Kindersley house sales are “pretty darn good”

By Joan Janzen
joanjanzen@yahoo.com

If you take a drive around Kindersley, you’ll notice there are “sold” signs that have been popping up around town throughout the winter months and continuing into spring. Sold signs are posted in front of small, medium and large homes, newer homes and older homes built as long ago as 1912.

Real estate agent, Jenny Wozniak at Edge Realty in Kindersley, emphasized that the increase in house sale has been very unusual for this time of year.

“It is very unusual, but it’s all across Canada,” she said. Mortgage brokers to appraisers say the increase in house sales is happening everywhere. “During that really cold snap in February, I was showing houses every day in -40 temperatures. Some clients weren’t working because of the cold, so we were doing a lot of showings. February and March were busy, and that’s unusual! That just doesn’t happen.”

Jen McLean, who is a sales representative for Royal Lepage, said things are definitely moving. “It’s an early spring market. Renters are taking advantage of lower interest rates to purchase their first home. People want to lock interest in for five years at those lower rates,” McLean said.

However, smaller communities aren’t necessarily seeing an increase in sales. Kim Gilbertson from Royal Lepage in Oyen said housing sales have been holding steady but haven’t increased more than usual, although their busy season will soon begin.

Usually, Wozniak said, she doesn’t see movement in February, but there was this year. “We sold quite a few in March, and April is looking good,” she said, adding that she had worked during the holiday weekend to accommodate people who wanted to view homes.

Additional contributing factors could be doubling lumber prices, causing people to look for houses that don’t require renovations. McLean noted that move-in-ready homes around the $250,000 price range are quicker to move.

“People are home more,” Wozniak observed. “The pandemic has helped people to want to purchase their own space.” However, there are also people upgrading and moving from one house to another.

“A whole lot of different things are happening,” Wozniak said. “People are moving here from Ontario and Alberta, others are moving to acreages, and there are lots of first-time home buyers. The pandemic has changed people’s thought processes.”

McLean said some people are buying investment property. Even though it may be only a few people, it makes a difference in a smaller community like Kindersley.

Wozniak described Kindersley as a hot spot, as it is enjoying an increased turnaround in the sale of homes. However, she has been showing some homes in neighbouring communities such as Eatonia and Eston. Fewer homes are selling in the smaller communities, but that could change.

Homes ranging in price from $200,000 upwards to $500,000 have been selling. “We’re running out of a supply in the $200,000 to $250,000 price range,” Wozniak observed, and added that houses that haven’t sold for a long time are now selling. “It’s been pretty darn good,” she concluded.