The newest Habitat for Humanity build looks pretty much like any other construction site – until you notice all the workers are women.
In fact, the house is being built from start to finish by
women, notes Annette Verschuren, president of Home Depot Canada.
Verschuren was in Calgary earlier this month to join about 50 women to kick off construction of the new Habitat duplex in the southeast Ogden community.
Volunteers from across North America are involved in constructing the duplex, including a number of tradeswomen from the city.
The show of female strength makes sense, Verschuren notes.
One-third of single women in Canada are buying homes, and they want to know much more than decorating.
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| Larry MacDougal photo, Business Edge |
| Home Depot Canada president Annette Verschuren, second from right, works alongside hockey gold medalist Danielle Goyette (left) and volunteer Paula Desautels. Habitat for Humanity beneficiary Roberto Escalante – the soon-to-be homeowner – watches in the background. |
Like their male counterparts, many women are marrying later in life, and are making their first home purchase before tying the knot.
Home Depot is capitalizing on this trend, holding demonstration sessions in its stores for the growing number of women who want to learn more about building and maintaining their home.
Verschuren grew up on a farm and, along with her four siblings, helped her father build barns.
“That’s why I’m president of Home Depot Canada now,” she adds.
The home-supply chain plans to open two more stores in Calgary, and others in Edmonton, Medicine Hat. Lethbridge and Grande Prairie.
The company employs 2,500 people in Alberta – most of them in Calgary and Edmonton – and 17,000 nationwide.
Home Depot Canada has 83 stores across the country – up from 19 in 1996 – and will have more than 100 retail outlets by late 2003.
Real estate listings in Calgary are keeping pace with last year, but sales volume is up 19 per cent, according to figures from the Calgary Real Estate Board.
The resale housing market saw 2,197 units change hands last month, up from 1,986 in July 2001.
Up to the end of July, 16,025 homes were sold in Calgary, compared to 13,473 for the first seven months of last year.
At the same time, new listings in July came to 2,986 units, up from 2,795 a year earlier.
So far this year, 21,405 new residential listings have been put on the market, close to the 2001 figure of 21,655 units at the same point. As of July 1, there were 4,220 active listings, compared to 5,590 in 2001.
Agents still need more inventory, especially below $250,000, says Rosalee Krygier, president-elect of the CREB.
“We’ve been short of inventory since the beginning of the year – that hasn’t changed,” she says. “We’re still looking at multiple offer situations.”
The average sale price in July was $196,472, up seven per cent from last year. The median price was $182,500 compared to $167,500 for the same month last year.
A search for revenue property is also affecting the housing market as some investors look beyond the stock market. “In the last week, I’ve had four clients call me looking for revenue (property),” Krygier said.
Boardwalk Equities Inc. intends to buy back up to 10 per cent of its public float in a normal course issuer bid.
The bid will run to Aug. 11, 2003, and follows an earlier bid that expired March 22. Boardwalk said it believes that market prices of its shares do not reflect their underlying value. It will buy the shares for cancellation to raise the proportionate interest of remaining shareholders.
Building permits jumped by a quarter in July compared to the same month last year, city hall reports. Building permits issued in July were worth $242.8 million, 26 per cent more than the $192.8 million issued in July 2001.
Residential permits were up 52 per cent from last year, at $173.7 million compared to $113.9 million. Single-family permits within that amount totalled $94.7 million – an increase of 17 per cent from last year’s $80.7 million.
The value of non-residential permits dropped 12 per cent from last July, to $69.1 million from $78.8 million. Total building permits so far in 2002 are worth $1.41 billion, an increase of 20 per cent from $1.18 billion at the same point in 2001.
The city notes that permits show intentions in the construction industry and are not actual starts.
