The Regina Market!

[ryanlake]

I started investing in Regina SK in 2009 before i was a member of REIN. Lately the topic has been Alberta, Alberta, Alberta...with the odd mention of Regina as being labeled for strong growth here and there.



I was wondering if anyone had more details on what exactly is driving the Regina market.



Latest i heard was that single family homes increased 6% in '11, and GDP will be around 4.1-4.3% the next two years leading GDP for Canada.



Where are these jobs coming from?!

 

[Thomas Beyer]

SK is somewhat similar to AB in that it has:

a) right of centre government

b) oil, gas, oilsands (undeveloped, near Cold Lake, AB, NW of Saskatoon) , potash, uranium

c) only 1 million people

d) government surplus

e) low unemployment

f) lots of infrastructure projects on the go

g) 2 main cities and few smaller ones

h) rent control like AB, even better: you can raise rents 2x/year, in AB only 1x, each with 3 months notice, in SK 6 months apart, in AB 12 months



It has less in-migration, is less scenic (no mountains) but great lakes in N-SK, smaller airports and far from big centers by both rail, roads and air .. and property taxes and utility costs are higher than in AB for a similar priced/sized asset.



Prices are still quite a bit lower than AB but not by much as a % of wages.



A great place to invest once you study local areas well. For example, both Saskatoon and Regina have great areas but also some real low-class areas. Our website has a few articles on "Why SK".



Proceed with the usual DD.

 

[kfort]

Agreed w/ above. Do note:

Soon to be 12 months notice for rent increases.
MULTIPLE potash mines within 100km of the two major cities in the works. ... Don't get your blood pressure up yet, but at least a couple of the current projects should develope. One 45 km south of Regina should serve you well in about 6 years. The Resource sector is the major cause of our good fortune here (not Brad Wall as many seem to think)

 

[bizaro86]

[quote user=kfort](not Brad Wall as many seem to think)



The perception of a business friendly gov't is valuable, as it increases the confidence of businesses to invest new money and create jobs in an area. And some of it is true. The horizontal drilling credits, for example, have pulled significant drilling dollars from Alberta into Saskatchewan. Some of these policies were in place under the previous regime, but the Sask Party has been very active in promoting them to business.

 

[kfort]

O I'm not saying he's useless by any means... he is good for business here in SK and he is a great public face for our province. But let's face it, he slid down the rainbow just in time to land on the pot of gold. It was as much about timing as policy.

 

[bizaro86]

[quote user=kfort]O I'm not saying he's useless by any means... he is good for business here in SK and he is a great public face for our province. But let's face it, he slid down the rainbow just in time to land on the pot of gold. It was as much about timing as policy.





I think he's doing a better job in the "public image" department than the previous gov't was. Even if the policies are exactly the same, having a government not called the NDP makes your province seem more business friendly.



There is also a lot of pro Saskatchewan advertising here in Calgary, (where many resource companies are headquartered) that is making a difference.

 

[kfort]

100% agreed. It would have been near impossible to do worse!

 

[MonteDobson]

Hi Ryan,



I live and invest in Regina...feel free to drop me a line sometime if you'd like to chat further.