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The best experiences in life, those that deliver valuable lessons always arise from challenge

Three years ago we wrapped up our Iceland Trek for Shelter. As I reflect on this memory today, I'm reminded that the best experiences in life, those that deliver the greatest lessons, always arise from the things that are most difficult. I can't think of a single hard spot I've ever been in, and there have been many, that didn't bring great reward.


"Saturday's 25 km trek from Thorsmork to Skogar brought the Iceland Challenge for Shelter to a close for group one of three.


Over five days that tested our physical, mental and emotional limits we traversed some of the world's most spectacular landscapes that included mountains, volcanos, forest, snow, ice, sand, and rock.


We laughed. We cried. We supported one another, some sick, some injured, all completely drained as we made our way to our final destination, more hopeful than ever for a world where all women and children can be free of the fear of violence.


That, after all, is what this was all about. Though the final numbers are not yet in, at last count some $660,000 had been raised for women's shelters across Canada.


Much love to our brothers and sisters in groups two and three who are right now facing what may be one of their life's biggest challenges.


Most importantly, heartfelt thanks to all who supported us by giving to our cause. We love you and appreciate you so much. Saskatoon's YWCA Crisis Shelter and Interval House will put that money to good use providing support to women and kids who need to find their way out of a violent home."

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For the eighth consecutive week Saskatoon real estate sales posted strong annual gains. Local REALTORS® reported 119 firm trades to the MLS® system, up three from last week for an annual increase of 31.


Year-to-date, that brings us to 2177 Saskatoon home sales, up from 2141 at the same time last year.


Still, the 30-day running average of units sold slipped lower for the second week, falling modestly to 516 from 519 a week earlier and from 530 the week before. This seller party doesn’t appear to be ending yet but sales are slowing.


New listing activity was also sharply higher on a year-over-year basis, now for the third week in a row. 178 new listings hit the multiple listing service®, down 14 from last week, and up by 40 compared to the same period last year.


Saskatoon real estate sales and listing stats for the week of July 18-24 2020



The inventory of active MLS® listings remained stable at 1567, down just one from last week’s close. When the local listing service called it quits the same week last year there were 1931 active Saskatoon real estate listings.


The inventory currently consists of 875 single-family homes, down from 1146 at this time last year and 605 condos, down 93 units annually.


The sales-to-listing ratio remained stable as Saskatoon home buyers found a three-month supply, and seller’s continued to carry the clout at the negotiating table.


Active Saskatoon real estate listing on the MLS at July 25 2020



It was a strong week for entry-level sales and that activity brought the weekly median price (the point at which half of all sales were higher and half were lower) to just $285,500. The weekly average dropped almost 20K in spite of two sales above $900,000.


Meanwhile, the six-week average price inched higher to $341,428, up a little less than two thousand dollars from last week, and higher annually by one thousand dollars. The four-week median price came back down to $325,500 to record a weekly drop of twelve thousand dollars and an annual increase of $7500.


Average and median prices for Saskatoon homes sold July 18-24 2020




The number of homes that sold for more than the asking price remained steady at five, but the average overbid grew by 140 percent to hit $4,583. Buyers managed a discount in 106 of 119 sales netting an average discount of $10,230.


Here is a breakdown of what the sales to listing price ratio looked like on this week’s sales. Please note that this chart may show over list price sales, even when I have reported the number as 0. Those sales are typically new properties that spent some period of time on the market, and most likely sold and included additional improvements that were not reflected in the original list price. For example, a new home listed at $450,000 sells at a price of $490,000 after 120 days on the market may have included a basement development that was not anticipated in the listing price. We report these to you as “at list price sales”, which is likely too generous in some cases, but it’s simply not practical to obtain the full details of each sale.


Sale price to list price ratios for Saskatoon homes sold through the MLS the week of July 18-24 2020


More weekly stats and numbers for those who love them. 


Saskatoon real estate statistics for MLS home sales from July 18-24 2020



I've seriously upped my Facebook and Instagram game. Follow me to receive updates on the Saskatoon real estate market and insights I've gained managing thousands of real estate transactions.


TeamFisher.com hosted nearly a quarter of a million user sessions and displayed more than 1.2 million pages to our visitors in 2019. If you have a Saskatoon area home you'd like to sell, we know how to get people looking at your home. Reach out to me directly to engage our team and learn about our processes.


I’m always happy to answer your Saskatoon real estate questions.  Reach out by voice or text at 306-241-6676 or email me at norm at teamfisher.com


Norm Fisher

Royal LePage Vidorra


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I'm back in the field and loving it!

Have you ever moved away from something because you thought it was obviously the next thing to do? You’re at this place, and you perceive “progress” as being somewhere else?


When I opened my own real estate office I reduced my work in the field with home buyers and sellers. Almost completely.


For the past five years, I’ve often felt like the proverbial square peg trying to find its way into a round hole.


Last week, I found myself with a buyer who needed help finding a home. Everyone else on the team was busy.


I laced up the real estate shoes and headed out (loafers are a smarter choice for showings).


Over the next two days, I had a wonderful time with an amazing family who came to Saskatoon for the very first time. Telling them about the city, the real estate market, neighbourhoods that would work for them, and finally, helping them buy a home that they’re pumped to move into soon.


Over the following week, it happened two more times. 


Boom, boom, boom!


Great people, I mean seriously lovely people, experiencing the total thrill of buying a home, and me there with them, enjoying their experience.


The past week has been completely thrilling and I’ve decided that working with clients is my true jam.


Effective immediately, I’m back in the field.


Waking up.


________________________________


I’ve upped my Facebook and Instagram game. Follow me to receive updates on the Saskatoon real estate market and insights I've gained managing thousands of real estate transactions.


TeamFisher.com hosted nearly a quarter of a million user sessions and displayed more than 1.2 million pages to our visitors in 2019. If you have a Saskatoon area home you'd like to sell, we know how to get people looking at your home. Reach out to me directly to engage our team and learn about our processes.


I’m always happy to answer your Saskatoon real estate questions.  Reach out by voice or text at 306-241-6676 or email me at norm at teamfisher.com


Norm Fisher

Royal LePage Vidorra

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It was another week of year-over-year sales gains in the Saskatoon real estate market, now for the seventh consecutive week. Local REALTORS® put up a sold sign on 116 Saskatoon homes. That’s down three from last week, and up 20 from the same period last year.


Sales for the previous 30 days are at 519, versus 530 at last week’s close. That’s too close to call but could be an indication that we’ve now passed our peak sales period for 2020. Plenty of momentum remains and it appears that we’re in for a decent run of sales activity. We’ll keep our eyes on this measure.


Another notable stat can be found in the year-to-date unit sales numbers. At the close of the week, a total of 2058 Saskatoon homes had traded this year. That’s higher by two from the same date last year. This is the first time we’ve posted an annual unit sales increase since April 9 when we fell into negative sales territory annually.


New listings continued to come onto the market at elevated levels as well. This week saw 192 properties offered for sale on the multiple listing service®, down three from the previous week, to beat last year’s numbers by 25.


Saskatoon residential MLS sales and and new listings for the week of July 11-17 2020



The total number of active listings available to Saskatoon home buyers grew for the second week in a row to reach 1568. That’s up 23 units from last week’s close, but significantly below the 1949 homes that were available a year ago.


The other important difference between last year and this year is the number of homes that appear in the inventory which are already under contract. Eager buyer agents who are attempting to arrange viewings for their buyers are hearing, “sorry, this one is conditionally sold” far more frequently this year.


Today’s total includes 879 single-family homes. That’s up 15 from last week, and down 240 units annually. There are also 599 Saskatoon condos for sale, up 11 from last week, and down 228 from a year earlier.


The supply/demand ratio improved ever so slightly in the favour of buyers as our “months of inventory” grew from 2.9 at last week’s close to 3 months this week. Still, this measure remains firmly in seller’s market territory.


Active Saskatoon real estate listing on the MLS at July 18 2020



Upper-end sales activity ramped up and brought the weekly median sale price higher to $340,250. That little rally on luxury homes also contributed to an increasing weekly average which grew by more than 10K to reach $348,380.


The six-week average price moved up by a modest two thousand dollars to hit $339,887. That’s higher annually by about thirteen hundred dollars. The four-week median price took another large step up to reach $337,500 to close the week up 8K from last week, and higher annually by six thousand dollars.


Average and median prices for Saskatoon homes sold July 11-17 2020



Overbid activity in the resale sector fell lower with just five sellers reported to have settled on a price that was greater than the list price. That’s down from 11 a week ago. The average overbid also fell sharply from $5,839 last week to just $1,980 this week. Meanwhile, 99 of 116 deals closed below the seller’s asking price to net those buyers an average discount of $10,643.


Here is a breakdown of what the sales to listing price ratio looked like on this week’s sales. Please note that this chart may show over list price sales, even when I have reported the number as 0. Those sales are typically new properties that spent some period of time on the market, and most likely sold and included additional improvements that were not reflected in the original list price. For example, a new home listed at $450,000 sells at a price of $490,000 after 120 days on the market may have included a basement development that was not anticipated in the listing price. We report these to you as “at list price sales”, which is likely too generous in some cases, but it’s simply not practical to obtain the full details of each sale.


Sale price to list price ratios for Saskatoon homes sold through the MLS the week of July 11-17 2020



More weekly stats and numbers for those who love them. 


Saskatoon real estate statistics for MLS home sales from July 11-17 2020



I'm upped my Facebook and Instagram game. Follow me to receive updates on the Saskatoon real estate market and insights I've gained managing thousands of real estate transactions.


TeamFisher.com hosted nearly a quarter of a million user sessions and displayed more than 1.2 million pages to our visitors in 2019. If you have a Saskatoon area home you'd like to sell, we know how to get people looking at your home. Reach out to me directly to engage our team and learn about our processes.


I’m always happy to answer your Saskatoon real estate questions.  Reach out by voice or text at 306-241-6676 or email me at norm at teamfisher.com


Norm Fisher

Royal LePage Vidorra


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Canadian home sales and listing continue to rise in June 2020: CREA


The Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) recently released national sales statistics for June of 2020.


According to the report, "Home sales recorded over Canadian MLS® Systems in June 2020 rebounded by a further 63%, returning them to normal levels for the month – some 150% above where they were in April."


"REALTORS® across Canada are increasingly seeing business pick back up," stated Costa Poulopoulos, Chair of CREA. "With sellers and buyers returning to the market, we continue to make sure clients stay safe by complying with government and health officials’ directives and advice, increasingly using technology to list and show properties virtually while providing secure methods to complete required forms and contracts. As always, but maybe now more than ever, REALTORS® remain the best source for information and guidance when negotiating the sale or purchase of a home,” continued Poulopoulos.


“While June’s housing numbers were mostly back at normal levels, we are obviously not back to normal at this point,” said Shaun Cathcart, CREA’s Senior Economist. “I guess the bigger picture is one of cautious optimism. The market has recovered much faster than many would have thought, but what happens later this year remains a big question mark. That said, daily tracking suggests that July, at least, will be even stronger.”



 Highlights of CREA's report

  • National home sales rose 63% on a month-over-month (m-o-m) basis in June.
  • The actual (not seasonally adjusted) activity was up 15.2% year-over-year (y-o-y).
  • The number of newly listed properties climbed 49.5% from May to June.
  • The actual (not seasonally adjusted) new supply stood 4.8% above June 2019.
  • The MLS® Home Price Index (HPI) rose 0.5% m-o-m and was up 5.4% y-o-y.
  • The actual (not seasonally adjusted) national average sale price posted a 6.5% y-o-y gain.

Read the entire report on Canadian MLS® sales for June of 2020.



________________________________


I've upped my Facebook and Instagram game. Follow me to receive updates on the Saskatoon real estate market and insights I've gained managing thousands of real estate transactions.


TeamFisher.com hosted nearly a quarter of a million user sessions and displayed more than 1.2 million pages to our visitors in 2019. If you have a Saskatoon area home you'd like to sell, we know how to get people looking at your home. Reach out to me directly to engage our team and learn about our processes.


I’m always happy to answer your Saskatoon real estate questions.  Reach out by voice or text at 306-241-6676 or email me at norm at teamfisher.com


Norm Fisher

Royal LePage Vidorra

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For the sixth consecutive week, Saskatoon real estate sales showed strong gains over the same week last year. Local REALTORS® reported 119 firm residential sales to the MLS® system this week, up nine from the previous period, for an annual increase of 47. That further reduced year-over-year sales declines which have been getting slimmer now since late May. We are now just 16 units shy of where sales stood at this time last year.


New listing activity came back with a bang as 195 Saskatoon homes were added to the multiple listing service®. That amounts to a weekly increase of 52 listings, and it’s up from the same period last year by 23.


Saskatoon residential MLS sales and and new listings for the week of July 4-10 2020



The total number of homes available to Saskatoon home buyers grew modestly from 1517 at last week’s close to 1545 this morning. 


My gut is telling me that many of these properties already have an offer on them, at least in the most popular price ranges. I inquired about 20 homes yesterday that are priced between $350,000 and $400,000 for one of our new buyers. By the time I connected with all of the listing agents, my list had been whittled down to just eight homes that were available to be shown today.


The listings that appear as “active” include just 864 single-family homes. That’s down from 1153 at this time last year. We also have 588 condominiums (apartments and townhomes), down from 698 at this time last year.


“Months of inventory” fell lower again as it has been doing every week for the past month. With 1545 active listings and 530 sales in the past 30 days, supply is now at 2.9 months, the lowest it has been since 2007.


1545/530 = 2.91 months. 


As a reminder, a four to six month supply is considered to be a balanced market, a supply greater than six months tends to favour buyers, while a supply of fewer than four months is considered to create seller’s market conditions.


Active Saskatoon real estate listing on the MLS at July 11, 2020



Sales activity at the lower end of the real estate market was brisk and that brought the median price for the week sharply lower to just $308,000. The weekly average price took a dip as well to $337,883.


In spite of brisk activity, both longer-term price measures also headed lower. The six-week average slipped by about five thousand dollars from last week’s close. It came in at $337,456 which is down two thousand dollars from a year earlier following six weeks of year-over-year increases.


The four-week median price also fell by 5K from last week. It settled at $329,950 for an annual increase of roughly $12,500.


Average and median prices for Saskatoon homes sold July 4-10 2020



Overbid activity came back strong this week as 11 Saskatoon home sellers found a buyer willing to pay more than their asking price by an average of $5,839. Meanwhile, 95 of the week’s 119 sales went for less than the list price netting those buyers an average discount of $11,938.


Here is a breakdown of what the sales to listing price ratio looked like on this week’s sales. Please note that this chart may show over list price sales, even when I have reported the number as 0. Those sales are typically new properties that spent some period of time on the market, and most likely sold and included additional improvements that were not reflected in the original list price. For example, a new home listed at $450,000 sells at a price of $490,000 after 120 days on the market may have included a basement development that was not anticipated in the listing price. We report these to you as “at list price sales”, which is likely too generous in some cases, but it’s simply not practical to obtain the full details of each sale.


Sale price to list price ratios for Saskatoon homes sold through the MLS the week of July 4-10 2020


More weekly stats and numbers for those who love them. 


Saskatoon real estate statistics for MLS home sales from July 4-10 2020



I'm upping my Facebook and Instagram game. Follow me to receive updates on the Saskatoon real estate market and insights I've gained managing thousands of real estate transactions.


TeamFisher.com hosted nearly a quarter of a million user sessions and displayed more than 1.2 million pages to our visitors in 2019. If you have a Saskatoon area home you'd like to sell, we know how to get people looking at your home. Reach out to me directly to engage our team and learn about our processes.


I’m always happy to answer your Saskatoon real estate questions.  Reach out by voice or text at 306-241-6676 or email me at norm at teamfisher.com


Norm Fisher

Royal LePage Vidorra

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Four factors that caused the Saskatoon real estate market to explode in June, 2020


With the release of the Royal LePage House Price Survey yesterday, I appreciated the opportunity to speak with Connor O'Donovan of Global TV.


This story highlights the explosive real estate market activity we saw across the province during the month of June.


Why is this happening "during a pandemic"?


There are a number of factors at play, in my view.


1) Pent-up demand resulting from weak sales in April and May.

2) CMHC qualification changes that came into effect on July 1 (even though there are other options available to buyers)

3) The "I'll be damned if I'm going to risk a second wave of this crap locked down in this house" effect.

4) Significantly tightened inventory levels tend to cause buyers to pull the trigger quicker.



More from Global News: https://globalnews.ca/news/7159959/saskatchewan-home-sales-surge-near-record-levels-june/


Transcript

[Mike Duggleby] There seems to be a lot of excitement among buyers out there right now.


[Connor] A recent Royal LePage survey indicates little movement on home prices in Regina recently but as for the actual number of home sales in the Queen city, they actually grew in June by 50% compared to 2019.


[Mike Duggleby] This last quarter in particular, we've seen some dramatic acceleration of sales as far as multiple offers being made on reasonably priced properties.


[Connor] Saskatoon, meanwhile, saw a similar trend. A 37% increase in June sales volume over last year.


[Norm Fisher] There was some clear pent-up demand that resulted from poor sales over April and May, right? Like the bottom felt like it fell out.


[Connor] Both Fisher and Duggleby agree that relaxed pandemic restrictions likely played a role in the sudden sales surge. But Fisher says he also found the new norms of physical distancing and isolation played a role as well.


[Norm Fisher] I got the sense that there was some household tension. You know? People being in close confines with their entire family every day, day after day for a couple of months.


[Connor] Fisher added that on July 1st, a Canadian mortgage and housing corporation tightened insurance rules which likely added to the June blitz. But adds that, what he calls the first seller's market in years could continue for the short-term.


[Norm Fisher] We've passed the peak weeks for a typical year and inventory now appears to be declining, and I think it will likely continue to do that throughout the balance of the year.


[Connor] Connor O'Donovan, Global News.



________________________________


I’ve upped my Facebook and Instagram game. Follow me to receive updates on the Saskatoon real estate market and insights I've gained managing thousands of real estate transactions.


TeamFisher.com hosted nearly a quarter of a million user sessions and displayed more than 1.2 million pages to our visitors in 2019. If you have a Saskatoon area home you'd like to sell, we know how to get people looking at your home. Reach out to me directly to engage our team and learn about our processes.


I’m always happy to answer your Saskatoon real estate questions.  Reach out by voice or text at 306-241-6676 or email me at norm at teamfisher.com


Norm Fisher

Royal LePage Vidorra

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Saskatoon real estate a hot commodity in June 2020: SRA


The Saskatchewan REALTORS® Association released the official MLS® statistics for the month of June yesterday.


Local real estate agents reported a total of 515 residential sales for the month. That's up 38 percent from last June, and the strongest sales month since the market peaked in June 2014.


Single-family home sales showed the strength with 369 properties trading hands, up from 265 last June. Condo sales reached 129, to produce a peak month in the previous five years, for an annual gain of 36.


Saskatoon homes sales by month to June 2020


New listing activity grew to 830 in Saskatoon to finish up annually for the first time since January as sellers rushed to take advantage of a buoyant market.


Meanwhile, active listing inventory grew modestly from last month's close and reached 1585, down from 1972 a year ago,


The market closed the month with just a three month supply of homes, the lowest we've seen since 2007 when the Saskatoon real estate market experienced its first significant boom.



New and active Saskatoon real estate listings by month to June 2020


Prices increased for every housing category this month, except for townhomes. They remained fairly flat on an annual basis, with townhomes being the exception. Prices for a townhouse grew nearly 2.5% from last year at this time.


Saskatoon home prices by month and category to June 2020


The full media release from SRA can be found in the comments section below.


________________________________


I'm upped my Facebook and Instagram game. Follow me to receive updates on the Saskatoon real estate market and insights I've gained managing thousands of real estate transactions.


TeamFisher.com hosted nearly a quarter of a million user sessions and displayed more than 1.2 million pages to our visitors in 2019. If you have a Saskatoon area home you'd like to sell, we know how to get people looking at your home. Reach out to me directly to engage our team and learn about our processes.


I’m always happy to answer your Saskatoon real estate questions.  Reach out by voice or text at 306-241-6676 or email me at norm at teamfisher.com


Norm Fisher

Royal LePage Vidorra

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Saskatoon real estate week in review for June 27 - July 3, 2020 (edition #695)


Home sales continued at a strong pace this week as Saskatoon real estate agents reported 110 firm transactions to the MLS®. That is 11 fewer sales than were completed the week before, but up sharply from 78 for the same period last year. 


This was the fifth consecutive week in which sales increased on an annual basis. Brisk activity through the month of June is quickly making up lost ground that would be credited to the COVIC crisis through April and May when home sales plummeted. As of today, the market is down just 58 sales from where it stood at this time last year.


New listing activity slowed again. Agents added just 143 Saskatoon homes to the MLS® system this week, down from 168 last week, and well below the 188 that came on the market over the same week last year.


Saskatoon real estate sales and listing stats for the week of June 27 - July 3 2020



The inventory of active listings fell lower for the second week in a row. This is typically about the time of the year that inventory numbers peak and begin to fall slowly but surely as we move towards the fall. I had hoped that we would see numbers continue to grow over the summer, given the late start to serious sale activity, but only time will tell.


As of this morning, there are just 1517 active MLS® listings within the city of Saskatoon, down about 50 from last week’s close and 22% below levels recorded at this time last year. In that mix, we have just 863 single-family homes for an annual drop of 270 units. Condo inventory is at 581, down from 686 a year ago.


To make matters worse, my team’s experience over the last week seems to suggest that a good number of the homes that appear “active” are already conditionally sold, at least in the most popular price ranges. Calls for appointments seem to generate a “sorry, we already have an offer” response more than half of the time.


Based on sales for the past 30 days (494), the current supply of inventory is now at just three months, and likely as low as it has been since the market went berserk in late 2006.


Active Saskatoon real estate listing on the MLS at July 4, 2020 2020


A slightly higher level of upper-end activity nudged the weekly median price upward over the previous week to $354,750 while the weekly average slipped lower to $342,207.


The six-week average price inched lower by two thousand dollars on a weekly basis and settled at $342,581. That was enough to record an annual increase of about six thousand dollars. The four-week median price fell by just over a thousand dollars from last week to $335,000. It’s up seventy-five hundred dollars from this time last year.


Average and median prices for Saskatoon homes sold June 27- July 3, 2020



Overbid activity fell by close to 50% as just five resale homes traded for an average of $12,300 more than the seller’s asking price. It was seriously skewed by one Nutana area sale that went 40K above asking price. Imagine that for a moment! That’s enough to purchase a decent new car. Across the negotiating table, 93 of the week’s 110 sales reported a price that was lower than the listed price by an average of $12,655.


Here is a breakdown of what the sales to listing price ratio looked like on this week’s sales. Please note that this chart may show over list price sales, even when I have reported the number as 0. Those sales are typically new properties that spent some period of time on the market, and most likely sold and included additional improvements that were not reflected in the original list price. For example, a new home listed at $450,000 sells at a price of $490,000 after 120 days on the market may have included a basement development that was not anticipated in the listing price. We report these to you as “at list price sales”, which is likely too generous in some cases, but it’s simply not practical to obtain the full details of each sale.


Sale price to list price ratios for Saskatoon homes sold through the MLS the week of June 27 - July 3 2020


More weekly stats and numbers for those who love them. 


Saskatoon real estate statistics for MLS home sales from June 27 - July 3 2020



I'm upping my Facebook and Instagram game. Follow me to receive updates on the Saskatoon real estate market and insights I've gained managing thousands of real estate transactions.


TeamFisher.com hosted nearly a quarter of a million user sessions and displayed more than 1.2 million pages to our visitors in 2019. If you have a Saskatoon area home you'd like to sell, we know how to get people looking at your home. Reach out to me directly to engage our team and learn about our processes.


I’m always happy to answer your Saskatoon real estate questions.  Reach out by voice or text at 306-241-6676 or email me at norm at teamfisher.com


Norm Fisher

Royal LePage Vidorra


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The Saskatchewan REALTORS® Association (SRA) IDX Reciprocity listings are displayed in accordance with SRA's MLS® Data Access Agreement and are copyright of the Saskatchewan REALTORS® Association (SRA).
The above information is from sources deemed reliable but should not be relied upon without independent verification. The information presented here is for general interest only, no guarantees apply.
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