According to a recent SRAR (Saskatoon Region Association of Realtors) press release which can be found here, home sales in the 2015 September real estate market were ‘sluggish’. When comparing any single month in 2014 to 2015, we have seen a drop off across the board in sales volume and average prices, the only exception being August 2015. If you’ve frequented our blog over the past few years, you would have known that 2014 was a flat out record breaking year in Saskatoon real estate, yielding the highest prices and pumping out a high sales volume.
The numbers from this September are nothing to alarm anyone, as SRAR CEO Jason Yochim stated “we have to keep in perspective that 2014 was an exceptional year for real estate and these lower numbers are consistent with the five year average for sales”. According to numbers from other Canadian cities, Yochim states that Saskatoon is still doing quite well. I believe that consumer confidence in Saskatoon is still quite good and certain aspects of the local real estate market are promising(i.e. resale single family homes).
Officially after all the number crunching, ratios and fancy calculations, Saskatoon is officially in a buyer’s market. Which I’m sure doesn’t surprise you, as listing inventory continues to hover above the 2000 mark (30-35% higher than usual). However this buyer’s market is evident in isolated markets such as condominiums, new homes and rental properties. The over building in condo units is forcing builders to enter the rental market, thus increasing vacancy rates in Saskatoon.
Ultimately you should not be scared if you’re listing your home, someone will pay top dollar for it. However you have to price it appropriately. Yochim claims that the current market is no place for over pricing or speculation. If you price appropriately and have realistic expectations, you will get a good return on your home.
Here is how September 2015 compares with the previous 4 years in both the single Family and Condominium markets.
Single Family Homes
Year |
Average Price |
Days on Market |
Sell Price - Asking |
2015 |
$359,527 |
38 |
-$9,802 |
2014 |
$381,668 |
39 |
-$8,031 |
2013 |
$382,185 |
37 |
-$8,371 |
2012 |
$337,139 |
31 |
-$7,112 |
Condominiums
Year |
Average Price |
Days on Market |
Sell Price – Asking |
2015 |
$257,965 |
62 |
-$7,848 |
2014 |
$289,045 |
42 |
-$7,176 |
2013 |
$268,130 |
51 |
-$4,515 |
2012 |
$248,887 |
51 |
-$5,486 |
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