It is not the first time the landscape as viewed through the national lens was different than the one being seen locally. A good case in point is Saskatchewan’s real estate market and how a different set of eyes gives a different perspective.
In the last few days, CMHC issued a report that cast the Saskatchewan real estate market in a negative light. And it didn’t take long for local players to take exception to the federal agency’s position.
The Saskatoon Home Builders were first out of the blocks to dispute the CMHC findings. Not far behind was the Saskatchewan Realtors Association. And it came armed with numbers.
It had already tallied up sales and listings for May. What they found might be surprising. Cities such as Yorkton, Estevan and Melfort were actually seeing growth, not recession-style retrenchment. And prices were rising.
Obviously there were also declines and the Realtors note that the size of the Regina and Saskatoon markets means they dominate the numbers and, since CMHC does not include centres with fewer than 10,000 residents, the figures can vary quite a bit.
