How much did Sask.'s housing market change in 2022? It depends how you look at the data

The Saskatchewan Realtors Associationis trying to soften the blowof Regina's market seeing a significant drop in the average house price last year.

A recent report highlighted that from December 2021 to December 2022, the average home sale price in Reginadropped by 19.8 per cent.

That would mean Regina sawthe biggest drop in average housing price of any Canadian city.

In Saskatoon, the average housing prize was far less volatile, recording a0.6 per cent increase from the year before.

The report useddata provided by theCanadian Real Estate Association (CREA). While the data is accurate CREA draws itsnumbers from organizations like the Saskatchewan Realtors Association (SRA) it's not the metric that realtors use to assess the market, according to Chris Gurette,CEO of the Saskatchewan Realtors Association.

"So an average price is a bit of a blunt tool. I would say the benchmark price is actually comparing apples to apples in the typical neighbourhood, typical house that you would see in this neighbourhood,"said Gurette.

While the average price can seedrastic changesdepending what is sold in a given year,the benchmark price doesn't fluctuate as much. Italso gives a better portrait of what the community is like,Gurettesaid.

In Regina, the benchmark price in Regina dropped by 0.1 per cent fromDecember 2021 to December 2022.

In Saskatoon, the benchmark price increased by 0.8 per cent during the same time period.

If you use these figures, the market has essentially remained flat.

Gurette saidthe stability inbenchmark prices is a sign that Saskatchewan has a strong economy and the province's housing market is resisting inflationary pressure.

Guiylaine Patenaude has owned her condo in Saskatoon for 15 years. She has put it on the market multiple times over the past 10 years, but only recently sold the property. She's now on the hunt for something larger and newer.

In a recent interview, Patenaude said she'shappy tobe "turning the next page of the chapter of my real estate story."

The search won't be too difficult, as interest rates are around the same amount that she was approved for back when she first bought her condo in 2008.

"I'm not too far off where I thought I would be. So that's encouraging in the sense that I can still afford what I had hoped to afford," she said.

Gurette saidrealtors are keeping a close eye on theinventory of available units across the province.

"We've been trending down for a few years now since the pandemic, and if that gets too low what ends up happening is it puts a pressure on prices," she said.

It's all about the balance between supply and demand, Gurette said.