Determining the best time to invest in real estate is no easy task, and the most recent real estate figures for the territory make at least that much clear.

Buyers purchasing an average single-detached Whitehorse home in the first quarter of this year paid an average of $407,300.

That represents thousands of dollars in savings – $18,100, to be exact – over the cost of the same home in the last quarter of 2015.

Had that home been purchased a year earlier, in the first quarter of 2015, the buyer would have paid much less, with the average single-detached home costing $384,500 at that point.

Similarly, the average price for duplexes and condos also rose during the one-year period.

The average duplex price rose to $318,600 in the first quarter of 2016 from $276,800. The average condo price climbed to $298,100 from $277,300 in the first quarter of 2015.

The last quarter of 2015 saw the average price for duplexes at $321,000, while the average condo sold for $332,000.

Meanwhile, buyers of mobile homes were better off to make their purchase in the first quarter of 2016, with the average price at $204,600 over the $207,600 they would have paid in the first quarter of 2015.

The last quarter of 2015 saw the average mobile home sell for $247,600.

Average prices have dropped compared to the last quarter.

However, as Yukon Real Estate Association president Val Smith points out, there are certain seasonal norms that come with real estate.

To gain a more realistic picture of real estate sales, Smith more often looks at year-to-year figures comparing, for example, the first quarter of this year to the first quarter of last year.

Comparing year-to-year prices, the final quarter of 2014 saw the average single-detached home sell for $384,700, duplexes at $293,500, condos at $310,300 and mobile homes at $261,100.

The final quarter of 2015 saw single-detached homes at $425,400, duplexes at $321,000, condos at $332,000 and mobile homes at $247,600.

That shows all housing types except mobile homes went up in price over the one-year period, just as it did from the first quarter of 2015 to the first quarter of 2016.

All those transactions add up, it was noted.

“Comparing the first-quarter data to that of 2015, there was an increase in the total value of Yukon’s real estate transactions,” notes a press release from the Yukon Bureau of Statistics detailing the figures.

“In the first quarter of 2016, the total value of transactions was $37.5 million compared to $34.6 million in the same period in 2015, an increase of $2.9 million or 8.4 per cent.”

The first quarter of the year saw sales of 31 single-detached homes, 32 residential lots, 33 condos, seven mobile homes and seven duplexes.

Nearly all are below the five-year average for first-quarter sales of each housing type – with the average sales at 42 for single-detached, 45 for condos and 10 for duplexes.

The exception is mobile homes, which were above the five-year average of four sold in the first quarter.

Smith acknowledged things were generally slower than usual in the first part of this year.

She also emphasized that it wasn’t on the extreme end of things, but rather “just another place on the economic cycle.”

The downturn in the economy – both locally and globally – is a factor. Based on her experience over the years, Smith believes the upcoming territorial election may be playing a role too.

She has noted in previous election years, things start to slow down before the vote as potential buyers and sellers wait to see who will form the next government and predict what that might mean for their jobs.

While the year had an obvious slow start, Smith said she’s interested to find out what the results for the second quarter will be, as it was then things seemed to start picking up.

Along with the residential homes, another three commercial properties and four industrial properties were also sold in the first quarter.

The quarterly results give realtors, buyers and others a bit of a snapshot of where and what type of homes people are looking for in a particular three-month period.

Over time, the stats also play a role in how new subdivisions and areas are planned.

“Certainly, the city takes into consideration all available information,” acting planning manager Cathy Small said in an interview Thursday afternoon.

A master plan for a neighbourhood like Whistle Bend will be developed years ahead of individual sections of the area.

However, it’s in the finer details at subdivision and zoning that changes might be made according to more recent factors like real estate trends.

“We have seen the demand for single-family housing in Whistle Bend in particular,” Small said.

That has meant, for example, changes in the zoning for Whistle Bend to allow for more single-family housing.

At the same time though, the city works to balance the demand for certain housing types with the need for a variety of housing types and keeping the density level close to what was originally envisioned.

That means ensuring zoning and space are also afforded for entry-level homes (which can often be townhouses and the like), multifamily sites and so on as residents move through the housing continuum.

“It is a bit of looking into a crystal ball,” Small acknowledged.

Council recently approved zoning changes to Phase 4 of Whistle Bend while development continues to take place in the earlier phases of the neighbourhood.