safe! Click here… and here!
By the way, if anyone was attending the Buck 65 show at Amigo’s, I heard it was cancelled. He is down and out with a super cold/ flu. He explains on his website… Click here…
May 13
One of the biggest days of the year. Mother’s Day! The day that every man cannot forget! Treat your mom, grandma and wives to something extra special!
You and your Agent are “talking shop”. He or she is dropping numbers and stats on you. All of a sudden, your Agent uses a term that makes you scratch your head. ”What did they just say?” you think to yourself, while still trying to keep up in the conversation. You don’t want to lose your focus on the conversation and the task at hand; finding yourself the dream home or selling your home for the right price. For the next couple- few weeks, I am going to help you decipher some of these terms.
Absorption Rate
No, it’s not how fast the soil absorbs the rain, but we are on the right track. Investopedia.com defines Absorption Rate as, ” The rate at which homes are sold in a specific real estate market during a given time period”. In layman’s terms, it is the amount of months it will take to sell the rest of the “inventory” in that specific area, whichever area you are using. It’s pretty simple math that you could do at home.
See? Easy!
So, a high absorption rate can mean that the inventory will decrease quickly. This is also good news for people wanting to sell, as there is a better chance of their home will be off the market quicker. Furthermore to our example, if there were only 400 homes sold the previous month, that would mean it would take six months to sell the remaining 2,400; a lower absorption rate!
Stay tuned to our blog next week and well touch on another term that you may have come across.
In the mean time, if there are any terms you want us to define for you on the blog, leave a comment and well do our best to help you out!
The last commercial that Canadian comedian Alan Thicke and Coldwell Banker did together; The Truth about Bulls. Do bulls actually hate the colour red? Is Coldwell Banker a bank? Find out all the answers to these questions right here! Take a peek!
A few things going on this weekend in Saskatoon! What’s more, the CFL draft was yesterday, and the Riders did pretty well, drafting U of S Huskies Ben Heenan and Keenan McDougall as well as a few other Canadian boys. Can’t wait for the season to start! In the meantime, let’s start the weekend!
May 4
Star Wars fanatics unite and May the 4th be with you! Today is the day that you break out every (good) Star Wars video that was made. Whether you’re starting with the very first one in the story or starting with Star Wars: A New Hope, its the greatest series of movies ever! But that’s just my opinion. :)
If you are a dog lover or an animal lover in general, this is a show for you! The Hub City Kennel & Obedience Club is presenting its show all weekend at Prairieland Park Hall “E”. Terriers to Collies, Mini Poodles to Shetland Sheepdogs, there are all sorts of pooches to view! Click here…
May 5
Yes, hockey is still on, but its playoff hockey! Get down to Humboldt, Saskatchewan and see the best Junior B teams in Canada battle for the Royal Bank Cup! The hometown Bronco’s welcome the Soo Thunderbirds, Woodstock Slammers, Portage Terriers and the Penticton Vees. Humboldt won the Cup in ’08 and look to take it back in front of their hometown fans! Click Here…
Something interesting… The Anarchist Bookfair is on once again. There are all sorts of workshops, vegan food, speakers, writers, and a lot more! This isn’t just for the anarchist either, there is a little something for everyone! If you check it out, you will learn something, that is for sure. It all happens at Grace Westminster Church, Eastlake and 10th. Click here…
May 6
This weekend would be a great weekend to get to the Observatory on the U of S Campus. The full moon on May 6th is actually labelled a “supermoon”. The moon will seem up to 14% bigger and 30% brighter than other full moons this year! That is pretty cool!
The number of listings increased in April which is typical of the spring market. “Even though the Saskatoon market saw a 20% increase in the number of sales in April compared to April of 2011, a 15% increase in the number of listings year over year helped to keep the market in balanced territory”, according to Jason Yochim, the Executive Officer of the Saskatoon Region Association of REALTORS® (SRAR). The sales to listing ratio is a good indicator of the balance between buyers and sellers. A current ratio of 56% indicates that slightly more than one out of two houses listed are selling. “By comparison, at this same time in April of 2007 the sales to listing ratio was at 90% which helped fuel a significant increase in prices in Saskatoon.” says Yochim.
Year to date sales in the price range between $200,000 and $300,000 was down 3% compared to last year while sales in the $300,000 to $500,000 price range were up 34%. “There is still healthy activity over $300,000 with a good supply of product however the selection is tighter in the $250,000 to $350,000 range.”
The total residential volume year to date was $555,154,716.00, up 25% when compared to this time last year. In April the average price of a home in Saskatoon was $341,486.00 while the median price was $335,000.00. The average sale price is determined by dividing the total dollar volume of sales by the total number of units sold across the Saskatoon market while the Median price is determined using the mid-point of all sales listed. “It is important to remember that these numbers should not be applied to a specific style of home in a specific neighborhood. If a consumer is interested in data more specific to their situation it is advisable to contact a professional REALTOR® for an accurate determination of price” Yochim summarized.
Last week you learned the truth about the light bulb from none other than Canadian comedian Alan Thicke. This week, Thicke and Coldwell Banker tell you the truth about George Washington. Enjoy!
Its a slow week in Saskatoon. The weatherman tells me that its going to be a rainy weekend, so maybe a weekend indoors is in the agenda? Or the Man Show!
April 27
Cars, audio, sports, outdoors… the list goes on and on. Men and women alike will want to get out and see all the exhibits at The Man Show this weekend. Get your fill of what Saskatoon and area has to offer for the summer! Get out to Credit Union Centre and see the sights! Brochure, Website
April 28
If you were around in the 80′s and still have a penchant for the lifestyle and music, you will want to check this musical out! Rock of Ages is all about the 80′s! A five time 2009 Tony nominee, Rock of Ages is a love story about a young man and woman following their dreams, making it big and their relationship. It takes you back in time when EVERYTHING was big; music, hair and ego’s alike! Take in music from Whitesnake, Styx, Pat Benatar, Poison and so many more! Loud! Click here…
It may not be the greatest time with all of the rain clouds in the sky, but I have to give this a plug. The U of S Observatory is open and very cool to visit. Check out constellations, planets, our moon and whatever else that might be floating out there! It seems like it a forgotten gem in Saskatoon but is WELL worth seeing… and it’s free! Click here…
April 29
Because I enjoy spoken word artists I have to give this even a shout out too. Lydia’s on Broadway plays host to Tonight, It’s Poetry. Emerging poets, writers, rappers and general talkers show their skills and an established writer reads as well. This is pretty unpredictable as you never know what the next person has going on in his or her head! A good time had by all!
I know William Shatner won’t be at Tonight, It’s poetry, but you have to listen to Shatner’s version of “I am Canadian”. He is a great spoken word artist!
Everyone knows who Alan Thicke is. He’s Canadian. An actor (Growing Pains), an established comedian, a composer (Wheel of Fortune original theme), and just a general, all- round good guy! Well, Mr. Thicke has some truths to spill. Thicke and Coldwell banker teamed up to make a few commercials about “The Truth”. The light bulb, George Washington, bulls and Coldwell Banker. Check out the truth about the lightbulb and Coldwell Banker!
