Sonia's Real Estate Blog

Anyone who has met me knows how passionate I am about the work I do as a Sherwood Park REALTOR®. I chose a career in real estate years ago because I love working with people and am passionate about helping them through one of the biggest financial transactions they’ll make in their life. It’s a big responsibility, and I take it very seriously: After all, it’s not “just a home”, it’s your family’s life, their comfort, and your investment we’re talking about.

Together, we are a team, and it’s critical we work together at every step. When we do, we create a Win-­Win environment where you meet your most important real estate goals and we share success.

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Anyone who knows me knows I love animals, so Strathcona County is an ideal place for an animal lover like me.

Did you know that Strathcona County is the Horse Capital of Canada? This is supported by a horse survey count that was done in 2011. There are more than 300,000 horses in Alberta and the largest concentration is right here in the County.

The linkages to the horse goes back quite a ways in the history of the County. The name “Strathcona” originated with Lord Strathcona’s Horse, a Royal Canadian regiment. Even today, the regiment performs in period uniform and mounted on horseback.

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If you’re thinking about buying or selling a home in Sherwood Park or the wider Edmonton area in the next 6 months, it’s a good idea to keep an eye on the monthly market stats to see where the trends are.

Sherwood Park Real Estate Market Stats

In April, single family home total sales were up 33.8% from March, and up 12.6% from last April. That’s a great sign that more people are looking at buying Sherwood Park real estate and bringing their families to our great city this summer, which is good news if you’re planning on selling.

Looking at average price, the average selling price of a single family home in Sherwood Park has fallen slightly from last month, down around $6,000, or 1.4% from last month. When we dig deeper into the numbers, what we find is that more people are looking to buy homes at a more modest budget: Starter homes and first time home buyers are extremely active right now. We see this in particular when we look at the condo market where sales are up and the average price has increased by 3.5% over last month.

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There are so many things I love about living in Sherwood Park! One of those is that whether you are a weekend warrior, part of an active family or a serious athlete, Strathcona County has just the recreational opportunity you are looking for!

Trails

The County has an extensive trail system throughout Sherwood Park and parts of the rural areas. These trails often link up and it is possible to go from one side of Sherwood Park to another, enjoying the park like setting.

The trail system continues to grow and Strathcona County is a member of the River Valley Alliance, an organization with a vision to create a continuous integrated river valley park system that will run through Devon, Parkland County, Leduc, Edmonton, Sturgeon and Strathcona County.

When complete, the 88 km river valley trail will be the longest metropolitan park in North America, encompassing 18,000 acres. Imagine what a beautiful bike ride or walk the trail will be!

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Since moving to Sherwood Park years ago, I completely fell in love with the community, and while I continue to service the wider Edmonton area I always get a little extra excited about working with my Sherwood Park clients. I like to think of myself as a self­-appointed ambassador for Sherwood Park, both as a resident and as a business owner here. Sometimes I get asked “Why Sherwood Park?” and I always have my answer ready.

So Sonia, Why Sherwood Park?

Sherwood Park is Family Friendly

Sherwood Park is one of Canada’s most family­-friendly communities, and when you live and work here you notice it right away: there are tons of families everywhere! Lots of young couples are picking Sherwood Park and – most importantly – choosing to stay here as their families grow. Between our great school system, our world­-class recreational facilities, and wealth of park land, it’s easy to see the appeal.

I live and work in Sherwood Park, and my family loves it here. My children love their school and have made a ton of friends. After school, there are so many great activities and classes available for my children to join: My three are involved in dance classes, swimming clubs, Taekwondo, and archery: all located right here in Sherwood Park! One of my favourite places to take my family is the new Strathcona County Public Library located in the Centre in the Park. This wonderful new library is absolutely wonderful for families: there are cozy reading corners, interactive areas for children, and a huge selection of great books for all ages.

In 2014, MoneySense magazine gave Sherwood Park top marks in their review of the best places to live in Canada. Sherwood Park got the #10 spot in the Best Place to Raise Kids in Canada category, the #3 spot in the Overall Best Place to Live in Canada, and the #2 spot in the Best Small City to live in Canada category!

In addition, Sherwood Park has been routinely ranked as one of Alberta’s safest municipalities which, as a mother myself, is a hugely important factor when I chose to raise my family here.

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One of the big reasons I love working as a Sherwood Park REALTOR® is all the wonderful people I meet and work with every day. It’s such a great industry to be in if you’ve got a passion for helping people like I do, and I always love making friends and creating new relationships. I meet a lot of new people, and that’s why I love it! You never know when a casual meeting will turn into a new client, a business partner, or a friend.

Social media makes keeping in touch with a large network of people so much easier than it used to be. I’m a huge fan of both Facebook and Twitter because they’re great tools for connecting with people I’ve met, and keeping connected even when life gets busy. This is particularly true for people I meet who don’t live in Sherwood Park or the Edmonton area: When I meet interesting people at a conference anywhere in the world, we can connect on Twitter or Facebook and keep building that relationship long after the event is over, even though we live in different places.

Social Media Services I Love

Facebook

It’s almost St. Patrick’s Day: Is luck with you in the real estate market?Photo by Steven Shigeo Yamada

What is luck and how does it relate to real estate? I think the great philosopher Seneca said it best: “Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.” In my experience in life and in real estate, this is 100% true.

Luck & Picking a Sherwood Park REALTOR®

My clients often say they’re “lucky” to have me on their side, and they’re right. I work every day to ensure each and every one of my clients has a great home buying or selling experience, and put their needs first at the negotiating table. By having me on your side, you’ll instantly give your luck a big boost!

You should never pick your REALTOR’S® name from a hat and leave it up to chance: It’s important to do your research and ask the right questions to make sure you’re working with an experienced, success-driven agent like me. If you want a tiger on your side, you’ve got to know when you’ve found one!

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We all have our favourite charities and we all know how awesome it feels to give back to our community. My favourite charities are The Children’s Miracle Network and, in particular, one of their partner hospitals, The Stollery Children’s Hospital.

Last week I attended the RE/MAX Activate 14 conference in Vancouver, and I was honoured to receive recognition for my contributions to The Children’s Miracle Network. RE/MAX has been supporting this wonderful organization since 1992, and collectively RE/MAX agents have donated millions of dollars to help so many children. Just another reason why I’m proud to be part of the “RE/MAX Family”.

But for me, I have another, very personal reason for supporting The Stollery Children’s Hospital and The Children’s Miracle Network. In March of 2010, my son Lennox was 6 years old and caught what we thought was a common cold. No big deal, I thought, time to stock up on Kleenex and cough medicine. Then things started to get worse. And worse. What was diagnosed as the common cold quickly turned into a serious, life-threatening viral pneumonia. It’s a mother’s nightmare: one minute, your child has a cough, and the next he’s laying in a hospital bed.

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With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, I’ve been thinking this lovely day is more than just about “romantic love”. I believe it’s also about passion. I live every day of my life lit by its fire: I’m passionate about the people in my life, and the work I do every day. This is how life should be! Every morning I wake up ready to take on the world because my passion for work, life and love is the ultimate drive.

What I’m Passionate About

Family

Every mother knows about unconditional love, and I’ve been blessed to know it three times now. My three beautiful children Alexa, Lennox, and Eva have brought so much joy to my life, and every day with them is a new adventure! And of course there’s also my wonderful husband and “partner in crime” Eddy. We’ve been married for almost 15 years, and I am so lucky we found each other all those years ago.

My family and the way we support and love each other is a huge source of passion for me. They keep me grounded, keep me laughing, and make every day brighter!

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It’s no secret I love my animal print! It’s always been easy to “Spot Sonia” in a crowd: just look for the leopard or tiger pattern, and you’re sure to find me! However, it’s more than just my wardrobe that’s inspired by these magnificent big cats. In every business opportunity, in every real estate transaction, I remember the grace, power, and assertive nature of the tiger and do my best to put those qualities forward. When people say “with Sonia, you’ve got a tiger on your side” they mean every word of it.

I love all the big cats: leopards, cheetahs, panthers, lions, cougars, all of them. But my favourite has always been the tiger. They’re such an amazing blend of speed, strength, and agility. They’re beautiful and graceful, and yet demand instant respect: you wouldn’t want to mess with a tiger!

In addition to my involvement in the local Sherwood Park and Edmonton area organizations, I also keep an eye on tiger conservation news and am planning to make a donation this year. It breaks my heart to think of a world without these wonderful animals in it, but it seems every year there are fewer and fewer of them.

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