Saskatchewan REALTORS take the safety of Saskatchewanians seriously. We've shown leadership in the past, and we continue to take a lead to minimize the risk of transmission so that the government allows real estate to remain an essential service. We were the first province to pause open houses in March before the government placed the province on lockdown. We expected all members across the province to wear masks when meeting with clients before the government’s mask mandate was expanded beyond Prince Albert, Regina, and Saskatoon. And effective immediately, we are placing a pause on open houses to do our part to prevent the further spread of COVID.  There are still times when a physical viewing of a property is required. Here are a few tips to help you reduce the risk of exposure if you are trying to sell your home right now:  ✅ Use a Saskatchewan REALTOR®  ✅ Consider selecting an agent that uses tools that can help qualify buyers during their [...]

COVID-19 has underscored the fact that being in close physical contact with others can make us more susceptible to disease. As a result, people in this COVID era may continue to practice physical distancing measures to reduce the risk of infection and to remain healthy.  Employers and employees are already working to navigate a complicated web of safety and caution to return to work. The Canada Emergency Response Benefit is set to run out in September which will trigger a significant wave of people heading back to work and the continued preference for physical distance could prompt a change in occupational health and safety (OHS) regulations and building codes to help support safe physical distancing guidelines developed in response to COVID.  Even though it could take some time for new regulations to be put in place, employees and customers may demand that employers and businesses put additional measures in place to protect their own [...]

LongMediaRelease-2020-09-02 September 02, 2020 For immediate release Although the August real estate market appears to be slowing down compared with June and July, we still see signs of strength. Across the province, year-over-year sales were up over 46% from August of last year (and up over 14% year-to-date), new listings were up nearly 5% year-over-year (but down just over 9% year-to-date), and the median sale price was up over 7% (up 0.2% year-to-date). Inventories were also down in 18 of the 19 markets that the SRA tracks. This suggests that people are still quite eager to buy and are continuing to find value in real estate. “While there have been some COVID outbreaks across the province, the number of cases has been pretty small” said SRA CEO Jason Yochim, “and this doesn’t seem to have turned people off from buying and selling real estate.” The fact that we had two [...]

  Imagine how hard it can be for a person to change something as simple as a habit. Now imagine how hard it can be for an organization filled with people to change. Finally, imagine how hard it can be for three organizations to change, and still deliver outstanding service to its members. Well, you don’t need to imagine it at all—you just need to look at the Saskatchewan REALTORS® Association (SRA) to see that it’s possible. The SRA was formed on January 1, 2020 from three separate associations, and it has come a long way in very short time while navigating the COVID-19 pandemic. “It didn’t happen overnight,” says Samantha Krahn, SRA’s new Director of External & Government Relations, “but it’s been an exceptional example of teamwork, strong leadership and innovation." After extensive consultation with its members, the Association of Regina Realtors (ARR), the Saskatoon Region Association [...]