Living in Saskatoon With Norm Fisher
Team Fisher at Royal LePage Vidorra, 112-310 Wall Street S7K 1N7 Saskatoon, SK, Canada

Warning for Home Sellers Don’t let complacency and cockiness cost you thousands. Leading up to 2020, the Saskatoon real estate market had been a buyer’s market for the better part of five years. ... Over the past 18 months, conditions have shifted and the broader market can now only be described as a seller’s market. If you’re considering selling a Saskatoon home this spring, pretend it’s still a buyer’s market. Often, when the market shifts like this, sellers and agents lose sight of what’s really important to fully leveraging the market. 1. Preparation 2. Presentation 3. Promotion 4. Pricing These are the things that are firmly within your control (either directly, or indirectly through the agent you select). Approaching them properly, and as if it might be hard to find a buyer, will improve results significantly. I had an opportunity to join Ron Quaroni on the Saskatchewan Real Estate Podcast last week to share some thoughts on the TeamFisher 4x4 Method. If you’re thinking of selling you might find this useful.

Saskatoon Real Estate Week in Review for March 13-19, 2021 (edition 732) The final week of winter brought a flurry of real estate activity with both home sales and new listings reaching new annual highs. Local agents reported 141 firm sales, up 50 from last week and more than doubling sales for the same week last year.... New listings shot higher to 227, up by 86 from the same week last year. Active listing inventory grew for the fourth consecutive week and reached 1208. Unfortunately, higher demand eliminated any benefit that a buyer might feel as a result of the increasing inventory. The supply/demand ratio ultimately led to even tougher conditions for those wanting to purchase a Saskatoon home. Let’s hope that this first week of spring brings a good flow of new listing inventory. Have a terrific week.

I took my seventh voice lesson last Friday. This has become such a fun and interesting journey for me. I’m spending time in practice daily. I’m learning to use the beautiful instrument that each of us has within us. Here’s where I’m at three months in.... I’m so grateful for Elyse Evangelista, my coach at Authentic Authentic Voice Studios who encourages me and pulls me along the journey a little further each time we meet. Thank you! I sang this song today, in honour of my late brother Dave who would have celebrated his 65th birthday today. Dave unapologetically lived life his way, boldly, lovingly, and filled with enthusiasm for the people who were in his life. I miss you, big brother.

Saskatoon Real Estate Week in Review for March 6-12, 2021 (edition 731) Coming off of a week that brought new annual highs to almost every market measure, Saskatoon home sale and new listings declined this week. Local agents sold 95 properties, down nine from the previous week, but top 24 annually.... New listings tumbled to 177 for a weekly decline of 36 and an annual increase of 17. To the delight of buyers, active listing inventory moved higher for the third week in a row. It’s up by 390 from last week’s close to 1160. Condos headed back towards buyers market for the third week in a row. With 618 active listings, we are up 90 annually and currently have a 5.6 month supply. Last official week of winter folks! Have a great one!

How to Win Big Selling a Home in a Seller's Market Join us for this free informative Zoom webinar, TODAY at 3:30 PM. Selling a home in a seller's market isn't hard, but extracting the maximum amount of equity from your home sale is another story entirely. ... In this 20-30 minute webinar, Norm Fisher from Royal LePage Vidorra and TeamFisher will share effective ideas gleaned over nearly three decades of Saskatoon home sales to help you get the highest possible price when you sell. Learn how to avoid the mistakes that many sellers are making right now that are costing them thousands, and in some cases, tens of thousands of dollars.

Saskatoon Real Estate Week in Review for February 6-12, 2021 (#727) This cold snap is about to break and by next weekend it will feel like spring! Yay!... The real estate market continues to produce spring-like results with 94 home sales firming up this week, an increase of 41 sales compared to the same week last year. Active listing inventory crept up to 1053, but a higher level of demand pushed months of inventory from 3.3 last week to 3 months today. Available single-family homes continue to find new lows with just 1.9 months of inventory available. For perspective, a four to six-month supply is considered balanced. Anything less is a seller’s market. Anything above six months is a buyer’s market. Take care not to get too swept up in the hype. In spite of high demand and low supply, nearly 80 percent of the week’s sales reported a price below the seller’s asking price. Have a great week.

I don't give a f@&k what you think! My favourite internet meme features a group sitting around a table. A handful of executive types are doing a job interview. A man asks the interviewee, "What's your greatest weakness?"... "I'm too honest," she replies. The man says, "I don't think honesty is a weakness." Without hesitation, she says to her would-be boss, "I don't give a f@&k what you think." This funny meme makes the point that even qualities that we value can actually become a weakness. I've shared before that I have struggled with perfectionism in the past. Many people wear this "quality" like a badge of honour. I did for years. It's great to value quality, diligence, conscientiousness, and getting it right. If it has to be perfect to be set free in the world, we're robbing ourselves and the world of experiencing our gifts. I recently bought an Oculus Quest Virtual Reality set. My goal is to bring some "playfulness" into my life. So, I'm playing this game that has me chopping flying objects with a light saber in each hand. There are a dozen "levels" of play, and a handful of ways to play each one (from easy to expert). This past weekend while I was playing I suddenly realized I had unknowingly trapped myself in the pursuit of perfection. Over and over, I'd get to the end of a level and the "Level Cleared!" message would display. Also displayed is the number of objects I had sliced. I would notice that I had missed a few objects. Even if I got 294 of 295, I'd start again with the goal of getting them all. Perfection! Mastery! Over the course of a couple of weeks, I managed a perfect score in the first five rounds. Then I realized that the way I was approaching the game was limiting my experience. There were many other worlds within my reach, worlds that had, in fact, called me in, that I was not exploring. As soon as I let the idea of mastery go, I was free to step into those worlds and experience new challenges. Doing so, I couldn't stop myself from improving at a faster pace. I saw and experienced more, and I had more fun doing it. If we are looking for perfection in what we create, we're robbing ourselves and the world. We're actually holding back on the gifts that we have to offer. Being "perfect" is less about doing great work and more about fear of judgment. If we can be honest with ourselves and adopt more of an "I don't give a f@&k what you think!" attitude we'll start to deliver more value at work and in our relationships. Aim for "good enough" and send it out to the world. From there, we can work on making it better.

How much fun is home shopping right now? It’s not, unfortunately. The best homes are selling extremely fast, and if you even you a chance to see them, you’re competing with other buyers to buy them.... Hoards of buyers will continue to rush out to those homes and throw money around like it means nothing. But, there are some homes out there that have been around for a little while. Buyers came and went, and no offers appeared. These are the gold nuggets for today’s home buyers. When you’re the only buyer making an offer, you actually have a chance to make a decent deal. Maybe, you need to knock a little dirt off that gold nugget. It might take some work, but you can wrap this up a lot quicker before prices rise even more. Plus, you’ll enjoy the benefit of some instant tax-free gains and equity. Or, you can follow the crowd in frustration.

Saskatoon Real Estate Week in Review for January 30 - February 5, 2021 (#726) In almost 28 years as a full-time real estate agent, I don’t ever recall conditions being this intense this early in the year. Local REALTORS reported 77 firm sales home this week, up 16 from the same week last year.... New listings grew to 147, thanks in part to 58 listings that expired at the end of January and then returned for another go at the market. Active listing inventory fell lower to just 1029, with 441 single-family homes and 532 condos showing an active status on the MLS. Nine homes sold for more than the list price, but the average overbid was nearly a third of what it was a week earlier. Have a great week.

Saskatoon real estate week in review for January 23-29, 2021 (#725) I commented to another agent this week that the market has kind of a gross 2007 feel to it. That’s a year I’ll never forget. The price of a Saskatoon home doubled. Working 16 hours a day and constantly dealing with the disappointment and frustration of seeing people (mostly home buyers) lose out daily.... I don’t see prices doing what they did then, but there are similar qualities developing with respect to supply and demand. More homes are selling before the majority of buyers can get away from work. Backlogs of showings are occurring more routinely, and a larger percentage of listings are the subject of bidding wars. Have a great week everyone!

Saskatoon Real Estate Week in Review for December 12-18, 2020 (#719) For the 28th consecutive week, Saskatoon home sale numbers met or exceeded those from the same week a year ago. Local REALTORS reported 70 residential sales, up seven from the previous week.... Meanwhile, new listings fell off a cliff as they typically do at this time of the year. Still, 75 Saskatoon sellers opted to list this week, down from 120 the week before. Active listing inventory saw its largest single-week decline this year, dropping 54 units to 1068, the lowest number recorded for any week since the final week of 2013. That’s low, for sure, but measuring supply against demand, we did see a modest improvement this week. There is now a 3.4 month supply, up from 3.2 last week. To those who celebrate, Merry Christmas.

Saskatoon Real Estate Week in Review for December 5-11, 2020 If there’s one thing you can count on like clockwork, it’s a solid dip in home sales over the month of December. That’s playing out as usual, as the number of home sales reported fell 21 units this week to 63. Still, that’s 13 more sales than we saw during the same period last year, and the 27th consecutive week in which sales met or exceeded those recorded over the same week of 2019. Typically, new listings follow ...a similar path, but this past week, 120 homes were listed for sale, up 50 on a year-over-year basis. Weaker sales and strong listing activity pushed active listing inventory higher, which is unusual for December. There are now 1122 Saskatoon homes for sale. December can be a lonely month for a home seller who needs to get their home sold quickly. As showings slow down, seller motivation can grow to create a stronger negotiating position for buyers willing to shop. Often, prices soften modestly as a result. Have a great week everyone.

If you fail to act on a new idea within 24 hours, chances are you never will. Have you ever come out of a seminar or a workshop with a list of great ideas that are sure to change your life? Then, you do nothing with them? Like nothing at all?... I’m the kind of person who likes to think things through from start to finish, so this has happened to me many times. I’m learning that the speed of implementation is key to progress. Get it done now, however imperfect, and once implemented you can work on improvements. Last week, I had the bright idea of signing up for singing lessons, and I did. I immediately began researching coaches. I found one, moved for an appointment, and paid for my first lesson. Soon after I booked it, the insecurities started to set in. I’m going to have to sing for a professional at this lesson. Yikes! I’ll look like such a dork. These are exactly the kind of thoughts that have kept me from pursuing this before. Had I waited, even a day, I probably would have left the idea to rot on the scrap heap of good ideas. . But this time, I’m moving ahead thanks to quick implementation.

Covid, Covid, Covid. I’m sick of hearing about Covid and I’m sure you are too. Unfortunately, Covid isn’t done with us yet!... I’m sensing a growing level of concern , especially for home sellers inviting strangers into their homes. I offer these simple tips to home buyers to keep themselves safe and to give the owners of the homes they’re visiting some comfort that you respect their space. Get pre-approved to ensure that the homes you’re viewing are affordable for you. Pre-qualify homes online using photos, virtual tools and even Google Maps to walk the area virtually. Take your own car and avoid riding with your REALTOR. Primary decision-makers only. We can spin the kids through later, prior to making an offer. Wear a mask, sanitize your hands, and keep a safe distance while viewing. Let your REALTOR open doors and cupboards to minimize touchpoints through the home. I hope that’s helpful.

Saskatoon Real Estate Week in Review for November 7-13, 2020 Saskatoon home sales fell lower for the third consecutive week. Local agents reported just 74 sales, down 12 from last week but up by 23 compared to the same week last year. Active listing inventory also continued its decline, now for the eighth week in a row.... While six sellers received an offer for more than the asking price, our long term price measures both showed continued signs of modest softening as we move towards winter.

A better you creates a better world for everyone you interact with. I’ve always seen personal growth as something I do for myself. More recently I’ve come to understand that a better me has the potential to create a better world for everyone I interact with. ... When this really sunk in, I could see that I have a responsibility to be the best person I can be. Anything less has the potential to bring pain and suffering to others. I witnessed an exchange online that touched me deeply. To hear of this man’s transformation leaves no doubt that when we improve ourselves and become something more than we thought possible, we bring an entirely different level of energy to the world. What could be better than that?

Saskatoon Real Estate Week in Review for October 31 to November 6, 2020 Saskatoon home sales fell to their lowest level since the first week of September but still managed to maintain large annual gains. New listings came on strong at 142 as listing that expired at the close of October came back on the market for another go.... 30-day sales rose to 433 this week as active listings fell to their lowest point since January. Months of inventory feel lower to just three months making it clear that sellers still have a solid position at the negotiating table. Have a great week!

Saskatoon Real Estate Week in Review for October 24-30, 2020 (edition 712) The market is definitely cooling but it’s happening so slowly you can hardly notice. In a nutshell, we moved 102 Saskatoon homes this week.... Listing inventory fell to its lowest point since February. With 30 days sales at 430, months of inventory fell lower to just 3.2 months creating even tighter conditions for Saskatoon home buyers. More in our video. Happy Halloween!

Saskatoon Real Estate Week in Review for November 28 - December 4, 2020 As sales continued at an unusually brisk pace for the season, active listing inventory continued to fall, now reaching its lowest level since the first week of 2014. A near seven-year low. I’m thinking inventory is likely to fall below 1000 by the end of the year, which could create ongoing challenges for buyers well into the new year.... As the calendar turned, new reports from the MLS Home Price Index show that high demand and low inventory is putting upward pressure on prices. On a year-over-year basis, we’re seeing the following changes. Townhomes are up 3 percent. Single-family homes have climbed 5.5 percent. Apartments are the big winner having increased by 6.8 percent. Thanks for watching. Have a great week!

Where does all the barking get us? It’s been a few months since we welcomed Murphy into our family. He was stressed and anxious when he arrived but a healthy dose of love helped him settle in.... Becky walks him twice a day and he gets lots of belly rubs, cuddles and tasty treats. He’s even allowed to sleep with us. We can tell he loves it here and we love having him. He’s got one bad habit that he came by honestly as a terrier. When someone walks by the house or comes to the door, he barks his fool head off. I mean, he seriously postures up and tries to become his most menacing self. I presume this is a defensive act. He’s telling the intruder, This belongs to me and if you try anything funny you’ll have me to contend with. My guess is that the behaviour is highly stressful for Murph and that it has little or no effect on anyone else. Still he does it repeatedly as if it’s working. He’s a dog, and dogs just aren’t smart enough to understand when their actions aren’t serving them. People are pretty smart. Why do we so often posture up and bark our fool heads off?

Saskatoon Real Estate Week in Review for October 17-23, 2020 (edition #711) This week produced the highest number of sales for any week in a month at 104 units, way up from 66 for the same period last year. New listings fell lower for the third week in a row and active listings saw their fifth consecutive week of declines.... One lucky seller got an insane overbid. Have a great weekend everyone.