Both the number of sales and the average price of homes sold in the Saskatoon region last month rose at nearly the same rate, new numbers show.

The 2011 sales year started off on a positive note,

The Saskatoon Region Association of Realtors (SRAR) says 195 houses were purchased in the city last month. That figure, the group said Tuesday, is up 10 per cent from January 2010 when 178 homes were sold in the Saskatoon area.

At an average selling price of $300,353, January’s residential average is up 11 per cent over the same period last year, when homebuyers paid an average of $270,265.

The average selling price last month reflects the price range — $300,000 to $350,000 — in which most homes were sold. Home sales in this range have been the trend during the past few months.

Residential properties purchased in January spent an average of 43 days on the market before finding a new owner.

Saskatoon home listings, meanwhile, also rose year-over-year, with the number of properties on the market rising 34 per cent to 531 homes from 395 in January 2010. At the end of the month, 958 houses were listed for sale in the city.

Outside of Saskatoon, house sales jumped 73 per cent over last year, with 57 homes purchased in January 2011 compared to 33 sales in January 2010.

Listings are up in outlying communities as well, SRAR reports, rising to 214 properties last month. In January 2010, 134 houses were listed for sale — a difference of 60 per cent.

Homes located outside the city spent about two months on the market before being purchased in January.

SRAR forecasts listings and sales to continue to balance through the remaining 11 months of the year.

Average sales prices, according to the association, are to remain level or rise slightly on demand for homes in Saskatoon.

ckyle@thestarphoenix.com