Home Listings Down Year to Date

Fewer home owners seem ready to put their home on the market this year compared to last. In May, a total of 943 properties were added on the Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®) in Saskatoon representing a 9% decrease from last May. Year to date there were 13% fewer homes listed year to date in Saskatoon.

The total number of active listings in Saskatoon at the end of May was 2,001, just slightly above the five year average of, 1,945 units. “Typically we see the highest number of active listings between May and September.” comments Jason Yochim, CEO with the Saskatoon Region Association of REALTORS®, “It’s the most active time in our market largely due to favorable weather.” He adds. Inventory levels for active MLS® listings reached an all-time high in July of last year with 2,210 homes for sale in Saskatoon. At the current rate of sales it would take five and a half months to liquidate the current stock of active listings. 

In May there were 364 home sales, a decrease of 13% from last May. Year-to-date sales for Saskatoon are down 7% with a total of 1,345 residential MLS® home sales. Home sales so far this year have declined in every price range with the exception of homes under $200,000 which saw a 30% increase for a total of 203 sales. The price range with the greatest decline in sales were homes priced between $450-500,000 with a year-to-date total of 85 sales, a 17% drop from last year. Homes selling between $750,000 and $1M are on par with last year at 19 sales. Homes in excess of $1M however are off sharply with three MLS® sales year to date. In 2017, there were three home sales in May alone over $1M and nine year to date.

The sales to listing ratio has decreased from 43% in April to 39% in May. The sales to listing ratio is a comparison of the number of sales for a period of time to the number of new listings. “Saskatoon remains a buyer’s market. However, homes that are priced to market and in good condition will still command great interest and in some cases competing offers.” comments Yochim. Last month, the average home in Saskatoon took 47 days to sell in Saskatoon last month, this is the lowest time to sell so far this year.

Year-to-date, the average sale price was $334,449, a 4% decrease from the same period last year. Since averages can be misleading, a better reflection of the market is the median. The median home sale price year to date is $320,000. The five year average for median residential home sale prices in Saskatoon is $341,980.

The Home Price Index Composite Benchmark Price (HPI) continued in an upward trend for most home types (except apartment style) again in May. The HPI is the most accurate indicator of where home prices are trending. For more information on HPI go to saskatoonrealtors.ca .

REALTORS® subscribe to a strict code of ethics and are dedicated to developing professional standards and continuing education in the real estate profession. This is not the case for those who sell real estate in the province and who are not members of an association of REALTORS®.

Competitive Market for Some Home Sellers

Home sellers need to put forward their best efforts when pricing and presenting their home for sale in any market but especially now with a total of 2,112 active listings in Saskatoon. This is the highest number of homes for sale eclipsing the peak of 2,081 in June of 2015. “Pricing is the most important decision a seller can make, especially in a buyers’ market.” advises Jason Yochim, CEO with the Saskatoon Region Association of REALTORS®. “This is something that requires the assistance of an objective and educated REALTOR® to reflect the market.” Of these, just under 1,300 are single family homes and about 850 are condominiums with close to 500 of these apartment style. Additionally, 350 of the apartment style condominiums are priced between $150-350,000, making this a very competitive segment of the market. With 848 single family homes priced between $250-500,000, there is a lot of choice for buyers who are being selective on what they want and what they want to pay. Homes priced over $500,000 total 278 available properties with 76 of these in excess of $750,000. The MLS® system saw 1,035 new listings for Saskatoon in May, a 7% increase over last May, and the highest number of new listings recorded in a single month.

In May there were 423 sales in Saskatoon representing a 7% increase compared to last May. So far year to date the total number of sales is down 2% at 1,459 units. Price ranges between $250-500,000 showed positive increases to the number of sales year over year. In 2016. In May of 2017 there were 358 sales in this price range compared to 329 last May. There was a 13% decrease in the number of sales priced between $500-750,000 in May of 2017. Year to date there were 12 sales in excess of $1,000,000 in Saskatoon. Six of these sales were single family homes, two were bare land condo units at the Willows and one sale was a downtown apartment unit. The home that sold for the most so far this year was $2,000,000.

The average number of days required to sell a home in Saskatoon is 48 days. The five year average for May is about 41 days. Based on the number of sales that occurred in May and the number of homes available on the market, it would take 5 months to liquidate the current inventory of properties for sale. The average selling price continues to remain stable at $$349,000. The median sale price also remains relatively unchanged year to date at $329,250. Although the total MLS® dollar volume was up 11.5% when comparing this May 2017 to last, the year to date dollar volume is down 1.3% at $670,000,000.

The market surrounding Saskatoon showed an increase in sales of 10.4% in May, however year to date sales in that market were down 8%. The average selling price for this area is up 7% year to date at $331,450. This market includes the cities of Warman and Martensville as well as other surrounding communities and acreage property.  .

Spring has arrived and summer is fast approaching with the hot sun beating down along with clear skies. Everyone enjoys a warm sun, but sometimes the sun can become too warm and people look forward to going inside a building with blasting AC. Whether you are a first-time home buyer or an experienced one, you should know by now that your bills always seem to rise rapidly when that AC is turned on. Here are a few ways to help cut down that price and keep your house cool.

Awnings

For most houses, awnings aren’t really at the top of a person’s list to check to see if they can help with cooling down the house, but you should definitely take a peek outside and see what you are working with. Installing awnings over a south facing window can decrease the solar heat gain by almost half, while installing awnings on the west facing windows can decrease the solar heat gain almost by 75%.

Curtains

Almost everyone knows that by closing the curtains, the house becomes cooler as the sun and heat are blocked out by them, as solar heat gain can be decreased to close to 33%. If you close your curtains, but still notice that it’s still hotter inside then it is outside, check the weave of your curtains. Heavy closed weaved fabric curtains, such as velvet or broadcloth, are the best bet for effectively blocking out the sun.

Interior Shutters

If you have a quirky sense of design for your home, try installing interior shutters to your windows. Wood shutters would work best in blocking off the sun’s rays and cooling the house. They also add a little extra something to the room design that makes the room pop.

Here are three suggestions to increase the value of your home. Before renovations start, be sure to calculate all the costs and map out a timeline for the renovations.

1. Add a bedroom

Known as one of the best ways to add revenue to any property, adding a bedroom to your house will most defiantly add value to your house. Owning a house with a flexible floor plan helps enable you to either move internal walls, or enclose a large outside area within a roofline of the house, like a balcony.

1. Add a kitchen

The main focal point of a house is the kitchen, because this room is used every day by everyone in the household. Adding clean new cupboards, upgrading your appliances, and adding new storage space is a sure way of adding value to your house. 

1. Add a bathroom

Another room that always creates an impression on a house is the bathroom. Changing a bathroom by simply repainting the walls a bright color, and refurnishing can change a dreary and dark bathroom, into a bright and colorful bathroom. To make a small bathroom seem larger, laying large rectangular tiles laid horizontally really makes a small bathroom seem bigger. To add another wow factor to a simple bathroom, put in a free standing bath tub or a frameless glass shower screen.

When deciding to renovate a home, always be sure to ask for professional and expert help to ensure that even the smallest space, can look amazing with just a few simple changes.

Also make sure, that before starting anything, that all your finances are in check and that you have a backup in case of a delay or over runs.