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The Saskatoon Police Servicehas started to map all reports of criminal activity within the city of Saskatoon and is making the information available to the public, online.


This handy mapping tool allows you to map offences by date (right up to yesterday) and by the type of criminal activity. It provides a city wide snapshot of those crimes or you can narrow it down to specific neighbourhoods.


Saskatoon crime mapping provided by the Saskatoon Police Service


Find the Saskatoon crime mapping service here.


I expect this little tool will see some action from people considering the purchase of a Saskatoon homeor an investment property.


Interested in more detailed information of Saskatoon's neighbourhoods? Check out our Neighbourhood Profileshere.


Norm Fisher
Royal LePage Saskatoon Real Estate

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Saskatoon real estate week in review: April 21-27, 2013

As April draws to a close the Saskatoon real estate market continues to show positive signs for spring with sales increasing marginally on a year-over-year basis during three of four weeks, including this one. Local agents reported a total of 93 house and condominium sales to the local multiple listing service® this week, down nine compared to last week and up two from the same period last year. With two business days remaining in the month, April appears poised to be the first month in the past six that will record a year-over-year increase in the number of homes sold within the city of Saskatoon.


New listings also came on the market at a brisk but seasonal pace. Over the course of the week, 155 houses and condos were added to the MLS® inventory, five fewer than the previous week but higher than the totals added during the same period last year by ten.


Residential inventory on the Saskatoon multiple listing service® saw small but steady growth as the total number of properties showing an active status increased by 13 this week to 1163 for a gain of 43 units when compared against levels of a year ago. Most of the annual increases can be found in the single-family home category which grew from 662 last year to 697 today. Condo inventory has begun to level off after showing annual declines for many months that sometimes showed drops as much as 20 percent. Presently, there are 375 condominiums for sale in Saskatoon, down just six units from a year ago.


An increased level of activity at the most affordable end of the real estate market saw the median price of a Saskatoon home slip this week to $318,000. The weekly average also took a dip for the second week in a row falling more than ten thousand dollars to $326,093. The longer term numbers were much more stable, at least on a weekly basis. The six-week average sale price of a Saskatoon home inched lower by about twenty-six hundred dollars from last week to $343,327 for an annual gain of less than one thousand dollars. The four-week median price increased one thousand dollars from last week to reach $333,000 showing a year-over-year decrease of nearly seven thousand dollars. This is the third week in a row in which the four-week median price has shown an annual drop.


Overbid Saskatoon real estate sales saw a another big increase moving to ten sales this week from just six the week before. Those sellers netted, on average, an additional $2,460 from their sale. At the same time, the number of sales that closed at the seller’s full asking price declined sharply to just ten, down from 23 during the previous week.


The other 72 firm deals came in below the asking price showing an average discount of $7,712 for each buyer, the smallest movement we’ve seen in several weeks. Other notable MLS® activity this week included 42 cancelled and withdrawn listings, 10 expired listings and 26 price adjustments.


Highlights from the news this past week

Feds must step up for housing - Jordon Cooper’s Star Phoenix column

River Landing could attract investors - Star Phoenix

Canadian paying down debt at quicker pace - Financial Post

Even in real estate slump, Canadians lured into bidding wars - Financial Post

Property value assessments skyrocket - Star Phoenix


A map displaying the boundaries of Saskatoon real estate areas is here.


An overview of data collection and calculation practices for our statistical reports is here.


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


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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Saskatoon real estate week in review: April 14-20, 2013

Sales of Saskatoon homes surged higher this week breaking through the one hundred mark for the first time this year. Saskatoon real estate agents reported a total of 102 condo and house sales through the multiple listing service®, an increase of 24 home sales compared to the previous week and ahead of the same week last year by four.


New listings continued to hit the MLS® system at an appropriate pace for the season. This week, 160 new house and condominium listings were added to the system, three fewer than last week, down 18 properties when compared against new listings for the same period last year.


Saskatoon MLS® inventory in the residential category edged higher again as it always does in April. At this week’s close we have a total of 1150 properties showing an active status, up 26 from last week’s close and ahead of last year’s total by 48 homes. Today there are 685 single-family homes and 370 condominiums for sale on the Saskatoon MLS® system. Last year at this time inventory for those two housing types stood at 646 and 392, respectively.


Last week, the average selling price of a Saskatoon home took a huge leap forward due to a good handful of high end sales including a couple of homes that traded above the $1-million dollar mark. This week, with just five sales recorded above $500,000 the average sale price fell sharply to $337,393. The weekly median price (the price point at which half of all sales occurred at a lower price) remained pretty stable, increasing $1750 from last week to $328,000. The longer term measures that we track were nearly unchanged from the previous week. The six-week average price slipped about seven hundred dollars to $345,923 for a year-over-year gain of eight thousand dollars. The four-week median edged higher by one thousand dollars from a week ago to reach $332,000 to show an annual loss of fifty five hundred dollars.


The number of homes that traded for more than the asking price increased to six this week from just two last week. On average, those sellers netted an additional $2,234. Another 23 deals wrapped up at the seller’s full asking price. The remaining 73 sales were completed below asking price with the buyer netting an average discount of $9,857.


Other notable MLS® activity this week included 25 cancelled and withdrawn listings, 16 expired listings and 31 price adjustments. 


Highlights from the news this past week


Real estate expert shares smart tips for downsizing - Star Phoenix

Is Canada’s condo boom coming apart at the seams? - Globe and Mail

Home sales up 2.4 percent in March - Star Phoenix

Bank of Canada still sees signs of overbuilding, ‘stretched’ housing values - Globe and Mail

Canadian real estate shows continued improvement in March: CREA - TeamFisher.com


A map displaying the boundaries of Saskatoon real estate areas is here.


An overview of data collection and calculation practices for our statistical reports is here.


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


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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The Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA), released national sales statistics for the month of March, 2013 today. According the CREA, "National home sales edged upward on a month-over-month basis in March 2013 but stayed well below levels recorded one year ago." Highlights of CREA's report    
  • National home sales rose 2.4% from February to March.
  • Actual (not seasonally adjusted) activity came in 15.3% below levels in March 2012.
  • The number of newly listed homes was up 3.2% from February to March.
  • The Canadian housing market remains firmly in balanced territory.
  • The national average sale price rose 2.5% on a year-over-year basis in March.
  • The MLS® HPI rose 2.2% in March, its smallest gain in more than two years.
Read the entire report on Canadian MLS sales for March, 2013.


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


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 Saskatoon Real Estate

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For three consecutive years, the Saskatoon census metropolitan area has been Canada’s fastest growing area showing steady growth and adding about 26,000 people to our numbers during that time. A new projection released by Saskatoon city officials this week predicts population in this area will expand to reach 460,333 by 2032 while the population within city boundaries spikes to 387,742. Most recent estimates place it at roughly 239,000 as of December 31, 2012.


The projections assume that growth in the area will continue at the same pace over that period of time. It’s speculative, at best, but we’re certainly on a roll with some good momentum behind us. Short term prospects look good for a continued expansion of our population base.


Accommodating that growth will require development of 15 new neighbourhoods and 60,000 households, according to comments attributed to Allan Wallace, Saskatoon’s manager of planning and development in a recent Star Phoenix story.


We’ve got lots to think about and discuss as a community in the years ahead. Managing growth isn’t a problem that we have a lot of experience at in Saskatchewan. While there will be growing pains and challenges to overcome it’s kind of nice to be planning for growth rather than decline.


Go Saskatoon!


Read “Saskatoon’s population expected to boom” from the Star Phoenix.


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


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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Saskatoon real estate week in review: April 7-13, 2013

From one week to the next, Saskatoon real estate sales have been in an up and down pattern and this week was no exception as home sales slipped by 9 units on a weekly basis to 78 and fell short of numbers generated during the same week last year by 13. A quick look at year-over-year comparisons for the month of April shows that overall sales in the residential category conducted through the MLS® are roughly on par with last year’s.


While Saskatoon real estate agents weren’t as busy writing deals they certainly found time to write lots of new listings introducing a total of 165 houses and condominiums to the multiple listing service® and completing the largest volume week so far this year. The number of new listings added to the MLS® was up by 12 over the previous week and ahead of listing processed during the same period last year by 27 homes.


The total inventory of active listings in the residential category of the Saskatoon multiple listing service® continued to grow at a pace which would be considered pretty normal for this time of year. Total numbers of available properties grew by 36 from the close of the previous week to find its totals above 1100 for the first time this year. Reaching 1124 homes, current MLS® inventory is up marginally (just 17) on a year-over-year basis.


This was a strong week in the luxury category with two Saskatoon house sales reported above the $1-million mark, one of those actually breaking past $1.5 million. Throw in another sale above $800,000, a couple that broke $700K and three above the $600,000 mark and watch the average price of a Saskatoon home soar this week to $374,287 to reach its highest point this year. The six-week average price also pushed forward gaining more than five thousand dollars from last week to close at $346,678 to pick up an annual gain of just over sixteen thousand dollars. The four-week median price grew by forty-five hundred dollars from last week reaching $331,000 for a year-over-year increase of about eleven thousand dollars.


Overbid Saskatoon real estate sales continued to be a near non-factor with just two lucky sellers bagging an offer above their asking price. It was a serious win for one seller whose Nutana area home sale closed $50,000 above list. Another six sellers found a buyer willing to pay them their full asking price while 70 of this week’s 78 sales closed below the list price by an average of $13,272. That number is heavily skewed by some large dollar discounts on the high-end sales, the two biggest sales alone contributing about $230,000 to the discount pool.


Other notable MLS® activity this week included 45 cancelled and withdrawn listings, 5 expired listings and 30 price adjustments.


Highlights from the news this past week

Saskatchewan job numbers strongest in Canada - Star Phoenix

Housing starts off record highs of 2012 - Star Phoenix

Riversdale condos planned for Great West Warehouse site - Star Phoenix

Saskatoon’s population expected to boom - Star Phoenix

Saskatchewan the ‘place to be.’ says Scotiabank economist - Regina Leader Post

‘So far, so good’: Data suggests soft landing for Canada’s housing market - Financial Post

Smart growth makes consumer housing aspirations irrelevant - Financial Post


A map displaying the boundaries of Saskatoon real estate areas is here.


An overview of data collection and calculation practices for our statistical reports is here.


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


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 Royal LePage House Price Survey released today showed impressive year-over-year appreciation for condominiums in Saskatoon, while detached bungalows and standard two-storey homes posted healthy gains.


Standard condominiums posted a price increase of 10.3 per cent to an average price of $261,333. Detached bungalows increased 4.1 per cent to $352,500 and standard two-storey homes increased slightly by 3.2 per cent to $384,000.


“Fairly limited selection of desirable options across housing types has pushed prices up over the past year,” said Norm Fisher, Royal LePage Saskatoon Real Estate. “However, in recent months, the market seems to be changing, offering a somewhat more balanced  environment than we've seen over the past few years.”


Nationally, house prices remained relatively flat in the first quarter of 2013 compared to the first quarter of 2012, recording that the average price of a home in Canada increased between 1.2 per cent and 2.4 per cent.


In the first quarter of 2013, the national average price of a standard two-storey home increased 2.2 per cent, compared to the previous year. Over the same period, the national average price of a detached bungalow increased 2.4 per cent and the average price of a standard condominium increased 1.2 per cent.


“2013 finds the Canadian housing industry in a highly unusual place. The combination of very low mortgage rates and flat home prices, against a background of general economic improvement across the nation, is not something we’ve seen before,” said Phil Soper, president and chief executive of Royal LePage. “Typically one of these variables is moving hard in an opposite direction. While some have spoken loudly about impending market volatility and dramatic downward pressure on home prices, we are simply not seeing evidence of this. The current environment is very supportive for housing. Those waiting for big declines in home prices will likely be disappointed.”

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Saskatoon real estate week in review: March 31 - April 6, 2013

Saskatoon real estate sales reached their highest point for any week this year with 87 houses and condominiums trading hands through the multiple listing service®. That final tally is up 16 units from the previous week to finish well above the 63 Saskatoon homes that sold during the same week last year.


A spike in new listings happened at the same time, also reaching record numbers for any week this year. Saskatoon real estate agents brought 153 new listings to the MLS® system, up 55 from last week, but falling short of numbers from the same period last year when 192 new listings came onto the system.


Inventory numbers of Saskatoon MLS® listings moved higher this week gaining 35 units over the course of the week to close at 1092, its highest level this year. That number is ahead of levels seen at the same time last year by 32 homes. A search of today’s inventory shows 664 single-family homes and 342 condominiums displaying an active status. Last year at this time, those categories stood at 624 and 354, respectively.


A pretty good handful of upper end real estate sales saw the average sale price of a Saskatoon home surge to its highest point for any week this year at $363,586. Combining the upper end sales activity with fewer entry level sales pushed the median price higher as well to $347,400.


After trending lower for most of the first quarter, both of our longer term measures took a solid leap to higher ground. The six-week average climbed nearly ten thousand dollars from last week’s close to reach $341,059 for an annual gain of a bit more than thirteen thousand dollars. The four-week median pushed higher by eight thousand dollars this week and settled at $326,500 for a year-over-year increase roughly the same as the six-week average.


Overbid Saskatoon real estate sales cooled to just three. Those fortunate sellers picked up an additional $5,434 on average. On the other hand, sales at list price posted some of the strongest numbers we’ve seen in awhile at 23. The remaining 61 firm Saskatoon real estate sales closed below the asking price by an average of $8,929.


Other notable MLS® activity this week included 32 cancelled and withdrawn listings, 16 expired listings and 23 price adjustments.


Highlights from the news this past week

Why Canadian banks shouldn’t fear a housing slowdown - Financial Post

Home sales activity on an upward swing - Star Phoenix

Real estate’s late spring: Sales rebound fails to happen - Globe and Mail

Canadian home prices up in most markets in early 2013: Royal LePage - Financial Post


A map displaying the boundaries of Saskatoon real estate areas is here. An overview of data collection and calculation practices for our statistical reports is here.


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


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.

By Norm Fisher

Royal LePage Vidorra

Read

The Saskatoon Region Association of Realtors® (SRAR) released the MLS® residential real estate statistics for March of 2013today accompanied by the following release.


Please note that many of the association’s comments touch on “year-to-date” numbers, and some are based on all sales within the board’s trading area. The charts which you see, as always, reflect activity within the city of Saskatoon on a month to month basis over the past several years.


As expected, Saskatoon real estate sales activity was up considerably in March compared to February with an increase of 21 percent in listings and a 35 percent increase in sales. "Spring is typically the most active time of the year for real estate. The winter was long and with all the snow, most buyers and sellers preferred to wait for more suitable conditions unless they had to make a move," comments Jason Yochim, Executive Officer for the Saskatoon Region Association of REALTORS®. Market activity in March was comparable to March of 2012 with 934 new listings and 480 property sales. At the end of the first quarter, the number of properties listed in Saskatoon and area was 5% lower than last March (344 versus 368 last year).


Click the image for a larger version of the chart.

Five year history of Saskatoon residential real estate sales to March, 2013

Click the image for a larger version of the chart.


Five year history of active Saskatoon MLS listings to March, 2013


The average sale price in Saskatoon continued its upward trend at the modest rate of three percent to $336,100. The average price a year ago in Saskatoon was $326,800. "Averages can be misleading," warns Yochim. "An average price is just that, an average of all sales across the entire market place, and can be easily skewed by many factors. The good news is the market is healthy with a strong demand for homes in the $250,000 to $400,000 range." 


Activity in the $275,000 to $400,000 price range continues to be down from last year, this is largely due to a shortage of product in this price range. Unit sales in the $450,000 to $500,000 price range saw a 43 percent increase, year-to-date. Overall, year-to-date sales were down eight percent in the first quarter of 2013 resulting in a four percent reduction in the total dollar volume of $362,974,828.


Click the image for a larger version of the chart. Five year history of average Saskatoon home prices to March, 2013


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 Saskatoon Real Estate

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.