Estevan is seeing a return to optimism in the housing market. Josh Leblanc, from Coldwell Banker Choice Real Estate, says that the market is starting to stabilize now that the economy is beginning to recover. 

"Last year was probably one of the slowest years on record that we had in the real estate industry. If we look in terms of firm sales, we've seen an increase for sure. This spring market is busier than what we saw last March. The success rates that you're seeing right now have been attributed to people reducing their asking price. Sellers are capturing about 94% of the asking price they were asking in March, and that was because people reduced their asking price."

However, he cautions that the market isn't returning to the ways things were in the past. 

"When the boom was at the peak you were used to seeing 60 houses on the market and now we're up to 140-150 and that's something that Estevan isn't used to seeing. Last year was probably the slowest because we had no idea what was going on. Now we've seen oil prices start to increase slowly or seem to be more stable, and people are starting to go back to work. There's optimism around the entire economy. It's still not great or where it should be or where we need it to see things flourish but I think it's more of a reality and something we're going to get used to seeing. There are lots of buyers out there which is very good because prices have started to stabilize and correct themselves."

One positive coming out of the housing slump is a growth in people who are buying a house for the first time. 

"We're seeing a lot of first time buyers being able to start to look around and make that purchase that they wanted to in previous years that wasn't able to happen. They've been renting or staying with mom and dad or sharing a place with friends to build the down payment. That is something that is pretty encouraging. We're starting to see a lot more first time buyers come out and set roots in Estevan and call this place home which is something that we weren't used to seeing before."

He has some advice for people entering the market.

"If there are buyers out there, now is the time to buy. We're going into the spring market and there's lots of selection. And if you're a seller, and you're struggling to see that sale, you really need to listen to the advice of your realtor. You need to stop and take a look at what it is that's possibly affecting the sale of your house. If your realtor is doing everything they can, they're marketing and giving you all the tools that you need, and you're still not seeing success, then you need to look at your price and you need to look at it very, very seriously."