When it comes to pricey homes, the Willows Golf Community is the most expensive neighbourhood in Saskatoon and surrounding area.
That’s according to Dale Neufeld, owner of Saskhouses.com, who tracked more than 1,600 properties listed for sale on Saskhouses.com in 2011 and found the average asking price in the Willows Golf Community was $665,975.
Willowgrove was the second priciest neighbourhood with an average asking price of $520,642, followed by Rosewood at $509,938, Evergreen at $491,107 and Grosvenor Park in fifth place at $474,450.
There were only about a half dozen listings for the Willows, “but I think there was a enough to give a fairly accurate average,� Neufeld said. “Some were condos and some were free-standing homes.�
He was surprised that Willowgrove had the second-highest average listing on the website.
“We had over 50 listings in Willowgrove,� he said, “and it surprised me how high the asking price was.
“Grosvenor Park may be a bit surprising too at $474,000, but if you drive through it there are beautiful houses and it is one of the nicest neighbourhoods in the city.�
Neufeld started tracking the numbers last January so he could put up more community information with the house listings.
He said knowing the average asking price in the community would be beneficial to buyers and sellers, though he acknowledged some of the numbers might be skewed by what types of dwellings were for sale in certain areas.
For example, he said Lakeview came in quite low at $280,000 per listing, which Neufeld attributed to the number of condos for sale in the area.
“The average house doesn’t sell for $280,000 in Lakeview,â€� he said. “The average house is probably over $400,000 … or close to that.â€�
Rounding out the Top 10 most expensive neighbourhoods were Nutana, Briarwood, Montgomery Place, Erindale and Lakeridge.
Newer neighbourhoods in Warman were also high on the list with the average asking prices in Crystal Springs being $415,488 and The Legends at $405,505.
In The Legends there is a house currently listed for slightly less than $1 million.
Interestingly, Warman’s The Southlands neighbourhood, which consists entirely of new homes, is averaging $237,527.
“They are entry-level homes, but they are brand new,� Neufeld said.
The most economical neighbourhood to buy a property in 2011 was Holiday Park, with an average asking price of $182,600. The second most economical neighbourhood was Pleasant Hill at $186,120, followed by King George at $214,900, Meadowgreen at $230,925, and Riversdale at $232,450.
Rounding out the Top 10 most affordable neighbourhoods were Westmount, Kelsey Woodlawn, Mayfair, Warman The Southlands, and Hudson Bay Park.
Despite the high prices, Neufeld doesn’t see the cost of owning a home going down.
“Houses are being sold in every neighbourhood,� he said.
“There are so many people coming to Saskatoon and there is such a demand out there,� he said. “The city says they need 10,000 homes in the next three years. And every time I go for a drive I am absolutely amazed at the number of out-of-town licence plates that I see, and I assume they are not vacationing here right now.�
slarsen@thestarphoenix.com