Fewer homeowners were 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 nine percent decline from last May. Year-to-date, there have been 13 percent fewer homes listed 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 of the Saskatoon Region Association of REALTORS®. “It’s the most active time in our market, largely due to favourable weather,” he added. Saskatoon MLS® inventory levels reached an all-time high in July of last year with 2,210 homes for sale. 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 Saskatoon homes sold, a decrease of 13 percent from the same month last year. Year-to-date, sales for the city are down seven percent with a total of 1,345 residential MLS® home sales. So far this year, sales have declined in every price range with the exception of the under $200,000 range which saw a 30 percent increase with 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 percent drop from last year. Homes selling between $750,000 and $1M are on par with last year at 19 sales. Sales with prices in excess of $1M however are off sharply with three just 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 fell from 43 percent in April to 39 percent in May. The sales-to-listing ratio is a comparison of the number of sales for a period of time against 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. This is the lowest time to sell so far this year.
Year-to-date, the average sale price was $334,449, a four percent 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 on an upward trend for most home types (except apartments) again in May. The HPI is the most accurate indicator of where home prices are trending.
Jason Yochim CAE, CRAE
Chief Executive Officer
Saskatoon Region Association of REALTORS®
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