Archive for Community
Canadian Government Matches Your Donation to World Vision Haiti Relief!
We have all heard the news and seen the images of the huge tragedy in Haiti. It is overwhelming to think about the resources needed for the Haiti people to begin to recover, but if we each do something (big or small) we CAN make a difference! Our team supports World Vision in a variety of ways and so Larry and I as business owners have chosen to support the relief efforts in Haiti through this incredible organization.
Canadians can now donate $5 to World Vision on their cell phones. Simply text “WORLD” to 45678. A one-time donation toward relief efforts in Haiti will be added to your mobile phone bill. Standard messaging rates and additional fees may apply. What could be easier?
A donation of $110 to through World Vision to Haiti earthquake victims provides two families with an invaluable emergency kit. And until February 12th, the Canadian government will match your donation made to double the impact of your giving! This means that same donation of $110 provides an emergency kit to four families! Click here to learn more about how you can help!
However you choose to support the people of Haiti, never lose sight of the fact that every dollars make a difference. Let’s keep the giving going!
Contributed by Kathy Schmidt, Broker Owner of Schmidt Realty Group Inc.
City of Edmonton delivers Updated Property Assessments!
The City of Edmonton has mailed out revised assessments to all property owners in the city. This information will be used to distribute the city budget among property owners and is based on property values at Juy 1st 2009. Read CBC’s report or watch the news clip.
This report states that prices dropped significantly last year which is true if you compare June 2008 to June 2009 single family average sale prices ($381,384 and $369,859 respectively). However if you compare the average sales price of a single family home at December 2008 with December 2009 there was actually an increase. The average sales price in December 2008 was $351,870 while the average price in December 2009 was $366,761.
Some people mistakenly believe that the value provided by the city accurately reflects their current property value. It’s important to remember that the city has not personally inspected every home and so is unaware of all the differences between homes which might affect the value of your property. If you feel that your property is inappropriately assessed, you have 60 days to appeal with the city. On May 1st the city will send out this year’s tax notices.
If you want a more up-to-date estimate of value for your home, you can get a quick market evaluation via email right here on our site. Just click here and we will provide you with our estimated range of value via email. And if you need a more precise valuation, please contact us via email at Schmidt@WeSellEdmonton.com or by phone at 780-437-2030 to request a FREE On-Site Market Evaluation!
Submitted by Kathy Schmidt, Broker Owner of Schmidt Realty Group Inc.
Help Local Charities by Donating your Old Electronics
If Santa was extra good to you and brought you a new laptop, you may be wondering what to do with the old one. The Electronic Recycling Association of Canada has locations in Edmonton and Calgary and provide lots of excellent options for disposing of those unneeded items safely. In Edmonton, they are located at 11404 – 143 Street and are open 9-5 Monday through Friday. Visit ERA’s website to watch videos about ERA and for information on charities who are in need of electronics.
Click here for a full list of items ERA will accept. If you live in Edmonton and have electronics you would like to donate but can’t get to the ERA during their hours of operation, call our office at 780-437-2030 and arrange to deliver your items to us by January 31st. We’re open 9-9 Monday-Friday and all day Saturday! We’ll gather up all the items and take them over to ERA.
Contributed by Kathy Schmidt, Broker Owner of Schmidt Realty Group Inc
Local Organization Helps Homeowners and the Edmonton Food Bank!
Our neighbour was on CBC radio this morning talking about a new organization called OPERATION FRUIT RESCUE EDMONTON! Rather than letting fruit go to waste, if you have fruit in your yard that needs picking, call this group!
One third of the fruit goes to the homeowner, one third to the volunteer fruit pickers, and one third to the food bank! I love it! Here is the link to learn more http://ofre.wordpress.com/about/
CONTACT INFORMATION:
Fruit Tree/Fruit contacts – Jessica Roder and Sarah Cashmore will be the contacts for fruit-owners through a central email. Jessica’s phone number is 780-757-4978 and email is: ofredm@gmail.com.
Pickers: for those interested in being pickers, please email ivormack@telusplanet.net or Jessica Roder at ibreathewater@yahoo.ca.
Contributed by Kathy Schmidt, Broker Owner of Schmidt Realty Group Inc.
Do you love your work? Do you matter????
Many inspirational quotes and stories arrive in my inbox daily and while they are all uplifting, I have chosen to post only the best of the best on our blog. Today I received a piece that leaped off the screen as soon as I read the first line.
“When you love the work you do and the people you do it with, you matter.”
I do love the work I do. And I do love the people I do it with – my colleagues and our clients! I matter! And so do all of you reading this today. I encourage you to pass this one along. And if you’re interested in the source, visit Seth Godin’s blogsite. Seth is an incredibly insightful “marketing philosopher” – that’s my description and hopefully he would agree. Seth discusses not only changes in technology affecting how we communicate our message but he also addresses the heart of the matter which is the content and quality of the message itself. I am a fan!
Here is the whole post, for your enjoyment.
When you love the work you do and the people you do it with, you matter.
When you are so gracious and generous and aware that you think of other people before yourself, you matter.
When you leave the world a better place than you found it, you matter.
When you continue to raise the bar on what you do and how you do it, you matter.
When you teach and forgive and teach more before you rush to judge and demean, you matter.
When you touch the people in your life through your actions (and your words), you matter.
When kids grow up wanting to be you, you matter.
When you see the world as it is, but insist on making it more like it could be, you matter.
When you inspire a Nobel prize winner or a slum dweller, you matter.
When the room brightens when you walk in, you matter.
Contributed by Kathy Schmidt, Broker Owner of Schmidt Realty Group Inc.
And when the legacy you leave behind lasts for hours, days or a lifetime, you matter.
SCHMIDT REALTY GROUP OFFERS FREE SERVICES!
Need a COMMISSIONER For Oaths?
Need to make a few PHOTOCOPIES?
Need to send or receive a FAX?
Need to SCAN a document?
Whether you are a current or past client or simply someone we haven’t yet had the pleasure of meeting, consider us at your service. Our two full-time administrators are both licensed Commissioners For Oaths and would be happy to assist you. Simply call our office at 780-437-2030 and speak with Jody or Danielle to set up an appointment.
And if you need to send a fax, scan a document or make a photocopy or two just stop by anytime 9-9 weekdays or 9-5 Saturday or Sunday. These FREE services are one more way for us to say thank you to our loyal clients and to make some new friends as well! We hope to see you at our office one day soon!
Contributed by Kathy Schmidt, Broker Owner of Schmidt Realty Group
LRT Expansion Will Increase Property Values!
So says real estate researcher, Don Campbell. According to Campbell, the price of homes near LRT stations will improve 10% to 20% more than other areas of the city. He also suggests that homes near extensions to Anthony Henday Drive will increase relatively more in value. The first neighbourhoods to benefit are Belgravia, Parkallen, McKernan, Twin Brooks, Skyrattler, Ermineskin and Blue Quill. These areas will see increases in value thanks to both the LRT expansion and ring-road access. With Southgate and Century Park stations scheduled for opening in 2010 the neighbourhoods of Pleasantview and Lendrum will be positively affected. Glastonbury, Aldergrove, Thorncliff and Belmead are areas which will reap the rewards of the expanded Anthony Henday.
Contributed by Kathy Schmidt, Broker Owner of Schmidt Realty Group Inc.
New Communities Provide Options for Edmonton Seniors
It’s always exciting to see more housing choices enter the marketplace. Christenson Developments has created condo style apartments where seniors have excellent options for of assistance and independence. Laundry and housekeeping services are offered in Devonshire Mews, and there is a dining room to give residents the option of dining out without starting the car! Fitness centres, theatre rooms, carpentry and wine-making facilities encourage people to try something new and also build a sense of community.
For those who need a bit more in the way of assisted living, there is Devonshire Manor. Greg Christenson, owner of Christenson Developments, calls it “nursing home lite”. Another similar facility, Citadel Village, will soon open in St Albert.
Christenson is so confident about this alternative to traditional seniors’ residences and nursing homes, that they have set up three guest suites. Potential residents can sign up for a “sleep over” in these furnished units to try out the lifestyle. Whether renting or purchased as a life-lease, one of the best features of these homes is that couples can stay together. You can see for yourself at 1718 Rabbit Hill Road on Saturday and Sunday between 1-5 pm.
And for anyone wondering if the sale of their current home would provide the necessary funding for any of these units , call on Schmidt Realty Group for a complimentary evaluation. Having recently helped my own folks make the big move from house to condo, I know there are lots of variables involved. Making the right choice takes research, time and family support and your friends at SCHMIDT are here to help!
Contributed by Kathy Schmidt, Broker Owner of Schmidt Realty Group Inc.
Condo Life Thriving in Downtown Edmonton
It’s been said that Edmonton is small enough that you have to be nice to everybody! I personally think we have the best of both worlds – a city small enough that we run into people we know regularly, and a city large enough to boast a world-class concert hall and a reputation as a well-respected center for medical research. As we grow in numbers, some of our new “imports” are flocking to the downtown core to enjoy the urban lifestyle. We have had clients from cities such as Montreal and Toronto happily surprised to find funky lofts in restored warehouses as well as brand new high-rise residences with gorgeous river views! And local Edmontonians seeking a “greener” lifestyle find that downtown living suits them very well as they can easily walk to work or hop on public transit! Either way, downtown condo living is increasingly popular. Prices vary as much as styles of home, with everything from affordable bachelor units to luxury penthouses. We currently have a gorgeous modern unit offered for sale right in the heart of downtown, and there is a wide variety of other properties to choose from.
Another recent development which illustratrates this trend is the announcement of a downtown Edmonton community league! With approximately 200 members, this group is committed to creating a sense of community among downtown residents.
Developers expect this lifestyle trend to continue. While some construction has been placed on hold, the long-term outlook for both construction and sales of new units remains bright!
Contributed by Kathy Schmidt, Broker Owner of Schmidt Realty Group Inc
Province of Alberta Best Place to Ride Out the Recession!
There is so much information coming at all of us these days about the economy. It’s hard to get our heads around billions of dollars in bailouts and interest rates so low that the cost of borrowing is almost zero! And then there are the unemployment figures; the National rate is now 7.7%, while Edmonton levels are at 4.4%. At the end of the day we are each trying to figure out what it means to us personally… how is the new economy going to affect my family? my plans? my prospects for the future? There is no easy answer, but there is also no better place to ride it out than Alberta.
Personally I am extremely grateful to be living and doing business here, and specifically to be in Edmonton. It’s a city of art, sports and festivals and Larry and I love it all. We’ve seen the Alberta economy go through some significant booms as well as some busts, including the sudden downturn in real estate in 1993. That was my first year in the industry and I am convinced that starting out in that challenging market helped create the successful business I am grateful for today. As the saying goes “A smooth sea never made a skilled mariner.”
Now more than ever it’s important to remind ourselves how fortunate we are to live in this vibrant city and in this incredibly strong province. Michael Percy, Dean of Business at the University of Alberta, recently said this about the Alberta economy: “…the best place in North America to weather an economic storm… At the end of the day, so many fundamentals are positive in the case of Alberta, the best strategy is to treat this as short-term…There’s no better jurisdiction to be located in than Alberta… “ Thank you for that, Dr. Percy! I couldn’t agree more!
Contributed by Kathy Schmidt, Broker Owner of Schmidt Realty Group Inc
