saskhouses.com blog

House prices stabilizing in Saskatoon

2008-10-01T09:48:00.001-06:00

The average asking price of Saskatoon listings on http://www.saskhouses.com/ during the month of September was $335,251 - an increase of just $2,218 from the average asking price of $333,033 in August, and another sign that house prices are stabilizing in Saskatoon.

September's average asking price was almost $13,000 less than this year's highest average asking price of $348,163 - which was reached in June.

The September asking price is also virtually identical to the average asking price of Saskatoon listings on saskhouses.com during the month of April. You can see from the graph above that the trend line of Saskatoon asking prices on saskhouses.com has flattened out in the last few months, and it is even more evident on the graph below, which shows the month-by-month asking prices over the past couple of years.

Because saskhouses.com is not involved in setting the price of listings on the website, or in the negotiations or transactions of their sales, we can only report on the asking prices of listings which are posted on the website.

Sales were fairly strong during the month of September, with 66 customers marking their properties "sold" during the month - bringing the total number of sales via saskhouses.com to 801 for the year so far.

New feature added to interactive map

2008-09-25T16:54:00.000-06:00

A new feature has been added to the interactive map for Saskatoon on saskhouses.com

The new feature gives buyers and sellers real-time information on the asking prices of properties in specific Saskatoon neighbhourhoods.

To access the new feature, click on our interactive map for Saskatoon at http://saskhouses.com/map/stoon/ - then select the Neighbourhood Info option on the right-hand side of the map.

When you click on the purple dot in each neighbourhood, you will be shown the total number of saskhouses.com listings in the neighbourhood, the average asking price of those listings, and the minimum and maximum asking prices of listings in the neighbourhood.

The information is updated every four hours - essentially making it real-time information. We would like to thank the developors of our interactive map - DevelTech Inc. of Saskatoon, for suggesting and implementing this addition to our interactive map.

You can click on the picture above for a larger view of what you will see on the map.

Average asking price up again in August

2008-09-01T10:51:00.000-06:00

The average asking price of Saskatoon listings on saskhouses.com during the month of August increased by just under 3 percent from the average asking price in July.

The average asking price of Saskatoon listings in August was $333,033 - compared with $325,104 in July. August's average asking price was about $15,000 less than June's record high average asking price of $348,163.

August's average asking price was $58,994 higher than the average asking price of Saskatoon listings in August of 2007 - which was $274,039.

While asking prices increased slightly from July, sales activity decreased, with only 70 of our customers reporting their properties sold during the month of August - the lowest monthly number of the year.

Many of our customers have recognized that prices have softened in the Saskatoon market, and in other areas of the province as well in the past few months.

205 of our 887 active listings have reduced their asking prices since they first listed their properties.

You can click on either of the graphs on this post for larger views of the average asking prices for Saskatoon listings - the first graph compares asking prices to the year before, and the second graph shows a month-by-month comparison of asking prices.

The average asking price of August listings in Martensville was $347,286 - in Warman, it was $393,810, and in Prince Albert, it was $298,481.

Note that because we are not involved in the negotiations, or transactions of the properties which are sold through advertising on our website, we can only report the asking price of properties, and not the final selling price.

Average asking prices drop in July

2008-08-01T12:42:00.001-06:00

The average asking price of Saskatoon listings on saskhouses.com dropped by just over $23,000 during the month of July.

The average asking price of Saskatoon listings was $325,104 during July, down from June's record high average asking price of $348,163.

July's average asking price was the lowest since January of 2008, when the average asking price was $313,263 - but it was still $45,567 higher than the average asking price of $279,537 in July of 2007.

July saw another brisk month for listings on saskhouses.com, and sales were up from the month of June. 101 saskhouses.com customers marked their listings as "sold" during the month of July, an increase from 92 in June.

The average asking price for saskhouses.com listings in Martensville during the month of July was $316,967 - the average asking price for Warman listings was $362,901, and the average asking price for Prince Albert listings in July was $258,368.

Saskatoon economy shows signs of strength

2008-07-30T13:35:00.000-06:00

> A new report released by the Saskatoon Regional Economic Development Authority shows that the economy in the Saskatoon area is still thriving.

The quarterly report by SREDA shows that approximately 3,400 more people were working in the Saskatoon region in the second quarter of 2008, than during the same time period in 2007, and that June of 2008 saw more people working in Saskatoon & Saskatchewan than ever before.

SREDA says the 2nd quarter of 2008 was the eighth quarter in a row in which there were more people employed full-time in the Saskatoon region compared to the same time frame in the previous year. And it says "As word spreads about the opportunities in the Saskatoon region, labour force numbers continue to rise. In fact, the region has never had a higher quarterly or annual increase in working age population (+0.9% and 2.9% respectively).

Business growth in Saskatoon is on track with numbers from 2007. Year-to-date, there were 489 new business licenses issued in the City of Saskatoon, as compared to 488 during the same timeframe in 2007.

The number of building permits for new projects grew substantially in the second quarter of 2008, causing year-to-date non-residential construction totals to surpass those of the second quarter of 2007 by 40 per cent. The city of Saskatoon had a large increase in industrial permits (57 per cent), as well as permits for new institutional buildings such as hospitals and other health care facilities.

Investment in infrastructure also contributed to an increase in non-residential construction. Communities bordering Saskatoon also experienced a boost in non-residential construction, (196 per cent) compared with 2007 numbers. This was due to augmented investment in the commercial, industrial, institutional and agricultural
sectors.

SREDA says housing starts have continued to exceed expectations set in early 2008. The second quarter of 2008 saw a 30 per cent increase in housing starts compared with the previous year. The heightened demand has prompted surrounding communities to develop more residential lots.

As for the existing housing market, SREDA says "strong sales has prompted many owners to place their house on the market. The first six months of 2008 saw a 50 percent increase in listings and a 27 percent decrease in sales compared to the first half of 2007. Nonetheless, housing prices have increased during the past twelve months (+30%), with 2008-Q2 posting a 13% gain. An average dwelling in Saskatoon cost $306,060 in 2008Q2."

The graph below shows the average number of MLS listings, sales, & selling prices since 2004. You can click on the graph for a larger view.

Passenger traffic continued to increase at the Saskatoon International Airport during the second quarter of 2008. It is the eighteenth consecutive quarter that saw an increase of passenger traffic compared to the previous year.

And SREDA is predicting that the Saskatoon economy will remain strong for the foreseeable future. The region’s gross domestic product GDP) is projected to grow 3.4 per cent in 2008.

You can read the full SREDA report by >clicking here.

New partnership with Compass Advertising

2008-07-30T12:38:00.002-06:00

saskhouses.com is pleased to announce a partnership with Compass Advertising, a new Saskatchewan advertising magazine.

Compass is a weekly magazine which is distributed free of charge to hundreds of business locations throughout Saskatchewan. In addition to advertising for businesses, and houses and automobiles for sale, Compass also includes articles of interest to the public such as home renovation hints and tips, plus much more.

As part of our partnership, select saskhouses.com listings will be featured each week in the Compass magazine. Compass magazine is available at over 350 locations throughout Saskatchewan and this list is growing on a daily basis.

You can read Compass Magazine online - by clicking here.

saskhouses.com reaches 1/2 billion dollar mark in listings for 2008

2008-07-23T15:20:00.000-06:00

saskhouses.com reached another major milestone today, reaching one-half billion dollars worth of Saskatchewan property advertised for sale on the website in 2008.

With the addition of 315 Beechdale Crescent to the website this afternoon, the total dollar value of property listed on saskhouses.com in 2008 went to $500,503,578.

saskhouses.com has seen steady growth in the number of properties advertised for sale on the website every year since we began tracking those numbers in 2002.

You can see full details on our statistics for the past 7 years on our facts and figures page.

We would like to thank all of our past and present customers, and the thousands of buyers who have used, and continue to use our website to shop for the Saskatchewan homes of their dreams.

New milestone reached for saskhouses.com

2008-07-10T15:43:00.003-06:00

Another milestone has been reached by saskhouses.com - we set a new record today for the total annual dollar value of listings on our website.

The total asking price of all listings to date in 2008 on saskhouses.com is $470,414,008, which breaks last year's record total dollar value of listings of $468,998,527...and it is only July 10th!

Rising house prices across the province have played a significant role in the total dollar value of listings on the website, but the number of listings is also up by almost 40 percent from the first six months of 2007.

We are on pace to advertise about 3/4 of a billion dollars of Saskatchewan property for sale on the website this year, and we expect that number to continue to grow as more and more people become comfortable with the internet, and with selling their own properties.

The graph above shows the total dollar value of listings on saskhouses.com since we started tracking that number in 2002. (You can click on the graph for a larger view)

saskhouses.com is Saskatchewan's leading website for private home sales, and has been in operation since June of 1999.

Average asking prices edge higher in June

2008-07-01T12:57:00.000-06:00

The average asking price of Saskatoon listings on Saskatchewan's leading website for private home sales increased by just over $16,000 per listing during the month of June, to a record high average of $348,163 per listing.

The average June 2008 asking price is $74,079 higher than the average asking price in June of 2007.

June's increase follows two months of decreases in the average asking price of listings on saskhouses.com.

The graph above shows how asking prices have increased on saskhouses.com, year over year, while the graph below shows how they have increased month by month since January of 2007.

The increase comes in spite of a record number of listings on the market in Saskatoon right now. During the month of June, 92 saskhouses.com customers marked their listings sold, and many others have offers pending on their properties.

Average asking prices in other communities around Saskatoon in June:

Martensville - $357,485
Warman - $377,911
Princ Albert - $295,535

You can click on either of the graphs for a larger view.

New advertisers welcomed to saskhouses.com

2008-06-30T10:28:00.002-06:00

saskhouses.com is pleased to welcome three new business advertisers to our website.

1-800-GOT-JUNK is a full service junk removal expert! The company hauls junk in Saskatoon, Warman, Martensville, Langham, Dalmeny, Osler, Hague, Clavet, Blackstrap, and Shields.

1-800-GOT-JUNK will remove almost anything two people can carry – yard waste, construction or renovation debris, appliances, furniture or any other type of non-hazardous junk. They are proud to service Saskatoon and believe in keeping landfills free of reusable items.

The franchise supports Saskatoon's local charities by donating and recycling close to 60% of all of their pickups. 1-800-GOT-JUNK is operated by Quinn & Kirsten Magnuson. The company's office is located at 102 2002 Quebec Avenue North in Saskatoon.

Amir Janjoa is the owner-operator of Strong Hands Connection, a general contracting company which can supply all of your residential or commercial construction needs. Amir is licenced and insured, and has more than 15 years of experience in his field.

Strong Hands Connection specializes in total home improvements, restaurants, shops, offices, garages, demolitions, custom cabinets & landscaping. You can call Strong Hands Connection at (306) 612-4747 or 955-0009

Shutterbug Photo provides photography services in Saskatoon and area for everything from weddings and family portraits, to real estate or special events photography.

Photographer Lisa Landrie describes herself as a lifestyle photographer where you are her focus (pun intended). She looks forward to photographing you so she can show you how photogenic you really are. You can see some examples of Lisa's work by clicking here - and you can check out her blog by clicking here.

saskhouses.com is Saskatchewan's leading website for private home sales, and we are also a great place to advertise your business!

Saskatchewan's population growth continues

2008-06-26T14:09:00.000-06:00

A new report released by Statistics Canada has confirmed that Saskatchewan's population growth is continuing, thanks largely to in-migration from other provinces.

As of the end of March, Saskatchewan's population was 1,010,100 people - an increase of .35 percent from the end of 2007.

Stats Canada says it was the highest first quarter increase for Saskatchewan in decades, mainly as a result of record numbers in immigration, interprovincial migration and in non-permanent resident net inflows.

After years of losses, Saskatchewan's population has been rising constantly since April 2006.

Alberta, Saskatchewan and British Columbia were the only provinces to record population growth higher than that of the country. All provinces posted net gains in interprovincial migration, except for Quebec, Ontario and Prince Edward Island.

As of April 1, 2008, Canada's population was estimated at 33,223,800, up by 80,200 from January 1, 2008. The nation's population increased 0.24%, the strongest first quarter growth rate since 2002.

saskhouses.com celebrates 9th anniversary today!

2008-06-18T09:45:00.001-06:00

saskhouses.com is celebrating an anniversary today - it was nine years ago today, on June 18, 1999, that we registered our domain name and started building our website.

It was an exciting time for us, and we were full of optomism - within a few days we had a website up and running, and our first customer. But after a quick start, the hard work started. In our first 6 months of business, we managed to advertise 35 listings. The following year we had just 32 listings. Most people still didn't have the internet at home, and many people were skeptical about putting any information about themselves or their home on the world-wide-web.

There were many times where we thought about abandoning our venture, but we persevered, and in our third year of business, more and more people started using our service, and our business started to take off.

Since then, we've made a lot of changes and improvements to our website, and we have seen significant growth in the number of people who use our website to advertise their private home sales, and in the number of people who use our website to shop for their next home. Last month we had more than 3 million page views & more than 30 million hits on the website!

The website's popularity is growing every year & saskhouses.com is now busier than ever. We are proud of what we have accomplished in the past nine years and are excited about the future. We would like to thank all of our past and present customers and website users for helping make saskhouses.com a Saskatchewan success story :)

Dale & Susanne Neufeld

www.saskhouses.com

CBC National News explores Saskatchewan's booming economy

2008-06-17T08:48:00.000-06:00

The CBC National News is sending anchor Peter Mansbridge to Saskatchewan to take a look at this province's booming economy, and the opportunities and challenges that are arising as a result.

Mansbridge will visit Saskatoon and look the City's hot housing market, where home prices are soaring faster than new houses can be built. A small condo in Saskatoon now fetches nearly $200,000 and rents are rising all over the city.

Mansbridge will also visit Weyburn, where the daycare is full, the pharmacy is doubling in size to meet demand and the labour market is so tight that the town has lost its fire chief and a policeman to the oil patch. Viewers will meet the Chessall family, whose home furnishing store is booming along with the town, but the town's builders are so busy that the Chessall's are having difficulty building a bigger store. Mayor Debra Button expresses her concern over the rapid growth of the town.

The CBC National's special report on Saskatchewan will air Tuesday, June 24 at 10 p.m. on CBC Television and 9 p.m. and 11 p.m. ET/PT on CBC Newsworld.

Record number of homes for sale in Saskatchewan

2008-06-16T11:23:00.000-06:00

There have never been more homes for sale in the cities of Saskatoon and Regina than there are right now, and more new listings are coming on the market every day. The record high number of listings is not a Saskatchewan-only phenomenon, as the Canadian Real Estate Association reports there were 54,029 new MLS listings in Canada in May, an increase of 2.2 percent from April's record number of listings.

While listings are at a record high, the CREA is reporting that unit sales across Canada dropped by 17 per cent this May from the year before on an unadjusted basis, and by 0.5 per cent compared with April, 2008, on a seasonally adjusted basis.

The markets with the largest increase in the number of listings were Regina (+58 %), Saskatoon (+44 %), and Vancouver & Victoria (+20 % each)

According to Saskatoon Real Estate Agent Norm Fisher, there were 1,326 units for sale in Saskatoon at the close of business last Friday. Add to that the 340 Saskatoon listings currently for sale on http://www.saskhouses.com/, and you have a lot of listings for buyers to choose from.

New house prices stabilizing across Canada

2008-06-11T10:14:00.001-06:00

A new report released today by Statistics Canada shows that after a year of rapidly rising house prices in Saskatchewan, prices for new homes in the province are now starting to stabilize.

The price of a new home in Saskatoon rose by 43.7 percent from April of 2007 to April of 2008 - the biggest increase in the country. But from March of 2008 to April of 2008, the price of a new home in Saskatoon rose by only 0.4 percent, which may indicate that prices are levelling out, at least for awhile.

Saskatoon (43. 7 %) and Regina (34 %) had the biggest increases in prices for new homes among major Canadian cities in the past year, but many other cities saw significant increases as well. St. John's (16.3 %), Winnipeg (14.8 %) and Halifax (11.3 %), all saw increases of more than 10 percent in the past year.

The only market in Canada which saw prices for a new home decrease in the past year was Windsor, where the price dropped by 0.2 percent.

In Alberta, the price of a new home increased in Edmonton by 8.1 percent in the past year, (April to April), and in Calgary it increased by 2.5 percent. Prices in Vancouver were up by 5.4 percent, and in Victoria by 1.9 percent.

Many markets have seen a slight decrease in prices from March of this year to April of this year, with the highest decrease being -0.8 percent, in Edmonton. You can read the full Stats Canada report by clicking here.

Average asking prices dip in May

2008-06-01T11:17:00.001-06:00

The average asking price of a Saskatoon listing on saskhouses.com during the month of May was $332,126, a decrease of just over $3,000 from the average asking price in April, but still an increase of $76,311 from the average asking price a year ago.

I've included two graphs, which show a year-over-year price comparison for Saskatoon asking prices on our website, and a progressive price comparison. (You can click on either graph for a larger view)

Note that prices remained pretty stable considering the record number of listings which were available for buyers, both on our website, and on mls.ca.

We also had 118 of our customers mark their listings "sold" during the month of May.

Average asking prices in other communities in Central Saskatchewan also remained strong during the month of May. The average asking price for saskhouses.com listings in Martensville in May was $363,292 - the average asking price in Warman was $371,310, and the average asking price in Prince Albert was $268,854.

New feature added to interactive map

2008-05-21T14:41:00.001-06:00

We'd like to thank our map-making partners at DevelTech Inc. in Saskatoon for adding a new feature to the our interactive map of Saskatoon listings on saskhouses.com.

DevelTech has added the outline of neighbourhoods as a select-able feature on the Saskatoon map. The neighbourhood outlines clearly show which neighbourhoods each of our Saskatoon listings fall into, and in addition, you can click on a little purple dot inside the neighbourhoods for more information on the neighbourhood itself.

When you click on the neighbourhood dot, you will be taken to the City of Saskatoon's webpage for that neighbourhood - with information such as the population of the neighbourhood, the percentage of homes which are owned, the average value of dwellings, and average family incomes.

We think the new feature makes an already great search tool even better - if you haven't already checked it out, click here - then click anywhere on the map to activate it. You can select an area with your mouse to view more closely, and you can mouse over any of the listing dots on the map for a thumb-nail view of the property. Then, if you click on that thumb-nail picture, it will take you directly to the property's webpage.

Housing market slows, but still strong

2008-05-16T09:46:00.000-06:00

In the past few weeks we’ve heard, and seen a lot of evidence that the housing market in Saskatchewan, and in Saskatoon in particular, is in a bit of a slow-down.

After two plus years of being the hottest housing market in the country, it seems like the market in Saskatoon might finally be levelling off. In April, we saw the average asking price for Saskatoon listings on saskhouses.com drop by about $6,500 from March’s record high of $342,389, and the average asking price for Saskatoon listings in the month of May so far is down an additional $15,000 – to $320,100.

One of the main reasons for the recent slowdown, is that there are more houses for sale in Saskatoon right now, than ever before. Listings on saskhouses.com and on MLS are both up significantly this spring. We had a record month for listings in April, and we will likely break that record in May.

The Saskatoon Association of Realtors hasn’t updated their statistics since February, but they had a record number of listings in February, and we’re pretty sure they’ve had record months in March and April as well. Saskatoon Real Estate Agent Norm Fisher reports on his blog that there were 962 units for sale on MLS in Saskatoon last week. Add to that the 254 Saskatoon listings currently advertised for sale on saskhouses.com, and there is a lot to choose from for Saskatoon buyers.

The average time to sell a home has slowed for both private sellers, and for sellers who are listed with MLS, and bidding wars, which used to be common, are now few & far between. In many ways, it feels like the market is returning to normal, but with prices much closer to par with other comparable markets in the country.

While Saskatoon appears to be turning into a “buyer’s” market for at least the next little while, we think there is still plenty of reason for optimism for sellers.

In the first 15 days of May, 63 of our sellers have marked their properties “Sold” & another 47 sellers currently have their properties listed as having “offers pending”. We have had many reports of good turnouts at open houses, and the website is still getting an amazing amount of traffic.

The Saskatchewan economy is still doing extraordinarily well. A report released today by Statistics Canada says Saskatchewan’s resource boom makes it, along with Newfoundland, Canada’s leader in economic growth, income growth, retail sales, exports and investment. And our population is continuing to grow.

The growth we’ve seen in the past five years in the Saskatoon area alone is amazing. Saskatoon neighbourhoods like Willowgrove, Hampton Village, Lakewood & Stonebridge were just open prairie 5 years ago. In Warman & Martensville, beautiful new neighbourhoods have turned both of those towns into vibrant Saskatchewan cities. Other nearby towns, like Dalmeny, Langham & Borden have seen new house construction on vacant lots, and existing homes have been selling fast. The days of abandoned houses in small town Saskatchewan seem to be a thing of the past. Saskatchewan cities, and towns in rural Saskatchewan are doing incredibly well!

And if you take a look at the licence plates on Saskatoon streets & Saskatchewan highways, it’s easy to see where the people are coming from. Yes, they are coming from Alberta, but they are also coming from B.C., Manitoba & Ontario. And while many people are coming here to live, others are buying Saskatchewan properties as investments, because they have confidence that our economy will continue to grow. With our rich resources of oil, potash, uranium, wheat & gold – just to name a few, Saskatchewan is a great place to be, and our future looks bright.

We’d like to wish all of our customers and website users a safe & relaxing holiday weekend. If your property is still for sale, we hope it sells this weekend – if you're a buyer, we hope you find that home you've been looking for soon. And if you've already bought, or sold, we hope you enjoy the beautiful weather & celebrate your success!

Dale & Susanne Neufeld
http://www.saskhouses.com/

Canadian home sales expected to drop in 2008

2008-05-09T07:37:00.000-06:00

The Canadian Real Estate Association is predicting that the sale of homes listed through the Multiple Listing Service will drop by more than 11 percent this year, and by another 4 percent in 2009.

The CREA says Saskatchewan & Newfoundland are the only two provinces which will see an increase in home sales this year, and it says the biggest drop in home sales will take place in Alberta.

The CREA is predicting that house prices will continue to slowly rise across the country, with the biggest increase coming in Saskatchewan, with an expected increase of 19.3 percent. Compare that with Alberta's expected increase of 4.7 percent.

Manitoba is expected to lead the nation in price increases in 2009.

You can read more on the CREA report in this CBC Article.

Average asking prices dip in April

2008-05-01T09:00:00.000-06:00

It could be a sign that house prices are starting to stabilize again in the City of Saskatoon, or it could be a temporary slow-down, but the average asking price of Saskatoon properties advertised for sale on saskhouses.com during the month of April dipped slightly from the month before.

The average asking price of Saskatoon properties on saskhouses.com was $335,899 during the month of April, a decrease of $6,490 from March's record high of $342,389.

Year over year, April's asking price was $95,067 higher than in April of 2007. That's a percentage increase of just under 40 percent.

While the increase in Saskatoon house prices has been dramatic in the past couple of years, it feels like they may be starting to level off now. The graph above shows the progressive growth in asking prices in Saskatoon since the beginning of 2007, when prices started to increase above everyone's expectations. The graph at the top of the page shows year-over-year prices - you can click on either of them for a larger view.

The average asking prices in other communities in April....Martensville - $388,492, Warman - $422,391, and Prince Albert - $210,874. It's a bit tougher to get a feel for a trend in those communities, because of a smaller number of listings each month, but the majority of houses for sale on saskhouses.com in Warman & Martensville are new homes under construction, while the
majority of homes for sale in Prince Albert on saskhouses.com are existing houses.

USA Today pegs Saskatoon as one of world's most affordable housing markets

2008-04-29T15:41:00.002-06:00

According to USA Today, Saskatoon is still one of the most affordable places in the world to own a family home.

USA Today published the results of a study on average home sales price in 2007 for a 2,200 square foot single-family dwelling with 4 bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths and 2 car garage for select international markets.

The study was done in U.S. dollars with conversions done on oanda.com as of Sept. 7th.

Even though prices have risen significantly in Saskatoon since the end of the year, (probably at least $100,000 above the published report price) it still remains one of the most economical cities in the world to own a family home. Here is how it compares with some other international cities.

Dublin Ireland $2,133,891
Rome Italy $1,793,838
Paris France $1,677,878
Madrid Spain $1,135,351
Sydney Australia $874,553
Toronto Canada $862,674
Tokyo Japan $780,346
Beijing China $709,687
San Pedro Belize $697,500
Amsterdam Netherlands $537,148
Calgary Canada $513,250
Warsaw Poland $479,000
Istanbul Turkey $417,760
Cairo Egypt $328,719
Mexico City Mexico $277,213
Aruba Aruba $236,250
Saskatoon Canada $211,666
Panama City Panama $201,333
Granada Nicaragua $190,000

While today's "real" prices would probably put Saskatoon a little higher on the list than it is right now - maybe between Cairo & Istanbul, it does put into perspective how good we have it here, and how much potential room there is to grow for housing prices in general in this part of the world.

And it makes it easier to understand how owning your own home is something that many families in other parts of the world can only dream of.

You can see the full report by clicking here.

Is Saskatchewan the new "it" province

2008-04-22T13:57:00.001-06:00

Is Saskatchewan Canada's new "it" province? According to the Globe and Mail's Report on Business magazine, yes it is!

In a recent issue, Report on Business paints Saskatchewan as THE place to be in Canada right now, and it predicts that our economy will remain strong for many years to come. There are plenty of good reasons for that optimism. Here is an excerpt from the article.

"This province, with a population only a bit higher than it was in the 1920s, is enjoying the best times of its century-long history, riding multiple booms in commodity prices. Government, once so central to the economy, has stepped back and instead embraced a more business-friendly agenda, including corporate tax cuts.

Predicted to lead Canada in economic growth this year, Saskatchewan is a land of food and fuel - feeding North America, and the world. It is the country's second-largest oil producer. It leads the world in uranium. And its grains are more valuable than ever. "

Considering our richness of resources, it's no wonder that our population is finally showing sustained growth, and that our housing market, and economy is leading the nation in growth. It gives everyone here plenty of reasons to be optomistic, even when other parts of the country, and the continent are seeing downturns in their economies.

You can read the full Report on Business Article by clicking here.

New advertiser welcomed to saskhouses.com

2008-04-19T08:11:00.000-06:00

saskhouses.com is pleased to welcome Jeffery J. Svoboda General Carpentry to the website as a business advertiser.

Svoboda General Carpentry is located in the town of St. Walburg, just outside Lloydminster, and is available for a wide variety of general carpentry services in west-central Saskatchewan.

Svoboda's Carpentry work includes framing, finishing, roofing & ceramic tiles. It also does concrete work including foundations, basements, and complete buildings.

Jeffery J. Svoboda General Carpentry is Journeyman Certified, and provides guaranteed workmanship.

If you require general contracting work in west-central Saskatchewan, call Jeffery Svoboda at (306) 248-3542.

Saskatoon housing prices up again in March

2008-04-02T17:05:00.002-06:00

The average asking price of a Saskatoon listing on Saskatchewan's leading website for private home sales reached a new record high during the month of March.

The average asking price of Saskatoon listings on saskhouses.com during the month of March was $342,389, an increase of almost $14,000 from the average asking price in February, and a remarkable increase of $124,797 - or 57 % - from the average asking price of Saskatoon listings in March of 2007.

Prices have risen dramatically in communities across the province. For example - the average asking price of saskhouses.com listings in Martensville in March was $361,342, in Warman it was $358,538, and in Prince Albert, the average asking price was $259,390.

How long prices will continue to rise remains to be seen, but the demand for housing still seems to be out-stripping the supply.

You can click on the graph for a larger image.

Saskatchewan population continues to grow

2008-03-28T11:33:00.001-06:00

The latest figures released by Statistics Canada show that Saskatchewan's population is continuing to grow.

Stats Canada's fourth quarter report showed that Saskatchewan posted the strongest growth in population among the provinces during the three last months of 2007. Gaining people from every part of the country, Saskatchewan led the provinces in demographic growth for a second quarter in a row.

Saskatchewan's population was estimated at 1,006,600, up by 3,300, a growth of 0.33%.

Our population has been in constant growth since April 2006, when it hit a 25-year low of 986,900.

Stats Canada says Saskatchewan solidified its position as the fastest growing province, largely the result of the nation's highest net interprovincial migration rate. Between October and January, it had a net inflow of 2,200 people from other parts of the country. In addition, its net inflow from international migration was the strongest for a fourth quarter since 1979.