The colder weather is drawing in , and the days are getting shorter in Saskatchewan..Summer is over, and what a Summer it was.....best in years ..and people definitely made the most of it!
Trusted monitors webtraffic on our websites and others, and knows that the Summer ( generally early June- beginning of September) is the 'slowest ' time for internet traffic as a whole...think about it ..would you rather be sat on the deck in the sun after work , or sat on the computer....weekends are spent at the lake or just outside soaking up the warmth..most internet useage happens at work in the Summer...or perhaps at home on a rainy weekend ( thankfully we didn't have many of those this year!) .....as the fall turns to Winter people begin to gravitate back to their laptops and computers at home ..to source entertainment, engage in socialmedia ..and to do RESEARCH on products and services BEFORE they purchase.
95% of Canadas 25million internet users do research online .....and it takes up ALOT of time to do that research..
If the future is digital, it seems Canadians are ahead of their time. Canucks spend more time online than anyone else on Earth, according to new data from Web research firm comScore. And it’s not even by a small margin – the average Canadian spends 43.5 hours a month on the Web, almost twice the worldwide average of 23.1 hours. Both male and female Canadian Internet users spent much of their time on directory sites (the single most popular category for men, followed by photo sites and online trading). However, women visited photo sites most often, followed closely by directories and music entertainment sites....and it's not jst under 30's either as by far the fastest-growing demographic when it comes to Web usage in Canada is the 55-and-over crowd. While every other age group’s online engagement levelled off or even declined between the end of 2009 and the end of 2010, the number of older users or SILVER SURFERS jumped by 12 per cent!*
Trusted is here to save people some of that extensive research time, so you can spend more time doing the fun stuff...and we wanted to share some tips with you from some of our experts on www.trustedsaskatoon.com ..specifically when it comes to planning and researching renovations to your home.
It seems that alot of people are talking about doing renos and improvements next year ......perhaps with tax return money , or simply because it is time to update that kitchen or finish that basement..so where do you even start the process ? Trusted was talking to Kevin, the owner of KTS Custom ,who specialise in 're-facing' kitchens and is one of the Trusted kitchen listings on http://www.trustedsaska Cabinetstoon.com/listings/kitchens.aspx , and she told us that most people he deals with take 6months from deciding to do ' something ' to their kitchen , to actually booking the job...so what are people doing in that time? ...well first they look at the options based upon the budget they are thinking of...and as a refaced kitchen from KTS ( when the layout of the kitchen is not altered , the cabinets themselves are kept then the doors, countertops etc..are all changed for a really ' magic' transformation) is less costly than say, a Custom Kitchen from Kevin Samms, the owner of KTS Custom Cabinets who will design a kitchen based on your unique needs from scratch and your old kitchen will be totally removed and replaced with a stunning new one.. the TIME the reno might take may be an important factor for people to consider..refacing can take place in a few days with minimum disruption to the household, where a custom kitchen is going to take longer and involve more work..everyone is different...and the reasons you choose the option you choose is based on your unique set of needs...if you are doing other renos in the house like basement developments or even exterior work like decks , siding, roofing etc.. the time frame from thinking about it, to deciding how to go about it, choosing the right option and then contacting the chosen Contractor or business is still not going to happen in a few days, but more likely in a few months , as we all have busy lives to work around too.
Sara the Trusted founder was speaking to a very smart lady last week ,she had gone to Trusted to find someone to do renos on her home, she said she had read the listings on http://www.trustedsaskatoon.com/listings/renovations.aspx over and loved the fact that there were REAL client testimonials to read, she had already had wonderful experiences with other Trusted businesses and she especially liked that all the Trusted Saskatoon businesses were contracted to the 5 Trusted Guarantees....When choosing a contractor to do a big reno , the fact that Trusted contracts them to GUARANTEE that they will
1. CHARGE THE PRICE QUOTED WITH NO SURPRISES and
2. COMPLETE THE JOB ON TIME
Means that it takes the 'risk' out of selecting a company....and also in the listing of the renovator she chose to contact it stated that the company would never rush one job to start another...and it would be smart to book in advance to ensure that you get the dates YOU want for the work you want doing.....she is planning on the renos in late Spring..and she is booking her contrator in OCTOBER..a full 6months before, and by PLANNING today she ensure that she has the contractor she wants, who she can trust, and on HER timelines. If she had done all the research then tried booking someone in April for May, chances are she would have missed the boat, and may have paid dearly for that. Contractors that can do big jobs with a few weeks notice may NOT be as good a choice as one of our Trusted Saskatoon contractor/ renovations options 3 n' 1 Construction.
So, in conclusion, as you start researching on the internet for ideas and options..make it a priority to decide which contractors or renovation companies are part of your short list ...call them asap....as the Winter sets in they will have more time to sit down with you and offer alternatives that perhaps you weren't even aware of ( a few of Ken Eade of 3'n1 Construction's clients told us he offered great options that they ended up going with...without his input they wouldn't have know existed) ....try getting them to sit down with you when the snow begins to melt and the first jobs (the smart people who pre booked well in advance) of the season are starting and you may be just pulling your hair out!
TRUST Trusted to help in the selection process..we stand behind our Trusted businesses and endorse them...not for $cash ,but because they passed our very strict application / verification process and they live by the 5 Trusted Guarantees....we find them so YOU don't have to ...WE are the ONLY directory that works for you!
Stay Trusted my friends..SAFE and TRUSTED of course
*source: Globe and Mail: March 8th 2011