A number of factors have created a seller's housing market in Morden and Winkler.

In Winkler, the average sale price of a home has jumped almost $10,000 from $224,000 to $233,500. In Morden, house prices have climbed nearly $20,000 from $201,500 last year to $220,000.

The average sale price in Southern Manitoba was also up from $209,000 last year to $215,000 this year.

However, a lack of inventory has also led to fewer sales this year from 229 at this time last year in Winkler, to 184 this year. In contrast, home sales in Morden have risen from 151 to 165 compared to last year.

Local realtor Dave Kasdorf notes the highest demand is found in the $180,000 to $240,000 price range.

"There's a lot of buyers, but just not much for sale," he says, adding homes are selling quickly in Winkler.

Last year it took on average 53 days to sell a house in the city. This year houses have sold in 45 days on average. With more listings, it's taking slightly longer to sell a house in Morden with an average of 76 days compared to 64 last year. The average days on the market for homes in Southern Manitoba, in general, was 70, compared to 63 last year at this time.

He notes first-time home buyers are still limited in their options in Winkler, which has caused a slowdown. "Townhomes, multi-family, single-family starter homes, we just haven't had many developments this year."

However, Kasdorf notes there are some multi-family projects on the horizon that should help meet the housing shortage.