Here are some quick updates from a few of our sites!

Phase 1 – 4 at Ridgewood Landing are Over 80% Sold-out

It feels like we just got finished celebrating Official Ground Breaking for the bungalow condos at Ridgewood Landing! This site has been moving quickly, and we’re happy to announce that the first four phases are now over 80% sold-out. 

Despite everything this year has thrown at us, the 2020 building season has been one of the busiest yet! Our team has been hard at work getting everyone who purchased in our first three phases moved in, and we’re making steady progress on Phase 4. This phase of our University Heights project finds itself situated in the middle of the community and features some of our most anticipated floorplans and locations.

In addition to its great location, Phase 4 introduces our whole range of floorplans with walk-out basements. This site’s grade has allowed us to offer this highly sought-after basement design throughout the entire phase, making units here unlike any other in the community. The ability to fully customize your basement is already a massive perk of having a bungalow condo built by our NewRock team. Still, the walk-out is a significant upgrade that will automatically take your plans to the next level.

Get a closer look at the site-plan by checking out the official Ridgewood Landing website! Which floorplan and walk-out location is the one for you?

Reaching Our Final 10 Units at Livingstone Estates in Lethbridge

Livingstone Estates offers The Best of Adult Living on the growing Westside of Lethbridge. Sales have been strong year, and we are excited to have reached our final 10 units. With recent changes to the site plan, we’ve also made sure that these final units feature some of our best-selling floorplans — check out the community website to learn more! 

As we’ve approached the home stretch at Livingstone Estates, we’ve also had a great time seeing homeowners make their homes their own with our unique selections and upgrades process. See the results for yourself with this awesome tour of a clients home:

Phase 2 Progress AND 1/2 Sold Out at Meadowview Point In Saskatoon

With strong sales and a bustling construction team, Phase 2 of Meadowview Point is well underway. Early in the fall, we got footings poured for the next set of buildings, which has allowed our team to stay busy throughout the winter finishing up more of Saskatoon’s Most Affordable homes. In addition to the progress being made, we are also happy to have crossed the half-way point for sales.

Located in an up-and-coming area of the Evergreen neighbourhood, Meadowview Point is primed to be a convenient hub for any life phase. However, if you are a first-time homeowner, this community offers exclusive downpayment grants that never have to be repaid and can, in some cases, cover your full downpayment. Downpayment grants, paired with exceptional price points and market factors like historically low-interest rates, make Meadowview Point the ideal way to step out of the rental market and into homeownership!

Learn more about this community and our downpayment grants anytime on our website! 

1/2 Sold Out at Savanna Estates in Pilot Butte

Minutes from Regina’s bustling Eastside, you’ll find Savanna Estates! This community of bungalow condos has been top of mind for local downsizers, and we just recently announced that the community is over 1/2 sold-out. With steady interest and our team working on new buildings, Savanna Estates is a busy place these days with no signs of slowing down!

With recent sales, some of our most popular floorplans (like the one below) have very limited availability. Learn more anytime over on the Savanna Estates website.

Construction Has Started at Southlands Park

Southlands Park is our latest community of bungalow condos in Medicine Hat. Following up on the successful Southlands Gate, we’ve found another ideal Southside location to offer more of these popular floorplans. This past January, we broke ground and are well underway on the first few buildings! 

If you live in or around Medicine Hat and want to downsize or are looking into the benefits of maintenance-free living, be sure to check this community out. As we’ve been building, interest has grown, and the prime spots here won’t last long! For pricing, availability, contact information and more, be sure to visit www.southlandspark.ca.

The Alto is Coming Soon to Medicine Hat

Last but certainly not least is the official announcement of The Alto! This exciting project will bring a modern mid-rise condo building to Downtown Medicine Hat. Situated on the banks of the South Saskatchewan, all homes at The Alto will offer coveted views and amazing lifestyle opportunities. 

More information will be coming soon! In the meantime, don’t miss out and get on the update list over at www.altoliving.ca.

Here are just a few of the highlights and milestones that we are happy to look back on from 2020.

Phase 4 at Ridgewood Landing in Prince George

It seems like just yesterday that we celebrated the Official Ground Breaking for the bungalow condos at Ridgewood Landing! Now, with Phases 1 – 3 soldout, we are excited to be well into Phase 4. 

Despite everything this year has thrown at us, the 2020 building season has been one of the busiest yet! Our team has been hard at work getting everyone who purchased in our first three phases moved in, and we’re making steady progress on Phase 4. This phase of our University Heights project finds itself situated in the middle of the community and features some of our most anticipated floorplans and locations.

In addition to its great location, Phase 4 will introduce our whole range of floorplans with walk-out basements. This site’s grade has allowed us to offer this highly sought after basement design throughout the entire phase, making units here unlike any other in the community. The ability to fully customize your basement is already a massive perk of having a bungalow condo built by our NewRock team. Still, the walk-out is a significant upgrade that will automatically take your plans to the next level.

Get a closer look at the site-plan by checking out the official Ridgewood Landing website! Which floorplan and walk-out location is the one for you?

Reaching Our Final 10 Units at Livingstone Estates in Lethbridge

Livingstone Estates offers The Best of Adult Living on the growing Westside of Lethbridge. Sales have been strong throughout the year, and we are excited to have reached our final 10 units just before the holiday season. With recent changes to the site plan, we’ve also made sure that these final units feature some of our best-selling floorplans — check out the community website to learn more! 

As we’ve approached the home stretch at Livingstone Estates, we’ve also had a great time seeing homeowners make their homes their own with our unique selections and upgrades process. See the results for yourself with this awesome tour of a clients home:

Phase 2 Progress AND 1/2 Sold Out at Meadowview Point In Saskatoon

With strong sales and a bustling construction team, Phase 2 of Meadowview Point is well underway. Early in the fall, we got footings poured for the next set of buildings, which has allowed our team to stay busy throughout the winter finishing up more of Saskatoon’s Most Affordable homes. In addition to the progress being made, we are also happy to have crossed the half-way point for sales. Despite all things 2020, Meadowview Point has met and surpassed our expectations. 

Located in an up-and-coming area of the Evergreen neighbourhood, Meadowview Point is primed to be a convenient hub for any phase of life. However, if you are a first-time homeowner, this community offers exclusive downpayment grants that never have to be repaid and can, in some cases, cover your full downpayment. Downpayment grants, paired with exceptional price points and market factors like historically low-interest rates, make Meadowview Point the ideal way to step out of the rental market and into homeownership!

Learn more about this community and our downpayment grants anytime on our website! 

1/2 Sold Out at Savanna Estates in Pilot Butte

Minutes from Regina’s bustling Eastside, you’ll find Savanna Estates! This community of bungalow condos has been top of mind for local downsizers, and we just recently announced that the community is over 1/2 sold-out. With steady interest and our team working on new buildings, Savanna Estates is a busy place these days with no signs of slowing down!

With recent sales, some of our most popular floorplans (like the one below) have very limited availability. Learn more anytime over on the Savanna Estates website.

New Community Launches, Continued Sales and More! 

In addition to the exciting milestones already mentioned, we continue to make progress in communities like Creekstone Estates; we are about to start construction on a new community in Medicine Hat called Southlands Park, and are working on some HUGE announcements coming your way soon!

As we said at the beginning of this article, 2020 has been an awesome year for our NewRock Team, and we’re looking forward to 2021. We want to thank everyone who has contributed to our success: our many construction teams and contractors, our sales associates stationed all across Western Canada, and most of all, our homeowners!

To find the right home for 2021– and the many years to come — browse our Communities Page.

We’re optimistic and trust this will continue!

Moving forward and based on the recommendations of health authorities, we have now moved all of our showhomes to appointment only. This step has been taken to adhere to new provincial guidelines, but it also feels like the best way to keep both yourself and our team as safe as possible. This new step will join others, like our standard of cleanliness and social distancing guidelines. In short, we’re open and can’t wait to see you — we just ask that you call ahead to book your time with us. 

If you need contact information or have any other questions, be sure to visit www.newrockhomes.ca/sales for a complete list of our showhomes. We are available anytime and look forward to connecting you with a NewRock community near you. In the meantime, stay safe and have a great day!

Fortunately, our NewRock Team is building homes near you that — in addition to being exceptionally built — allow you to live maintenance-free. Spend time enjoying your new home, travelling, or pursuing your passions — but whatever you do, make this your last season shovelling!

The Maintenance-Free Lifestyle

In communities like Prince George’s Ridgewood Landing, homeowners are freed from the obligations of exterior maintenance. 

With our low monthly condo fees, things like snow removal, lawn care, and outdoor maintenance are taken care of — giving you the freedom to enjoy your day! To quote David, a purchaser from Creekstone Estates in Moose Jaw from the video below – “We had the robot vacuuming, the dishwasher cleaning the dishes, and guys outside cleaning the snow off the driveway and Dorene said to me – it can’t get any better than this.” The lifestyle that our Estates communities offer has been a welcome change for David, Dorene, and many others. Maybe this is the year to put away the shovels, sell the snow-blower, and make the switch to maintenance-free living for yourself.

To discover an Estates community near you, check out our communities page or give us a call at (403) 529 – 1023.

That’s true whether you plan on spending your twenties building a meaningful career, your thirties and forties raising a family, or your golden years travelling the world. In each and every case, what’s most important is that your life is designed so that you can optimize your schedule and spend more time doing the things that matter to you.

Realizing this, and because we’re committed to bringing Care & Quality to everything we do, each NewRock Community is designed to allow you to live a maintenance-free lifestyle. Here’s how it works.

Leaving Exterior Maintenance Behind

By paying a low monthly condo fee — far less than you’d pay to have a detached home looked after — you’ll be able to ditch your shovel and sell your lawn-mower. Among other things, living maintenance-free ensure that your grass will be cut, your snow will be shovelled, and many types of exterior repairs to your home will be handled — all hassle-free.

The reason that NewRock homeowners are able to afford these services for so little money is that, rather than single-family, detached homes, we build well-integrated condominium-communities. As the homes within a particular community begin to sell, a condo board forms. Comprised of homeowners — each of which has a vote on important issues — the condo board is responsible for allocating the funds generated from the monthly fees toward hiring property managers, paying for exterior repairs on individual homes, and maintaining the overall quality of the community. In this way, homeowners are able to pool small amounts of their resources together, take advantage of economies of scale, and live simpler, more relaxed lives.

Tino, a homeowner at the now sold-out Southlands Gate in Medicine Hat, had this to say about living and travelling maintenance-free.

“We don’t have to arrange to have people come and cut the grass or shovel the snow. We can come and go as we want.”

Regardless of how you plan on spending your time — Wintering in Mexico, camping with the kids all Summer, or pursuing your professional passions — we’re confident that the maintenance-free lifestyle will affect your day-to-day experience in a meaningful way.

To discover exceptional homes being built near you, browse our Communities Page. To hear more of what Tino and Yvonne had to say about life in a NewRock Community, check out the video below.

Visiting a showhome can help you envision the potential of your new house. Physically walking through a similar floorplan and getting a feel for the finished product goes a long way! But, when you step out of the door and onto an active construction site, it might be hard to keep that vision alive.

To help, here are a few great things to consider when buying a home before it’s built.

Being Involved from the Ground Up

Unlike a home that’s already built, where you’re left to either replace or tolerate features you don’t like, pre-purchasing is built on the premise of ‘measure twice, cut once’. Once you choose your floorplan, you’ll be collaborating with an expert team to make your selections and upgrades. From wall colours to flooring,  you’ll be able to make important decisions along the way. You’ll be involved with the home from the ground up.

Getting into the process early also allows you to make significant alterations to your floorplan. Modifications like installing gas ranges, moving walls, or widening doorways are easier to build in to the plan than renovate for later on.

Customizing your home can also be a great time! One of the most common things we hear from our buyers is how much fun they had making selections and being part of the process.

The Time Between Buying, Building, and Move-in

Depending on when you buy, it might be a few months before you get to move into your new home. While we understand the excitement and the desire to move in tomorrow, this time offers you a chance to be thorough with your move. You’ll likely have an apartment to clear out, or maybe even a house to sell. When you know you’ll be moving in a few months, you can start to pack, purchase, and get rid of things accordingly.

If you do have a house to sell, it’s important to remember that the real estate market can be unpredictable. When pre-buying, the time between purchase and move-in allows you to take the steps needed to get your home sold at a price you’re comfortable with.

These months are also great to start thinking about decorating your new place. Rushing into a home can lead to impulsive decor decisions.  Pre-buying, on the other hand, gives you ample time to make decisions thoughtfully. For more on decorating with a strategy, check out this article.

A Brand New Home Built Just for You

Being the first person to step into your new home is an awesome feeling. It’ll be designed — literally — with you in mind.

We love handing over the keys to ecstatic new homeowners and taking them on their first tour. We make it a goal to provide unparalleled aftercare.  But, to be honest, we also just enjoy sharing the experience with happy customers. If you buy, design, and move into a NewRock home, we’ll be there throughout the journey (and after move-in) to make the experience the best it can be.

If you’re in the market for a new home, there’s a good chance we’re building in a community near you.  And, if you have any questions about the pre-buying process, be sure to contact our expert team at (403) 529 – 1023.

Why rent when you could own?

Whether you’re renting an apartment or paying off a mortgage, its almost certainly the case that one of your biggest monthly expenses comes from keeping a roof over your head. And with rental prices as they are, it’s no stretch to say that the monthly difference between paying a mortgage and a landlord is, more often than not, marginal.

But unlike renting, mortgage payments do more than keep you out of the rain — they help you build wealth.

Over the course of your mortgage — and at no extra expense to you — its almost inevitably the case that your home will appreciate. That means, all other things being equal, that the price you pay for your home will be significantly less than the price you eventually sell it for, should you choose to do so.

Building Equity

Each time you make a monthly payment on your home, you own a little bit more of it. Unlike rent — the value of which is used up by the 31st — the money spent on your mortgage serves two purposes. In addition to covering your living accommodations, your mortgage payments enter what is effectively a forced savings plan: that ever-growing asset that is the percentage of your home that you own.

No matter which you choose — renting or owning — much of your money will go toward your living accommodations. But, if you’ve decided to purchase a home, you might think of the money spent on your mortgage as money that you get to spend twice: first on your accommodations (just like rent), and a second time after you’ve sold your house.

The difference between renting and owning is akin to the difference between running on a treadmill and running outside: both make you sweat, but only one gets you where you want to go.

By entering homeownership sooner rather than later, you’ll be setting yourself up for a better financial future. Use the sale of your first home to jump-start the purchase of your dream home, or live for next-to-nothing in a house that’s paid off. No matter what you decide to do, you’ll have built up some stable wealth.

The point is, make your money work for you — not for your landlord.

For nearly a decade, our NewRock Team has had this in mind and worked hard to make homeownership more attainable for Canadians of all ages, wages, and lifestyles.

In doing this, we’ve designed unique programs to remove one of the largest obstacles to homeownership: the down payment.

At Meadowview Point in Saskatoon, you can purchase a well-built, affordable home without the down payment! If you’re interested in taking advantage of one of our exclusive grant programs and owning one of Saskatoon’s Most Affordable Homes, call us today at (306) 974-1501! We’ll guide you through the qualification process, help you select a home, and answer any questions you have along the way!

Wrapping Up Southlands Gate in Medicine Hat

A community of bungalow condos in the SE corner of the city, Southlands Gate was a project we are proud to have brought to our hometown. Part of our Estates-Line, Southlands Gate featured three tried-and-true floorplans — The Newport, Westport, and Bridgeport — and proved to be a hit among downsizers and active retirees!

We hosted a community get-together to celebrate the completion of this project on June 26th. Check out the footage from it below! And if Southlands Gate seems like your kind of community, know that it’s not too late to enjoy the best of adult living in Medicine Hat. We recently launched The Estates at Southlands Park: an adult-living community with similar floorplans and features to the project that preceded it, Southlands Gate!

Completing Ridgestone Villas in Prince George

One of two developments we’ve been working on in Prince George, Ridgestone Villas is a community of thirty-six townhomes that offered buyers open-concept floorplans, exceptional standard features, and a whole host of exciting upgrades to choose from.

Designed for young buyers and first-time homeowners, Ridgestone Villas proved to be the right product in the right place — fully customizable, affordable townhomes located in the up-and-coming College Heights neighbourhood of Prince George!

Check out these aerial shots of the community, taken a little while after we began construction on the final phase of this scenic community.

Introducing Sasktoon’s Most Affordable Homes

On April 6th, we hosted the Grand Opening of Meadowview Point: a multi-story community of condos in Saskatoon designed to be as awesome as they are affordable! This project, like the one before it — Meadowview Terrace — features full down payment grants and other exciting financial assistance programs, and helps Canadians of all ages to break out of the renting-cycle and step into their very own homes.

Watch the video below for the highlights of what turned out to be an awesome afternoon at the Grand Opening of Meadowview Point.

Bringing the Best of Adult Living to Prince George

While we were hard at work wrapping up Ridgestone Villas, we were also gearing up for the Grand Opening of Ridgewood Landing — which took place on October 19th. Similarly designed to Southlands Gate and our other Estates communities, Ridgewood Landing offers buyers exceptional, spacious homes and the chance to live life maintenance-free.

Since the event, things have been moving fast and we’re now proud to announce that we’re actively selling Phase 4 of this University Heights community. To see what all the buzz was — and is — about, be sure to check out the footage we shot at that event below!

Cooking Up a Storm Across the Country

That’s right — as well as homes, our NewRock Team knows how to build a burger! Throughout the year, we hosted BBQ events at nearly all of our communities — from Savanna Estates in Pilot Butte to LivingStone Estates in West Lethbridge.

These events offer us the chance to get to know our buyers, introduce new people to our projects, and celebrate the cities and communities that we’re lucky enough to be a part of. For a taste of what it means to attend a NewRock BBQ, check out the highlights from an event we hosted in LivingStone Estates — an adult-living community being built in the up-and-coming Garry Station neighbourhood of West Lethbridge.

As we said at the beginning of this article, 2019 has been — and continues to be — an awesome year for our NewRock Team. We’d like to thank everyone who’s contributed to our success: our many construction teams and contractors, our sales associates stationed all across Western Canada, and most of all, our homeowners!

To find the right home for 2020 — and the many years to come — browse our Communities Page.

To discover which of Saskatoon’s most affordable homes is right for you, check out the renders, photos, and descriptions below. To learn even more about Meadowview Point, visit us online or give us a call at (306) 974-1501.

The Juniper

The largest of the floorplans offered at Meadowview Point, The Juniper is a 1242 sqft, two-storey plan that comes in three variations and starts at just $264,000. Enjoy 2-3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, and enough space to comfortably house your family and enjoy the company of guests!

To see all three variations of The Juniper, click here!

The Cypress

Starting at $225,000 and offered in two variations, The Cypress is a 908-1063 sqft plan that features 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, and an efficient, open-concept design. Purchasing one of these homes, you’ll enjoy a spacious kitchen, living area, and entryway all seamlessly connected in a stylish and comfortable layout.

To see the Cypress in both its variations, check out our website. In the meantime, browse these photos from one of our two fully-finished Evergreen showhomes.

The Alder

Beginning at $209,000, The Alder is the most affordable floorplan featured at Meadowview Point. Designed specifically for first-time homeowners, this 800 sqft plan features two bedrooms and one bath, and is ideal for any single Saskatooner, couple, or young family looking to purchase their first property and begin building wealth. 

Visit us here to see both variations of The Alder!

No matter your needs, wishlist, and budget, we’re confident that at Meadowview Point, we’ve got just the right home for you — especially once you’ve had the chance to customize it!

To match your favourite floorplan with the financial assistance program or down payment grant that works best for you, call us today at (306) 974-1501. And while you’re here, be sure to check out the video below to hear what a few of our homeowners in Saskatoon had to say about their new homes! 

Despite its straightforward name, the First-Time Home Buyer Incentive has been the cause of as much confusion as it has conversation. Today, we thought we’d run through the basics of how this program works — and more importantly, how you can make it work for you! Plus, we’ll explore the ways that the FTHBI can be paired with the full down payment grants currently available at Meadowview Point in Saskatoon!

To learn more about owning one of Saskatoon’s most affordable homes without paying anything down, call us today at (306) 974-1501.

How It Works

Assuming that you haven’t owned a home in the past four years, have a gross household income of less than $120,000, have saved up enough for a down payment or successfully applied for a full down payment grant — more on that later — you’re qualified to apply for a shared equity mortgage with the GoC.

If you land one, they’ll cover up to 10% of your monthly mortgage costs — saving you as much as several hundred dollars per month. While initially, that might not seem like much, the fact is: for many Canadians, the difference between having to rent and being able to own is marginal. A few percentage points knocked off of your monthly cost of living could be the financial spark that allows you to purchase your first property and begin building wealth.

If it is, and you decide to take advantage of the program, you’ll have up to 25 years — or until you sell the home — to repay the loan. When you do, the amount you owe will be calculated according to the current market price of your home. You can also choose to pay it off earlier and at no additional cost. The idea is to provide you with the financial freedom you need now to make the best long-term decision for you and your family. 

How Much Will I Qualify For?

That depends on two things: the cost of your home, and whether it’s pre-owned for new. If you were to buy a pre-owned property, you could expect to have up to 5% of the total cost of your mortgage covered. If, on the other hand, you buy directly from a builder, you can tack on an extra 5% and see your monthly mortgage costs reduced by a total of 10%.

In either case, the monthly savings provided by the First-Time Home Buyer Incentive are worth looking into if you want to own but aren’t sure you can.

Pairing the FTHBI With a Full Down Payment Grant

Part of the appeal of the FTHBI program is that it can be used in addition to other exciting financial assistance programs, such as the down payment grants we’re currently offering at Meadowview Point in Saskatoon! If you were to buy one of these stacked townhouses while taking advantage of the FTHBI program, you could do so without putting anything down!

As an example, let’s imagine that you were to purchase an Alder: a main-floor bungalow floorplan currently offered at Meadowview Point. In order to qualify for the FTHBI, you’d need to earn an annual household income of at least $56,343. Assuming that you qualified — both for the government program and for a full down payment grant — you’d be paying just under $1200 per month including the cost of your mortgage, condo fees, property taxes, and heating. You would be paying less to own than most people in this market pay to rent — all without having to overcome the initial burden of a down payment!

To run the monthly numbers on any of our thirteen floorplans, or to learn more about how our programs pair with the FTHBI, call us today at (306) 974-1501. To discover other exceptional homes being built near you, browse our Communities Page.