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The site of the 100 year old Bethany Manor has been cleared of the old building and will soon be home to a new City Parkcondominium project. The home was destroyed last weekend to make way for the new development.


Local developer, Tim Ryan had offered to give the house to anyone who was prepared to move it to another location but the costs of moving the old structure were just too high.


City Park Community Association president, Michael Murphy expressed his disappointment in a story that appeared in the Star Phoenix just prior to the demolition. "An unusual, memorable historic house is about to be demolished to make way for a condo unit. It’s a character house which added some style to City Park. It’s 100 years old, a bit of history. It’s very sad to see it torn down and demolished," he said.


Others have said that the house was poorly designed and in bad repair. Clearly nobody was up for the challenge of renovating it.


A photo gallery of the demolition can be found here.


Read also: Historic house to be demolished.


Learn more about the City Park area here.

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A small group of volunteers have come together to promote alternate uses for the Third Avenue United Churchout of concern that the historic building could eventually be sold and destroyed to make way for new development, according to a story in today's Star Phoenix.


If approved by the church, the non-profit organization will promote the location for community events and concerts. "A building of this size and beauty shouldn’t only be in existence for four hours on a Sunday morning. So that’s really what the (Third Avenue Centre) is here to do, is to facilitate the rest of the week and bring in revenue that the church can’t,” said Mark Turner, a representative of the group.


Over the years, attendance at the 1000 seat church, which is located at the corner of 3rd Avenue and 24th Street in Saskatoon's Central Business District, has dwindled to about 100 people per week making it difficult to manage expenses.


Read Group Aims to save Landmark.


Learn more about the Central Business District.

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Saskatoon real estate week in review: February 19-25, 2012
Saskatoon real estate sales softened on a week-over-week basis, slipping lower to 76 unit sales (detached houses and condominiums), down from 90 the previous week. Still, home sales for the period finished well ahead of the same week last yearwhen just 56 properties traded.


New listings of Saskatoon homes also slipped lower for the third consecutive week with local agents producing just 103 new offerings, down from 126 the week before, but nearly matching listings taken over the same week in 2010 when 106 homes were offered for sale on the multiple listing service®.


Click the image for a larger version of the graph.


The total number of homes offered for sale on the Saskatoon MLS® continued to climb, but at a slower pace than we might expect at this time of the year. The week closed with a total of 1019 residential listings, up just seven properties from the close of the previous week. Inventory continued to lose ground on an annual basis closing the week lower than it was at the same time last year by 56 properties. Today, there are 576 single-family homes and 354 condos offered for sale on the multiple listing service®. At the same point in 2011, those two categories were at 597 and 418 respectively.


Click the image for a larger version of the graph.


This past week there were just 22 properties that were cancelled or withdrawn from the MLS®. An additional 14 reached the end of their listing term and expired without a sale. Over the course, of the week, 32 home sellers adjusted the asking price of their home.


This week’s sales include a half dozen units that sold above the $500K mark, including one that came close to a million dollars. There was also a large number in the $400,000-500,000 range. Together, those units pushed the weekly average selling price of a Saskatoon home sharply higher to $354,849. The median sale price of a Saskatoon home also jumped by nearly thirty thousand dollars to $334,500. Of course, both of our longer-term measures moved higher this week as well. The six-week average gained almost three thousand dollars reaching $318,283 for an annual gain of nearly 20K. The four-week median price jumped more than ten thousand dollars to $312,000 and finished the week about 25K ahead of the numbers we had seen during the same week a year ago.


Click the image for a larger version of the graph.


Overbid sales were even with last week at seven. Those sellers pocketed an extra $2,028 on average. Another 12 Saskatoon homes were reported to have sold for the full asking price, while 57 of 76 closed transactions came in below the seller’s asking price by an average of $9,659.


Click the image for a larger version of the chart.


I’m always happy to answer your Saskatoon real estate questions.  All of my contact info is here. Please feel free to call or email.


Norm Fisher
Royal LePage Vidorra

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Here’s a link to an article that’s part of a series that appears in Bridges in which Charles Hamilton gets a feel for a Saskatoon neighbourhood from a resident of the area. This one is about the College Park East areaof Saskatoon.


Long time College Park East resident, Eric Olauson tells Charles, "I love the sense of community here. Everyone seems to take care of their neighbours. You always get a friendly hello. People tend to come together rather than pull apart. We have every demographic in this neighbourhood, we always seem to pull together. We all seem to get behind each other, we support each other. I really wouldn’t live in any other place in the city."


Read the entire article here.


See our neighbourhood page for College Park East.


I’m always happy to answer your Saskatoon real estate questions. All of my contact info is here. Please feel free to call of email me.


Get the most current market intelligence with our FREE Market Snapshot including prices of homes recently sold in your area. Get it here, now.


Norm Fisher

Royal LePage Vidorra

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Saskatoon real estate week in review: February 12-18, 2012
Sales of Saskatoon homes bounced back from the first weekly year-over-year decline in 2012 as local real estate agents reported 90 firm house and condo deals to the MLS® this week, up 32 units compared to last week, and ahead of the same week a year agoby 18 homes.


New listings came in lower for the second consecutive week slipping just four units from the previous week to 126 and finishing lower than the same period in 2010 by just a few properties.


Click the image for a larger version of the graph.


A strong sales week prevented the total number of Saskatoon homes offered for sale on the multiple listing service® from gaining any real traction this week. As of this morning, that number sits at 1011, just four units ahead of last week’s close, and 30 units behind levels seen a year ago. Today, we have 574 single-family homes and 351 condominiums that display an active status on the MLS®. Last year at this time, those two categories of housing stood at 567 and 414 respectively.


Click the image for a larger version of the graph.


Over the course of the week, 43 property listings were either cancelled or withdrawn from the system. Another 37 sellers adjusted the asking price on their home. Meanwhile, 19 MLS® listings reached the end of their term and expired without a sale.


An increase in sales in the middle to upper price ranges pushed the average selling price of a Saskatoon higher than the previous week by about thirteen thousand dollars to $306,079. The median sale price for the week pushed up 10K to hit $304,950. The six-week average sale price held pretty steady on a weekly basis and closed the week at $315,510 to claim an annual gain of almost $15,000. The four-week median nudged higher by fifteen hundred dollars over last week to $301,500 and finished $11,600 higher than it did during the same week a year ago.


Click the image for a larger version of the graph.


Overbid activity picked up a bit of steam as seven lucky sellers wrapped up a deal for more money than their asking price. The average overbid came in at $2,915. Another 15 Saskatoon home buyers stepped up and paid the seller’s full asking price to close a deal. Still, 68 of 90 recorded sales came in below the list price by an average of $9,337.


Click the image for a larger version of the chart.


Our Saskatoon home search tool offers MLS® listings from all real estate brands with the most detail and information available anywhere. Check it out here.


I’m always happy to answer your Saskatoon real estate questions.  All of my contact info is here. Please feel free to call or email.


Norm Fisher
Royal LePage Vidorra

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I picked this up from the Star Phoenix yesterday. It sounds like these homes will provide a much needed service in the community. Hats off to those involved in helping these young families come back together to build a healthy future.


Young mothers who regain custody of their children from Social Services with the help of Saskatoon's Egadz outreach programs will have a new place to live in Stonebridge this fall.


Mah's Place - named for EGADZ supporters Wally and Colleen Mah - is a five-bedroom house under construction on Dulmage Crescent, next door to another EGADZ home for infants and toddlers whose mothers are enrolled in a program called Baby Steps.


As with the 13 other homes already operated by EGADZ, Mah's Place and Baby Steps will look like any other house in the neighbourhood.


Read Innovative care home under construction.


Learn more about the Stonebridge area of Saskatoon.

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Here's a bit of an overview of current home prices for each Saskatoon neighbourhoodduring 2011. They're sorted from the lowest price, to the highest price using the numbers in the "all residential" column.


Home owners may want to click into their neighbourhood page for more specific information on what real estate activity occurred in their area last year. Once you're on the appropriate page, the tabbed box below the area description includes general sales information and a ten-year price trend for the neighbourhood and how it compares to the Saskatoon market in general. While you're there, please consider leaving a brief review of your neighbourhood in the comments section of the page. I'd appreciate it and so would people considering a home purchase in your area.


Area

All Residential

Condominium

Single-family

Pleasant Hill $165,038 $182,055 $160,771
Riversdale $180,943 $149,900 $172,818
King George $187,381 No sales $189,332
Westmount $191,673 $212,000 $187,907
Mayfair $194,567 No sales $194,343
Meadowgreen $195,143 $105,644 $235,242
Kelsey/Woodlawn $197,809 No sales $206,840
Caswell Hill $209,994 $192,233 $213,146
Massey Place $223,179 $161,840 $240,897
Exhibition $223,235 $170,269 $237,089
Fairhaven $232,329 $173,400 $266,711
Sutherland $234,088 $167,117 $276,843
Holiday Park $234,400 $162,500 $247,544
Lakewood $242,380 $242,761 No sales
Mount Royal $242,945 No sales $241,764
Pacific Heights $247,754 No sales $246,329
Hudson Bay Park $248,608 No sales $248,608
Blairmore $248,900 $248,900 No sales
Confederation Park $249,935 $132,000 $254,591
Forest Grove $255,227 $175,971 $324,927
City Park $260,666 $215,821 $297,719
Wildwood $260,730 $238,332 $343,547
East College Park $264,373 $165,553 $317,423
Westview Heights $268,937 No sales $267,937
North Park $272,086 No sales $276,450
River Heights $279,521 $193,441 $345,926
Buena Vista $281,061 $296,000 $262,690
Dundonald $282,045 $142,900 $304,717
University Heights $283,083 $283,008 No sales
Haultain $285,522 $155,225 $280,595
Lawson Heights $287,382 $245,899 $381,633
Lakeview $294,110 $183,932 $368,049
Queen Elizabeth $294,644 No sales $294,644
Parkridge $295,944 $210,167 $311,525
Brevoort Park $298,543 $164,123 $333,995
Richmond Heights $298,993 $164,000 $332,742
West College Park $299,681 $167,600 $323,580
Holliston $307,932 $200,000 $313,071
Avalon $309,001 $325,000 $309,825
Central Business District $316,331 $316,331 No sales
Eastview $322,851 $190,300 $331,989
Greystone Heights $328,479 $315,534 $340,926
Adelaide/Churchill $329,472 $336,000 $330,305
Nutana Park $330,900 $319,000 $331,561
Nutana S.C. $291,850 $291,850 No sales  
Stonebridge $336,445 $266,819 $383,719
Hampton Village $339,219 $280,608 $346,397
Nutana $352,702 $276,441 $428,964
Varsity View $372,466 $289,209 $401,670
Silverwood Heights $375,505 $215,650 $368,410
Grosvenor Park $376,162 $233,656 $427,057
Erindale $383,614 $277,000 $406,459
Lakeridge $385,288 $178,000 $390,224
Montgomery Place $385,961 No sales $385,961
Silverspring $390,076 $260,675 $427,819
Arbor Creek $405,126 $266,562 $451,185
Willowgrove $439,810 $316,142 $469,156
Briarwood $448,573 $298,786 $534,599
Evergreen $511,424 No sales $510,614
Rosewood $539,612 $285,914 $595,989
The Willows $646,729 $555,256 $811,380
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CREAeconomist Gregory Klump reports on MLS® sales and listings for the Canadian real estate market for January, 2012.


Highlights from CREA's release

  • Home sales were down 4.5% from December to January.
  • Actual (not seasonally adjusted) activity came in 4.0% above levels in January 2011, and stood even with the 5 and 10 year averages for January sales.
  • The number of newly listed homes edged down 1.4% from December to January.
  • With sales down by more than new listings, the national market shifted further into balanced territory.
  • The national average home price was up less than 2% year-over-year in January, ranking it among the smallest increases of the past year.

Read the complete release here. See also 2012 begins as a seller's market for Saskatoon homes: SRAR.


I’m always happy to answer your Saskatoon real estate questions.  All of my contact info is here. Please feel free to call or email.


Our Saskatoon home search tool offers MLS® listings represented by all real estate brands, presented with more detail than you’ll find anywhere else. Check it out here.


Norm Fisher

Royal LePage Vidorra

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Some agents swear by open houses. Some swear at the thought of hosting them.


Love them or hate them, any opportunity to expose your home to buyers should be taken seriously. Even if they don’t do you much good, they can’t hurt. Can they?


They can hurt if you’re a victim of theft and make no mistake, incidents of theft do occur at open houses, even here in Saskatoon. According to a bulletin issued by the Saskatoon Region Association of Realtors® yesterday, one unfortunate Saskatoon home seller came up short after their weekend open house when about $800 worth of personal effects walked out the door with a “prospective buyer.”


If you’re having an open house, understand that’s it’s not going to be possible for your Realtor® host to be everywhere at once. If there’s more then one prospect in the house, someone is going to be unattended. Your would-be thief may even arrive as two adorable looking couples. One of them engages your agent with lots of questions of interest while the other explores the home. Texting technology would make it very simple for one to cover the other. “He’s coming your way now!”


As is so often the case, the best defense is a solid offense. Prior to your open house, ensure that all valuables that could be easily slipped into a pocket or under a coat are securely stored or removed from the home. The odds of someone walking off with your 60-inch television or your dining room table are pretty slim. The most popular items are for thieves are cash, jewellery, prescription drugs, liquor, entertainment media, firearms, collectibles and small electronics.


When that’s all done, check these tips for a successful open house.


Best wishes.


I’m always happy to answer your Saskatoon real estate questions. All of my contact info is here. Please feel free to call of email me.


Norm Fisher
Royal LePage Vidorra

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Saskatoon real estate week in review: February 5-11, 2012
Saskatoon real estate sales continued at a bit of a sluggish pace this past week as local agents brought a total of 58 firm single-family home and condominium sales to the MLSÒ system, up two from last week, but well below the 83 units that traded during the same week last year. The blip on last year’s sales line for this week is clearly atypical for the season, but still, there’s a sizable year-over-year gap, a somewhat rare occurrence in recent months. Meanwhile, new listingsslipped lower on a weekly basis falling from 157 last week, to 130 this week and coming in on par with the numbers generated during the same week in 2011.


Click the image for a larger version of the graph.


A strong week for new listingsand a softer period for sales brought the total number of residential listings available on the multiple listing serviceÒ higher by 34 units to 1007, just slightly more than the 1000 units that were available at the close of the same week last year. Year-over-year, the inventory of Saskatoon condos continues to see some large drops, falling from 403 properties last year to just 345 today. Single-family homes show a pretty good increase moving to 582 homes from 550 at this time last year. Over the previous four years, MLSÒ inventory levels have taken a substantially different path each year, 2012’s numbers are pretty much following 2011’s trend very closely, at least for now.


Click the image for a larger version of the graph.

Listings that were either cancelled or withdrawn from the system spiked higher by about 50% to reach 31. Another 40 home sellers adjusted their asking price this week, most moving lower. Meanwhile, 20 Saskatoon real estate listings came to the end of their term and expired without a sale.


A near absence of sales above the $500K mark (just two) caused house prices to soften across the board. The average sale price of a Saskatoon home slipped close to $40,000 from last week to $293,224 and made a rare appearance below the $300,000 mark. In fact, this is the lowest weekly average we’ve seen since the week of March 25, 2011. The weekly median followed along and slid lower by $15K to finish the week at $294,950. The six-week average price fell by nearly five thousand dollars compared to last week and settled at $315,624 for an annual gain of roughly sixteen thousand dollars. The four-week median hit its lowest level this year at $300,000 for a weekly decline of almost $10K and an annual gain of twelve thousand dollars.


Click the image for a larger version of the graph.


The majority of this past week’s sales (50 of 58) recorded a sale price that was below the seller’s asking price by an average amount of $8,186. Another seven sellers managed to find themselves a full price offer. One seller ended up above the asking price, exceeding it by just $100.


Click the image for a larger version of the chart.


Our Saskatoon home search tool offers MLS® listings from all real estate brands with the most detail and information available anywhere. Check it out here.


I’m always happy to answer your Saskatoon real estate questions.  All of my contact info is here. Please feel free to call or email.


Norm Fisher

Royal LePage Vidorra

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Here’s a link to an article that’s part of a series that appears in Bridges in which Charles Hamilton gets a feel for a Saskatoon neighbourhood from a resident of the area. This one is about the Briarwood areaof Saskatoon.


Briarwood resident, Dave Wilton tells Charles, "There is lots of green space, lots of biking and walking trails. Lots of that. And there’s a spray pool park. It’s really well developed with a lot green space...I find this is one of the best areas for commuting back and forth. We have so many good roads out of here, Eighth Street being one of them, we have Taylor and we have the freeway. There is no problem getting downtown."


Read the entire article here.


See our neighbourhood page for Briarwood.


I’m always happy to answer your Saskatoon real estate questions. All of my contact info is here. Please feel free to call of email me.


Get the most current market intelligence with our FREE Market Snapshot including prices of homes recently sold in your area. Get it here, now.


Norm Fisher
Royal LePage Vidorra

Read

Saskatoon real estate week in review: January 29-February 4, 2012
Saskatoon real estate agents had a very busy week, but they weren’t so busy selling homes. Instead, they were swamped with new listings. A whopping 157 house and condo listings were added to the multiple listing service®, up sharply from last week by 70 properties and well ahead of the same week last yearwhen just 126 Saskatoon homes hit the system. Meanwhile, sales slipped lower, falling eight units from the previous week to just 56, but still managed a slight gain on the same week a year ago when just 51 deals resulted in a firm sale.


Click the image for a larger version of the graph.


A brisk week for new additions to the MLS® systembrought the total number of residential properties for sale in Saskatoon higher by nearly 50 units over the course of the week. The end result was a listing inventory that was on par with what was available a year ago, 973 residential listings. Today, buyers have 559 single-family homes and 330 condos to choose from. At this time last year, those numbers stood at 537 and 387 respectively.


Click the image for a larger version of the graph.


Cancelled and withdrawn listings remained fairly low at just 19 homes. This week, 22 home sellers adjusted their asking price. Another 35 MLS listings expired from the system without finding a buyer.


All five house price measures that you see on this site edged higher this week as the average selling price of a Saskatoon home gained more than 10K to reach $329,829. The weekly median price followed along but didn’t move as far. It grew by $6,500 from the previous week to close at $309,950. The six-week average price pulled ahead by just over $2,000 to reach $320,337 for an annual gain of almost $15,000. Meanwhile, the four-week median price bounced back from last week’s decline and grew by more than 6K from to hit $309,900. That’s good for an annual gain of about $16,000.


Click the image for a larger version of the graph.


Overbid sales continued to represent just a fraction of the market, and those that did sell over their list price didn’t reach the craziness of last week’s numbers. Just three of 56 sellers got more than they were asking this week. Another nine cashed in with a full price offer while 44 buyers managed to grind their seller for a bit of a deal achieving an average discount of $8,460.


Click the image for a larger version of the chart.


Our Saskatoon home search tool offers MLS® listings from all real estate brands with the most detail and information available anywhere. Check it out here.


I’m always happy to answer your Saskatoon real estate questions.  All of my contact info is here. Please feel free to call or email.


Norm Fisher
Royal LePage Vidorra

Read
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.
Trademarks are owned and controlled by the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA). Used under license.
MLS® System data of the Saskatchewan REALTORS® Association (SRA) displayed on this site is refreshed every 2 hours.